Eric Nvet and Basimodo soar to victory in the $25,000 GGT-Footing Grand Prix Final on Oct. 22. Mandy Porter won the year-long series.

Amy McCool photo

DEL MAR — Three weeks of premier competition filled the Showpark, as the Del Mar International brought the region three action-packed shows: Welcome Week (Oct. 11-15), World Cup Week (Oct. 18-22) and the Season Finale (Oct. 25-29).

One of World Cup week’s highlights was the Oct. 22 $25,000 GGT-Footing Grand Prix Final, taken by Éric Navet riding Basimodo. The year-long GGT Footing Grand Prix Series, sponsored by GGT Footing, is a series of mid-level grand prix classes held at regional standards with $286,000 in prize money. The program is designed to give riders a chance to compete head-to-head for year-end credit to be used the next year in West Palms Events shows. Riders may ride as many horses as they would like, but only receive credit on their top-placing horse.

Mandy Porter came away with the 2017 GGT-Footing Grand Prix Series Championship, scoring a decisive title with 296 points. Mavis Spencer finished the series as the runner-up with 197 points, and Eric Navet was third with 190.

On the previous Sunday, Del Mar International Welcome Week came to a thrilling close on with the $35,000 Grand Prix of the Pacific, presented by California Horsetrader and horsetrader.com and sponosred by LA Saddlery. The event drew 34 entries to Del Mar Horsepark’s grand prix field to tackle Bernardo Costa Cabral’s first round course, which required 15 jumping efforts including one triple combination and one double combination.

Eight horse and rider combinations successfully went clear in the first round and advanced to the jump-off. No entry went clean until Karl Cook, riding fifth, took a different approach and piloted Signe Ostby’s Caillou 24 to a slower, more deliberate trip around the tough track to get a clear round on the 10-year-old grey Holsteiner gelding. Chris Pratt, aboard Carnutelebryere, and Josephina Nor Lantzman, aboard Chello Z, went clear but were unable to catch Cook’s time.

Last to ride the short course was Carlos Hank, Jr. and his own Quantador.

“I had an advantage –I was last to go,” said Hank. “I had seen quite a few rounds before me and I knew there were a few clear, but they had left some space. So I decided to go for it.”

It paid off, and Hank piloted the grey Westphalian gelding to a fault-free round and crossed the buzzers almost a full second ahead of Cook, earning the blue ribbon and the lion’s share of the $35,000 purse.
Hank, who trains with Eduardo Menezes and Enrique Gonzalez in San Diego, was effusive about his Quantador.

“He’s 9 years old, and I’ve had him since he was 7. We’ve been showing in Europe, and he was great all summer. And now we are here all fall competing and he’s been great so far here too.”

In the signature event of the Del Mar International World Cup™ Week, the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Del Mar, 29 of the best horses and riders in North America did not disappoint.

This event was the third of seven events in the North American Western Sub-League, leading up to the FEI World Cup Finals in Paris in 2018. The 1.60m class on the grand prix field went to Andrew Kocher and his mount Navalo De Poheton, a 16-year-old grey Selle Francais gelding. The pair was lightning fast in a thrilling round that put them across the timers one-tenth of a second faster than Eric Navet, taking the lead and the blue ribbon.

Before this class, Kocher was 15th in the North American Eastern Sub-League standings, and he moved up the rankings after the big win to first place. He and Navalo De Poheton were set to continue their quest to qualify for the Paris World Cup™ finals by competing at the Longines FEI World Cup™ class in Calgary, Canada.

MORE ONLINE: Http://bit.ly/1711_WP