Press release from Phelps Media Group, Inc.

Friday morning at Flintfields Horse Park saw the second FEI class of the week for the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors LLC, in the form of the $36,600 T&R Development Classic CSI3*. A speed class, the contest attracted 53 entries representing seven countries to the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring for a well-fought battle of footspeed. Hot off a one-two victory the day prior in the $36,600 Welcome Stake CSI3*, Kristen Vanderveen (USA) maintained her momentum and clocked another efficient trip to add a second win in as many days to her collection aboard Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili, owned by Bull Run Jumper Five LLC.

Course designer Peter Grant (CAN) provided horse-and-rider pairs with an aptly-challenging course for the class, which ultimately saw 10 pairs leave all the rails in their cups. Brooke Peterson (USA) and Uqualin Du Saulcy turned in the first penalty-free trip of the class as the very first pair to tackle the pattern, tripping the timers in 71.38 seconds to set the early standard. Their ride proved to be much too conservative, though, as Thursday’s $36,600 Welcome Stake CSI3* winner Vanderveen blew away the leaders’ time by a wide margin of nearly seven seconds, piloting Bull Run’s Prince of Peace to a blazing round in 63.64 seconds with all the fences still standing as only the ninth to go. At the midway break, Vanderveen still retained the lead, but Andrew Bourns (IRL) and A Toi De Prim finally knocked her off the top spot thanks to a lightning round in 62.76 seconds. They were soon eclipsed by Lillie Keenan (USA) and Agana Van Het Gerendal Z, who galloped even faster to break the beam fault-free in 62.69 seconds.

Not to be outdone, Vanderveen once again improve the leading time by an impressive margin on her second mount of the class and Thursday’s FEI victor, Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili, after crossing the finish line clear in 60.63 seconds, more than two seconds quicker than the next-closest competitor at that point. As the class progressed, no horse-and-rider partnerships managed to edge out Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili’s time, with or without faults, solidifying the dynamic duo as the big class winners for the second day in a row. Keenan and Agana Van Het Gerendal Z, owned by Chansonette farm LLC, earned the runner-up position, and Daniel Bluman (ISR) rounded out the podium with Over The Top stables LLC’s Gemma W in 62.71 seconds.

Riders are now in week seven of 11 weeks of competition towards the CaptiveOne Advisors $30,000 Leading Jumper Rider Bonus, which will be awarded to one lucky rider following the conclusion of the $213,300 CaptiveOne American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4* on September 13. Jonathan Corrigan (IRL) has retained the lead throughout the entirety of the series after winning the first Welcome Stake in June, but Vanderveen’s results during Week Five of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival have put her on the leaderboard in sixth place.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Kristen Vanderveen (USA) – $36,600 T&R Development Classic CSI3*

On Bull’s Run Faustino De Tili and Bull Run’s Prince of Peace:
“It’s been amazing, he is on his a-game here. I was a little bit frustrated and I felt so bad for [Bull Run’s Prince of Peace] because I thought he gave an effort to really win the class today and I made a few mistakes, but I was sure not to do it again on Frosty.”

On her win:
“[Bull’s Run Faustino De Tili] has an unbelievable stride so I was able to do the seven strides in the first line, which was very hard, I think few could get there. The same thing going into the next combination. I think his stride played to our advantage quite well and he’s also quick on the turns so right at the end, those little hairpin turns on the vertical, he is pretty quick. I like that because the riders can really chance it a bit there and it makes a difference for who wins the class.”