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Flex fueled

Fellers and Flexible win two Del Mar grand prixes; young Californians shine

Special to the Horsetrader - May 17th, 2012 - Show & Event News

DEL MAR – Rich Fellers and Flexible flexed their synchronized muscle at the Del Mar National Horse Show with a pair of dynamic grand prix wins on successive nights May 4-5 that confirmed the pair is riding in their own stratosphere. Just a week earlier, Fellers and Flexible had become the first U.S. tandem to win the FEI/Rolex World Cup Final in 25 years.

In Saturday night’s $100,000 Hermes Grand Prix of Del Mar presented by Intuit, six of the entries contesting the 13-obstacle course were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. These combinations were contesting the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. And in the second and final class of the Del Mar Observation Event long-listed riders once again jumped into top placings.

In the first round, only two combinations were able to produce fault-free efforts. Two members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games, Fellers and Flexible and Lauren Hough with Blue Angel, would need to return and jump-off to decide the winner of Saturday’s class. Neither Fellers nor Hough were able to reproduce their clear efforts from round one with both collecting four faults. However, Fellers produced the quickest jump-off time for the second night in a row.

Fellers was very impressed with the course Marina Azevado built Saturday night and believed it was a good test for the long listed combinations.

“It was a legitimate international course; right in there with the caliber of the (Selection) Trials courses.”

Fellers and Flexible will next head to Spruce Meadows to compete in the final 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event. Harry and Mollie Chapman’s 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion will spend the next month preparing for the classes at the prestigious Canadian competition.

Collecting third place honors on Saturday night was long listed combination Saer Coulter and Copernicus Stables’ Springtime. Coulter and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding jumped a methodical round to leave all the rails in place but two time faults meant they would not return for the jump-off.

Lucy Davis and Old Oak Farm’s Nemo, ranked 15th on the long list, put in a determined effort, which was only marred by faults at the first and final jumps on course resulting in eight faults.

Karl Cook brought Signe Ostby’s two horses from the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games to the feature class. JonKheer Z jumped to an eight fault total after dislodging rails at fences 10 and 12. With ASB Conquistador, Cook was the first long listed rider of the night to compete; they faulted at fences three, 5A and 10 and had one time fault for a 13 fault total.

Long listed riders headed to Lexington, KY for the second of 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events held at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show.

Following the completion of these observation events, FEI Nominated Entries will be submitted to the FEI on June 17. Twelve athlete/horse combinations can be named to the FEI Nominated Entries. The USOC Final Entries will be submitted no later than July 6, 2012.

The 2012 Olympic Games will take place July 27 – Aug. 12.

RESULTS ONLINE: See website: http://bit.ly/25BDMNHJ

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