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Richard Spooner and Chivas Z win $85,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup at Spruce Meadows

Saturday, 11 July 2015
CSI5* Spruce Meadows 2015

Richard Spooner of USA riding Chivas Z to victory at Spruce Meadows. Photo (c) Spruce Meadows Media Services.
Richard Spooner of USA riding Chivas Z to victory at Spruce Meadows. Photo (c) Spruce Meadows Media Services.

USA’s Richard Spooner jumped to victory aboard his own Chivas Z in the $85,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup on Friday of the ‘Pan American’ Tournament, presented by Rolex, at Spruce Meadows. Friday’s competition also included a $34,000 Friends of the Meadows 1.45m competition with a win for Brazil’s Eduardo Menezes and Carushka 2. The ‘Pan American’ Tournament continues with world-class show jumping through Sunday, July 12.

Guilherme Jorge (BRA) is the course designer in the Meadows on the Green this week and set the 1.55m track for 43 starters in the $85,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup. Fifteen entries jumped clear over the first round course and 14 returned for round two.

Speed was key for a win over Jorge’s jump-off track, but rails fell for many entries on the way to the finish line, and only four combinations cleared the short course without fault. Spooner and Chivas Z, a 16-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Cumano x Lord Gotthard), crossed the timers in 36.97 seconds for the win despite an unconventional finish.

“The jump-off started off fantastic actually and ended with a major chocolate chip,” Spooner laughed. “I absolutely missed to the last jump. I wanted to do one less stride, and then at the last minute I realized that there was a snowball’s chance in hell that we were going to get there. I just kind of dropped the reins and closed my eyes, hoped for the best and sat back so that if something bad happened I wasn’t the first person at the scene of the accident. Somehow he jumped it clear and we were fast enough in the beginning that even with the debacle in the end, we ended up with the win.”

Hardin Towell (USA) and Jennifer Gates’ Emilie de Diamant AS finished second in 39.15 seconds. Reed Kessler (USA) and Kessler Show Stables’ Cylana placed third in 40.78 seconds, and Rodrigo Lambre (BRA) and Mario Onate’s Whin Whin took fourth with a time of 42.74 seconds. Coming in fifth, McLain Ward (USA) and Double H Farm’s HH Carlos Z had the fastest time of the day in 36.63 seconds, but dropped a rail at the last jump.

Spooner explained that Chivas Z is not typically the kind of horse that would save the day in a tricky situation like that. “Not at all actually,” the rider remarked. “The horse is very careful and quite sensitive, and we have been working through little issues, so the fact that he did that for me today – I am flabbergasted and quite impressed with his willingness to carry on even with my gross negligence.”

“He is a wonderful horse,” Spooner added. “He is really sweet and loving. He is a little bit of a nervous-type, a little spooky here and there, but that is what makes him so careful at 16 years old. I have just been so impressed with him during this circuit. He just continues to wow me.”
 

Final Results: $85,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup 1.55m

1. $28,050 CHIVAS Z Zangersheide / G / 16 Cumano x Lord Gotthard
RICHARD SPOONER (USA) AGUA DULCE, CA Richard Spooner: 0/0/36.97

2. $17,000 EMILIE DE DIAMANT AS Belgian Sport Horse / M / 11 Diamant de Semilly x Flipper d Elle JACK HARDIN TOWELL JR. (USA) CAMDEN, SC Jennifer Gates: 0/0/39.15

3. $12,750 CYLANA Belgian Warmblood / M / 13 Skippy II x Darco
REED KESSLER (USA) LEXINGTON, KY Kessler Show Stables: 0/0/40.78

4. $8,500 WHIN WHIN Dutch Warmblood / M / 12 Phin Phin x Elcaro
RODRIGO LAMBRE (BRA) MONTERREY Mario Onate: 0/0/42.74

5. $5,100 HH CARLOS Z Zangersheide / G / 13 Chellano Z x Voltaire
MCLAIN WARD (USA) BREWSTER, NY Double H Farm: 0/4/36.63

6. $3,825 FLEXIBLE Irish bred / S / 19 Cruising x Safari
RICH FELLERS (USA) SHERWOOD, OR Harry & Mollie Chapman: 0/4/36.64

7. $2,550 CABALLITO Oldenburg / G / 13 Contendro x Argentinus
ANDRES RODRIGUEZ (VEN) WELLINGTON, FL Arao Enterprises LLC: 0/4/37.33

8. $2,125 GAZELLE Belgian Warmblood / M / 9 Kashmir van Shuttershof x Indoctro
KENT FARRINGTON (USA) WELLINGTON, FL Robin Parsky and Kent Farrington: 0/4/37.40

9. $1,700 STATUS Hanoverian / G / 11 Satisfaction x Sao Paulo
RODRIGO PESSOA (BRA) Pessoa Stables LLC: 0/4/42.52

10. $1,700 SF ARIANTHA Dutch Warmblood / M / 10 Corland x Emillion
ANDRES RODRIGUEZ (VEN) WELLINGTON, FL Olivia Cox-Fill: 0/7/50.08

11. $850 ANTARES Warmblood / G / 10 Manhattan x Cavalier
PABLO BARRIOS (VEN) WELLINGTON, FL Pablo Barrios: 0/8/36.78

12. $850 CHALLENGE VD BEGIJNAKKER Zangersheide / G / 13 Chellano Z x Palestro VD Begijnakker NICOLA PHILIPPAERTS (BEL) GRUITRODE Bart Keisse: 0/8/39.69

 

Source: Press release from Spruce Meadows Media Services



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