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HORSE SHOWS IN THE SUN
Ray Texel and Fleur Win $50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix At
Indio Desert Circuit and Move Up in World Cup Standings |
INDIO, CA (February 25, 2001)--Ray Texel, 28, of
Malibu, California, riding the 9-year-old Holsteiner mare Fleur, was the only
rider in a field of 32 to jump double-clear today at the Indio Desert Circuit
in California, clinching the win in the $50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix and moving
him from third to second in the West Coast League World Cup Standings. "I
really believed in Fleur today and decided to give her some trust even though
it was a real risky class for me," said Texel. "She's an intelligent
horse, she's a fighter, and I think that these last couple of Grand Prix jump
offs, she's learned from little mistakes we've been having. I decided today to
challenge it and she came through for me. This is really what a partnership is
about--working together with this animal. I gave her the best chance to go
clear today, but I also think she really helped me out as well--when we came
back for that jump off she helped figure things out from the other days. I
believe that this weekend is one year exactly that we've been together. This is
a wonderful anniversary. I'm going to have a drink for her tonight." Texel
took home the blue ribbon, an engraved silver tray, an embroidered cooler, and
$15,000 for owner Beverly Hills Equestrian Park.
Ray Texel and Fleur - winner $50,000 Rio Vista
Grand Prix
"They were wonderful together," said
Suzanne Saperstein, who owns Beverly Hills Equestrian Park along with husband
David Saperstein. "Both of them just really stepped up to the occasion.
We're really excited. I'm looking forward to the World Cup very much
considering that's where I'm from--Sweden is my home country, so we're hoping
that we get to go." The World Cup Final will be held in Goteborg, Sweden,
April 16-20.
Danny Foster of Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, designed today's course. "I
think it's up to the course designers to help decide who qualifies for the
World Cup Finals," said Foster. "It's tough competition when you get
there, so I think everyone agrees that it has to be a tough course to make sure
that the right horses gain points and get through. Basically there's two ways
of being tough. One is with size and the other one is with technicality. I was
a rider all my life and there are lots of very subtle things that are difficult
that non-riders wouldn't necessarily see the difficulty. Basically you're
talking about lines of jumps, combinations of jumps, and the distances in
between that relate from one to the other. You only have so many of these
classes to make sure that the right horses accumulate points. We owe it to the
best ones to give them an opportunity to come out ahead."
For Round One, Foster built a 14-jump course that included water at Fence No.
6, a double combination at Fence No. 7, another double at Fence No. 10, and a
triple combination at Fence No. 13. Time Allowed was set at 97 seconds. Nine
riders were eliminated on course. Four riders were clean for the Jump Off.
"I was really happy with Round One," said Texel who also rode
Pershing in the class. "The first round was a very difficult course. It
really asked most of the questions you can ask of a horse. You're asking them
to be very careful at the tall verticals but then you're asking them to be very
scopey at the big oxers. For sure the oxer over the water really got the horses
jumping out very aggressively, so that by the time you got to 10AB and 11, the
horses were really aggressive. You really had to hold them back to make all the
strides work. I felt like 9, 10AB, 11 was the biggest trick on the course. It
didn't prepare you that well for the triple. It helped you because the horse is
now a little bit more careful, a little bit more aware, but 13ABC was really
tricky as well--the skinny oxer coming in and then a lot of work at B to get
over the oxer, then very tight from B to C to get off of the vertical. It
caught me on my second horse, but fortunately Fleur was clear."
The nine-obstacle short course included B and C from the triple. Time Allowed
was 57 seconds. Texel and Fleur were first in the Jump Off order and set the
pace with a clear round in 45.28. Nicole Shahinian-Simpson, ranked fourth in
the West Coast League standings, was next in the order riding the Selle
Francais stallion El Campeon's Circa Z, her declared World Cup horse. She beat
Texel on time, speeding around the course in 44.91, but had a rail for four
faults and ended up in third place, taking home $6,500 for owner El Campeon
Farms.
Richard Spooner, who ranked seventh in the standings, went third in the jump
off on Robinson, who is not his World Cup horse. Spooner entered four horses in
today's class, declared Bradford as his World Cup horse, but had one time fault
with him for fifth, and four faults each with Southshore and Incento, tying for
sixth along with four other four-faulters. On Robinson, Spooner raced over the
jumps in 41.89, more than three seconds faster than Texel, but had the
heartbreaking last rail down, taking second place and $11,000 for Robinson's
owner, the Half Moon Bay Investment Group. "I couldn't see the clock and
didn't know how fast I was," said Spooner. "I could have put one or
even two more strides in at the last jump. This puts me out of contention for
the World Cup."
Last to go was Oeuvray Dehlia from Switzerland riding King Cavalier, her
declared horse. Dehlia also had the last rail down. Her time of 45.70 put her
in fourth place earning $4,000 for owner Charles Burrus
Texel said, "Going first in the jump-off, it was very important that I set
a strong pace and make sure I forced the other riders to really run to have to
catch up with me and hope that they would have a mistake because of the speed
element involved. Fortunately it worked out today. It's very hard to have a
real strategy sometimes because it really all comes down to jumping the jumps
clear and going fast. My main priority was to jump clear and be as fast as I
could be without risking a careless error because of speed."
Texel is now three points behind Dick Carvin in
the World Cup standings and has earned eight scores--which is the limit. Three
riders from the West Coast League will qualify for the World Cup based on the
outcome of the last qualifier--the $150,000 Ford Grand Prix on March 11 at the
Indio Desert Circuit. "I can do the class but I won't receive any
points," explained Texel. "It's not done yet, but I think we have a
good chance. In the last class, the best thing I can hope to do is be clear on
both horses. If I can be in the top placings on both horses it can keep some of
those World Cup horses split between each other and that might help a little
bit. There's a little strategy there in the points."
Texel took the opportunity to express his feelings about the sport of show
jumping. "There are a lot of people that have to work really hard hours
and live a very tough life to achieve this kind of success," he said.
"Ultimately it's my job when I go in the ring, but there's so many other
people involved to get me to that point. It's important to me to make sure that
those people are recognized and thanked--which I do privately, but it's also
nice to do publicly. The barn manager Richard Padilla and the horse's groom--we
call him "Guma," is so great with Fleur. He spends so much time with
her. He's the one she identifies with on a day-to-day basis. When it comes down
to the competition, it's me that she fights with to win. I think that's quite
special. The owner, Beverly Hills Equestrian Park, and the sponsors of the
class, and all that goes on to get that horse going, all those things coming
together--it's nice to have a victory like this."
James Towle and his wife, Rose Marie Towle own Rio Vista Products, the sponsor
of today' class. "Jumping is certainly very exciting," said Rose
Marie. "You have to hold your breath every time they go over a jump. You
have to admire them because it takes such courage. Grand Prix show jumping is
something we like because we feel that the people who are involved in it are
really high-end professionals. They have committed their life to this passion.
It's a very passionate sport so we like to support the Grand Prix jumpers here.
We respect the other hunter/jumpers as well but in this particular venue the
Grand Prix is the big event so that's why we sponsor it." Mr. and Mrs.
Towle, along with James's brother, David Towle were on the grounds this week at
the Rio Vista booth promoting the Rio Vista Fund--which provides funds for
emergency situations in the cases of rescues and rehabilitation of horses.
Today's class was also a qualifying Grand Prix for the Cosequin® U.S. Grand
Prix League Invitational Finals to be held in Culpeper, Virginia, September
26-30, 2001.
$50,000 RIO VISTA GRAND PRIX, February 25, 2001
Indio Desert Circuit IV, Indio, California
Course Designer: Danny Foster
Pl/Horse/Rider/Owner/Prize Money/Rd 1/Rd 2/Faults/J-O Time
1 Fleur/Ray Texel/Beverly Hills Equestrian Park LLC/$15,000/0/0/45.28
2 Robinson/Richard Spooner/Half Moon Bay Investment Group/$11,000/0/4/41.89
3 El Campeon's Cirka Z/Nicole Shahinian-Simpson/El Campeon
Farms/$6,500/0/4/44.91
4 King Cavalier/Oeuvray Dehlia/Charles Burrus/$4,000/0/4/45.70
5 Bradford/Richard Spooner/Tracey Kenly&Kenly Farms/$3,000/1/NA
6 Southshore/Richard Spooner/El Dorado 29/$1,583.33/4/NA
6 Incento/Richard Spooner/Oscany Inc/$1,583.33/4/NA
6 Caldero/Lindsay McLean/Lindsay McLean/$1,583.33/4/NA
6 Diamond Go Go/Misti Cassar/Misti Cassar/$1,583.33/4/NA
6 Pershing/Ray Texel/Beverly Hills Equestrian Park LLC/$1,583.33/4/NA
6 Grace/Tracy Fenney/Hidden Lake Farm/$1,583.33/4/NA
12 Amos/Rich Fellers/Harry & Mollie Chapman/$1,000/6/NA
Number of horses who competed in this class: 32
Class Prize Money: $50,000
HITS Indio Desert 2001 Show Jumping Action continues &
Circuit V February 28-March 4
Circuit VI March 7-11
Featured Events:
$25,000 Ariat Grand Prix Every Friday 1pm
$50,000 HITS Grand Prix Sunday, March 4 1pm
$50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge
Presented by The Chronicle of the Horse Sunday, March 11 8am
$150,000 Ford Grand Prix of the Desert Sunday, March 11 2pm
Special Day Events:
Heritage Palms Seniors Day
Presented by KESQ TV3 & Palm Springs Follies Sunday, March 4 11am-1pm
Fiesta Day
Presented by Avis, Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Sunday, March 11 11am-1pm
Valley, El Informador del Valle, KUNA TV, and Valley Meat Markets
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