David O’Brien and La Belle SCF Dominate $25,000 Sunday Classic
Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Divine Fortune Kick Off Tryon Summer Series with $25,000 Wednesday Classic Win
Mill Spring, NC – June 14, 2020 – Todd Minikus (Lake Worth, FL) and Amex Z secured a double victory during Tryon Summer 1 at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), winning both the $75,000 Tryon Resort Grand Prix and the $25,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake. In Saturday’s Tryon Resort Grand Prix, Minikus and Amex Z stopped the jump-off timers at 35.096 seconds. Kristen VanderVeen (Wellington, FL) and Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili, a 2005 Belgian Warmblood stallion (Berlin x Darco) owned by Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC, took second place on a clear jump-off performance of 35.243 seconds, while Shane Sweetnam (Lexington, KY) and his own Indra Van De Oude Heihoef, a 2008 Belgian Warmblood mare (Casantos x Action-Breaker), claimed third-place honors in 36.262 seconds.
The first grand prix of the Tryon Summer Series welcomed 22 horse-and-rider pairs to the Tryon Stadium course designed by Skip Bailey (Loxahatchee, FL) with ten pairs returning for the jump-off.
Minikus praised the growth of Amex Z, a 2009 Zangersheide mare (Andiamo Z x Landaris) owned by Bit By Bit Group, saying, “I think she [Amex Z] has really matured. She’s been a little bit inconsistent, but she started to go really well at the end of the winter circuit. With a couple months of being off at home and training the old fashioned way, she really grew up.”
David O’Brien and La Belle SCF Dominate $25,000 Sunday Classic in Tryon Stadium
David O’Brien (Lexington, KY) and La Belle SCF separated themselves from the rest of the field in the $25,000 Sunday Classic hosted in Tryon Stadium, stopping the second-round timers in 33.17 seconds to grab an almost four-second lead. Aaron Vale (Williston, FL) and Chaccman, the 2006 Warmblood gelding (Chacco Blue x Panadena) owned by Thinks Like a Horse, finished on a time of 37.009 to claim second, while third and fourth place honors went to Ashley Fleishhacker (Wayzata MN), who rode Durango VDL to a time of 38.916 seconds for third aboard the 2008 Dutch Warmblood stallion (Zirocco Blue VDL x Narona) and also earned a time of 39.543 seconds riding Auckland de l’Enclos, a 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Nagano x Peggyschnitt van Het Stal Hof), both owned by Ashland Show Stables LLC.
Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run’s Divine Fortune Kick Off Tryon Summer Series with $25,000 Wednesday Classic Win
Kristen VanderVeen (Wellington, FL) and Bull Run’s Divine Fortune stopped the jump-off timers in 28.08 seconds Wednesday in the International Stadium to claim the $25,000 Wednesday Classic at the start of Tryon Summer 1 competition with the Bull Run Jumpers Six LLC-owned 2009 Dutch Warmblood mare (Padinus x Amhilavsca Fortuna). Hayley Waters (Sparr, FL) and Mr. and Mrs. Chuck Waters’ Uppie de Lis, a 2001 Dutch Riding Horse (Andiamo Z x Lorraine). stopped the timers at 28.375 seconds to take second, while Todd Minikus and Amex Z earned third on a time of 28.928 seconds.