News

Three in a row for Laura Chapot

Aug 1, 2012

HITS-on-the-Hudson has been dubbed The Chapot Show as Laura Chapot won her third Grand Prix in a row when she produced the only double-clear ride in Sunday’s $75,000 Chartis Grand Prix. Last Sunday during HITS-on-the-Hudson IV, Chapot won the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, riding Quointreau Un Prince to close out the show. She followed that up on Friday with a victory aboard Umberto in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, and came back strong to claim victory for the third time on Sunday afternoon.

A field of 20 starters was narrowed down to five after a difficult first-round course. On Sunday, Hernandez gave riders a ride for their money. As five teams advanced to the jump-off, only three finished the first round with a four-fault score.

The jump-off was a star-studded main event, with riders of international and Olympic fame. It proved almost more difficult than the first round, with only Chapot being able to produce a double-clear effort.

First to return was Candice King and Mark Bellissimo’s Kismet 50. King put the pedal to the metal after an unlucky rail at the first fence, but was the first to fall victim to the skinny after a long and winding approach to the final fence. Their score of eight faults in 54.833 seconds would earn them the third-place ribbon.

Ireland was represented by half of the riders in the jump-off as Darragh Kenny and Irish Olympian Kevin Babington were the next two to show. Kenny, aboard Sandor de la Pomme earned an eight-fault score almost three seconds faster than King’s in 51.744 seconds to take the lead. The duo eventually finished second.

Babington and his own Mark Q made eight faults the norm and finished in 56.575 seconds to sit in third place with two entries to go. In the end, he would take home the fourth-place ribbon.

Next to show was Chapot, who set The Great American Time to Beat at 52.780 seconds, which would prove to be the only double-clear of the day.

Welles of Brewster, New York and Noel Love Gross’ Merlin, who had a spooky and difficult ride in the first round that nearly kept them from the jump-off, entered next. Twelve faults on the field and 55.203 seconds on the clock rounded out the top five ribbons and handed Chapot her third victory thus far this series.

Source World of Showjumping