DEL MAR — Jumping off last in the $25,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix as well as the $5,000 Interactive Mortgage U25 Series Qualifier, 19-year-old Hannah Heidegger and Di Caprio RV topped a field of 62 entries to claim the win in both classes. Vani Khosla and Billy Mexico finished in a close second in the Markel Insurance Grand Prix, with Heidegger beating her time by just 0.05 seconds. Both emerging stars train with Meadow Grove Farm.

Heidegger noted how consistent she and her equine partner of three years have been lately, explaining how his natural speed and ability to turn tightly.

“I definitely did not expect to win — in a class of 62, it’s a hard task to do!” she said. “My strategy was just to go in there and have a really solid ride. In the jump-off I got to see Vani go before me, luckily, so I knew what she had done. The youngins had it today!”

This grand prix win marks Heidegger’s third, though her first with Di Caprio RV. A student at University of California San Diego, Heidegger balances her successful show jumping career with her studies. She plans to head to Las Vegas in the fall to compete in the Interactive Mortgage U25 Series Final.

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