News

Andrew Bourns and Gatsby win Hermès Jumper Derby

Feb 25, 2013

The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival concluded its seventh week of competition, sponsored by Hermès, with action at two parts of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on Sunday. At The Stadium, Irish riders Andrew Bourns, Darragh Kenny, and Shane Sweetnam swept the top three in the $50,000 Hermès Jumper Derby with a win for Bourns and his mount Gatsby.

Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, set a demanding track for Sunday's jumper derby that featured 20 numbered obstacles, including the derby bank, table bank, open water, devil's dyke and more. The number of challenging natural obstacles along with the length of the course and the heat of the day tested the stamina of all of the horses and riders competing. With only two clear rounds completed in the faults converted format, speed was key, and the top three riders finished with just three one-hundredths of a second separating them.

Andrew Bourns and Gatsby went third in the order and cleared the course in 138.27 seconds to take the early lead. Two rounds later, Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm, LLC's Little Emir had the time well in hand in 134.30 seconds, but a rail cost them four faults to eventually finish third in 138.30 seconds. Luis Larrazabal (VEN) and Gustavo Mirabal's G&C Lepanto were even faster in 131.17 seconds, but had two rails down to finish fourth with a final time of 139.17 seconds. Darragh Kenny took the second place prize with Hays Investment Corporation's Any Given Sunday. The pair had a total time of 138.29 seconds with time taken after a refusal at the devil's dyke.

Final Results: $50,000 Hermès Jumper Derby

1. GATSBY ANDREW BOURNS (IRL) ANDREW BOURNS: 138.27

2. ANY GIVEN SUNDAY DARRAGH KENNY (IRL) HAYS INVESTMENT CORP: 138.29

3. LITTLE EMIR SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL) SPY COAST FARM, LLC: 138.30

4. G&C LEPANTO LUIS LARRAZABAL (VEN) GUSTAVO MIRABAL: 139.17

5. WHISTLER BEN MAHER (GBR) JANE CLARK: 139.24

6. FLAMING STAR CHARLES JACOBS (USA) CMJ SPORTHORSE, LLC: 140.85

7. THE MAN TO SEE JAMES NORTH (USA) FAIR PLAY FARM: 144.94

8. UATA BRIANNE GOUTAL (USA) CLOVERLEAF FARM: 152.53

9. FLEXING DARRAGH KERINS (IRL) DUTCH K RANCH: 153.35

10. NIELSON B JEANNE HOBBS (USA) JEANNE HOBBS: 156.09

Source Lauren Fisher and Laura Cardon for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.