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Spooner and Robinson Win
Their Second $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix--Spooner Chalks Up Fourth Grand Prix
Victory at Indio |
INDIO, CA (March 2, 2001)--Richard Spooner, 31, of
Burbank, California, and Robinson outperformed a field of 51 horses to win the
$25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at the Indio Desert Circuit in California today. This
is Spooner's fourth Grand Prix victory at the six-week circuit, and his second
win with Robinson in the Friday Ariat Grand Prix. Spooner rode six horses in
the class, but was clear for the five-horse jump-off only on Robinson. Buddy
Brown of Wellington, Florida, designed the course. "My hat's off to
Buddy," said Spooner. "When we walked the course it looked
simplistic--which generally is always the best course. It looked
straightforward. It looked inviting. It looked like it was the perfect course
for a young horse. It wasn't too big. It wasn't too technical. It wasn't too
difficult. It wasn't 'too' anything. It was nice and smooth. So I frankly
walked the course and thought we were going to eat Buddy alive. I thought that
the riders were really going to have their day and Buddy was going to see 15
clear. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did he only have five clear, he had five of
the most exceptional horses clear in the class." Spooner took home $7,500
for Robinson's owner, the Half Moon Bay Investment Group. JCR Sports
Productions of Foothill Ranch, California, taped the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix.
Airdates will be available at
www.tvshowjumping.com
Indio Desert Circuit V is Course Designer Brown's first visit to the HITS
Desert Horse Park. He said his plan was to evaluate the ring and the horses
each day and make the courses more technical as the week progressed. "With
all the shows nowadays there's only so many ways you can set a line or
combination. My fun is to play with the equipment and create some different
looks, even if it's the same distance that somebody else had set up before, it
might not be the same look and it could cause the horses to jump it totally
differently. I try to come up with some creative designs using the equipment,
drawing the horse's eye away from the top rail. That's sort of my fondness-to
make them look through the jump, or make them look at the bottom of the jump,
and try to keep the riders and the horses paying attention."
For the Friday Grand Prix, Brown said, "I usually build for the top level
modified horse or the lower level Grand Prix horse. There won't be as much
scope. It'll be more careful, tricky, creative. Sunday will be more power and
scope." The 14-jump Round One course included a double at Fence No. 3,
water at Fence No. 5, and a triple combination at Fence No. 10. Time allowed
was set at 92 seconds. Many of the competitors had more than one entry in the
class, but the five clear horses were all ridden by different riders.
For the jump-off, Brown built a six-element short course that introduced one
new jump, and asked the horses to jump two elements of the triple in reverse
order from Round One. Time Allowed was set at 48 seconds. Hap Hansen, 49, of
Encinitas, California, was first in the jump off order on Maloubet and set the
pace with a clear in 44.744, but finished in second place, taking home $5,000
for owner Linda Smith. Sarah Baldwin of San Marcos, California, on Kijoy
Forever owned by Brookwood Stables, Inc., was next to go, but earned eight
faults in 46.562, taking fourth place. Will Simpson, 42, of Westlake Village,
California, went third in the order on El Campeon's Ado Annie, but accumulated
eight jumping faults and four time faults to finish fifth. Spooner and Robinson
went next and were clean in 44.121, edging Hansen out of the win by just
6/10ths of a second. Rich Fellers was last to go riding Stealth Springer and
also had a clear round, but his time of 45.889 was only good enough for third
place and $3,500 for owners Harry and Mollie Chapman.
"When Robinson wins, it really makes me feel good because it's a horse
that I've had now for five showing years. He's had a long career so far and
he's got a lot of good years left in him. He's also my best friend," said
Spooner of the 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, adding, "Other than
Robinson, I really had a bad day. I fell off one. I might be a little stiff in
the morning, but after a win I feel fine."
All five of Spooner's other mounts were out of the money today. Of his fall
with Hilton Flight owned by Darin Gilchriese, Spooner said, "It wasn't his
fault. I didn't use enough outside leg and he didn't focus on the jump, so he
tried to jump the six-foot-six standard. That would have been fine, but then he
realized that there were two standards in a row. I can't imagine the size of
that jump, so he elected to jump half the standard and half the jump. Then I
fell off on landing." On the other four horses, Spooner said, "On
Sunrise I just rode a little flat down the last line. I made that same mistake
with Incento. Bradford was good today. He's been going in a lot of jump-offs.
He's been clean in so many rounds. He's still a young Grand Prix horse--he was
just a little flat. Southshore jumped really well. He's a fresh one. He's got a
lot of blood. With all the rain I haven't been able to work him as hard as I
normally would. Maybe I should have been a little harder on him this morning
when I flatted him because he was fresh as the Irish spring today."
Spooner who normally recalls every jump on course said he couldn't pinpoint
which jump was the most difficult today. "Other than Robinson, I had
enough jumps down with so many horses I can't really remember."
On Sunday, March 4, in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, Spooner plans to ride five
horses: Robinson, winner of today's class and the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix on
January 26; Southshore, owned by Eldorado 29, winner of the $50,000 EMO Grand
Prix on January 28; Bradford owned by Tracy Kenly and Kenly Farms, winner of
the $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix on February 9; Incento owned by Oscany, Inc.; and
a new horse, Sunrise, owned by Julie and Doug White, that Spooner has ridden in
the last two Ariat Grand Prix and plans to compete in the Grand Prix classes
through the end of the circuit.
$25,000 ARIAT GRAND PRIX, March 2, 2001
Indio Desert Circuit IV, Indio, California
Course Designer: Buddy Brown
Pl# Horse/Rider/Owner/Prize Money/Rd 1/ Rd 2/Faults/J-O Time
1 Robinson/Richard Spooner/Half Moon Bay Investment Group/$7,500/0/0/44.121
2 Maloubet/Hap Hansen/Linda Smith/$5,000/0/0/44.744
3 Stealth Sprenger/Rich Fellers/Harry & Mollie Chapman/$3,500/0/0/45.889
4 Kijoy Forever/Sarah Baldwin/Brookwood Stables Inc/$2,250/0/8/46.562
5 El Campeon's Ado Annie/Will Simpson/El Campeon Farms/$1,500/0/12/51.55
6 Rio Grande/Jennie Martin/Augustin Walch/$1,125/ 1/4/NA
7 Grace/Tracy Fenney/Hidden Lake Farm/$875/4/NA
8 El Campeon's Jo Jo/El Campeon Farms/Nicole Simpson/$725/4/NA
9 Jaguar/Hap Hansen/Linda Burke/$650/4/NA
10 Frisky IV/Dehlia Oeuvray/Charles Burrus/$625/4/NA
11 Caldero/Lindsay McLean/Lindsay McLean/$625/4/NA
12 Amos/rich Fellers/Harry & mollie Chapman/$625/4/NA
Number of horses who competed in this class: 51
Class Prize Money: $25,000
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 11am-1pm
FIESTA DAY
Presented by Avis, Boys & Girls Club of Coachella Valley, City of Indio, El
Informador del Valle, Indio International Tamale Festival, KUNA TV, La Quinta
Awards, and Valley Meat Markets Sunday, March 11 11am-1pm
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