Press release from Tryon International Equestrian Center
Abigail McArdle (Wellington, FL) and Victorio 5 conquered the competition in the $25,000 Tryon Resort Sunday Classic at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) to conclude Tryon Summer 3 competition. Kady Abrahamson (Loveland, OH) and Vancouver, the 2009 Westphalian gelding (Valentino x Cocco) owned by Abrahamson Equestrian LLC, collected second-place honors with a time of 40.78 seconds. Rounding off the podium and earning third place was Hector Florentino (Rutherfordton, NC) aboard D’artagnan, the 2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Mr. Blue x Tamellie) owned by Santiago Lambre, with a jump-off time of 41.05 seconds and one rail to the floor.
McArdle stopped the jump-off timers after a mere 39.846 seconds to take the win on Victorio 5, the 2006 Hanoverian stallion (Uccello x Graefin) owned by Victorio Equine Group LLC. Fourteen riders tackled the first round alongside McArdle and Victorio 5, but the pair topped a three-horse second round. After her win, McArdle shared that her connection with Victorio 5 has developed to cultivate a winning strategy. “He [Victorio 5] has been my mount for almost three years now. I know him very well and we’ve had a lot of Grand Prix wins together,” she explained. “I don’t want to say it was an easy class, but I know him well that I just went in, rode my plan and came out with success!”
McArdle and Victorio 5’s long-standing partnership led to a jump-off performance that was more than a second faster than the previous leader. With a tight cohort of competitors challenging the jump-off test. “For the jump-off, I had to go all-out, because I didn’t know what was going to win it,” she admitted. “I did all of the inside turns, and it turned out great!”
McArdle and her mount will continue to compete at TIEC for the next two weeks. She hopes to have the same good fortune in the weeks to come, and plans to enter the $137,000 Night in the Country Grand Prix CSI 3* during Tryon Summer 4. “We love Tryon!” she concluded. “All of our clients and horses love showing here. It’s a great place to be with lots of space to ride, and the stables are excellent.”