SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Spring is in the air and horses are jumping at Blenheim EquiSports’ Spring Classic series of horse shows at Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park. Susie Hutchison and Michelle Parker are among the Grand Prix riders having a great start to the season.

Flashback to the 2008 show season in which a beautiful bay Holsteiner stallion ridden by a veteran show-jumping great made an outstanding debut in the Grand Prix field. Win after win, Susie Hutchison of Temecula riding Cantano, owned by Jim and Pat Iverson of El Dorado 29, proved their prowess when Cantano won four out of five Grand Prix events last spring.

Hutchison and Cantano were picture perfect again in 2009 and won the $35,000 Blenheim Spring Classic II Grand Prix.

Ninth in the ring and first to go clean, Hutchison and Cantano set the stage for a five horse jump-off. The track proved to be just tough enough for numerous four-fault rides, including a tricky triple-combination line that resulted in a bit more than a rail for some riders in a class of 25 entries.

As with the first round, so it was with the jump-off, Hutchison and Cantano took the lead and win going double-clean in 41.15. Eddie Macken aboard Tedechine Sept, owned by Valerie Robinson and Kathie Ballentine, took second place.

For the $35,000 Blenheim Spring Classic III Grand Prix, Michelle Parker of San Marcos and Socrates, owned by Cross Creek Farms, Inc., won the event as the only pair to ride clean over the indoor course designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. of Germany.

Parker aboard Socrates maneuvered her way without any faults, but it turned out to be a crash course for many other horses and riders. Challenging elements included but were not limited to a triple combination mid-way through the course and a large plank oxer at an angle towards the audience.

The almost clean four-faulters were among the top ribbons; fastest was Ali Nilforushan on his new mount Green Sleeps Vioco who took second, followed by Joie Gatlin riding SunCal’s King in third place. Kasey Ament rode well on Siendifie ending up in fourth place.

For complete results, visit the Web site: www.showpark.com/results.asp