News

John Pearce and Chianto make it two with another win

Mar 10, 2013

It was big and it was fast! Forty-nine horse and rider teams competed for top slots in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, Friday. Seventeen made the jump-off, with times getting progressively faster and building to a bang as the last pair to take the field, John Pearce and Chianto, knocked it out of the park for the win in 42.68 seconds.

Pearce, who lives in Bermuda Dunes, California, and rides for Canada, was able to shave fractions of a second off the ride that immediately preceded his – a tour by Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Windward Farm’s Unbelievable in 42.82 seconds, who took second place. Michaels-Beerbaum was also third on Octavia Farm’s Malou, in 44.38 seconds.

It was the second SmartPak Grand Prix win this winter for Pearce and Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm and Allison Moore. The duo won the $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, on February 24.

Michaels-Beerbaum also had plenty to be proud of at the end of the day, going double-clear on all three of her rides, with a seventh place finish on Octavia Farm’s Checkmate rounding out her stellar performance. Lane Clarke of Laguna Niguel, California, and Granville Equine’s Casseur de Prix were fourth at 44.88 seconds, while Duncan McFarlane of San Ramon, California, riding Simone Coxe’s Mr. Whoopy placed fifth in 45.56 seconds.

Source: Press release from HITS Media Team