TRYON, N.C.--Rowan Willis of Australia on For Dilando PS won the $100,000 National Horse Show 1.45m Grand Prix on Saturday evening, Oct. 31.

Rowan Willis on For Dilando PS (Photo by Phelps Sports)Six of the 31 competitors in the Grand Prix went clean over the course set by Ken Krome to qualify for the jump-off.

Going fourth in the jump-off, JJ Torano on Lyon 50 set the pace with a clear round in 34.697 seconds.

Willis on For Dilando PS was last to go, and he finished clean in 34.610 seconds to edge out Torano by just 0.087 seconds and claim the $100,000 Grand Prix victory.

Violet Tatum on BP Swifty was third in 35.715, with Abbygale Funk on Hulla Hoop fourth in 35.962, Tatum on Flotylla fifth in 36.154 and Sam Walker of Canada on Carruso PJ sixth in 37.997.

“He’s a great horse. He’s naturally quick, and he was really on the ball tonight,” Willis said. “I think he enjoyed the atmosphere indoors as well.”

“Everyone did six in the jump-off. Rowan did the five, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh, he’s all over me now,'” Torano said. “Unfortunately for me, he’s .08 of a second ahead, and luckily for him, he was .08 of a second ahead.”

Torano had also won the $20,000 1.40m Open Speed Stake and was the Leading Open Jumper Rider.

 

TATUM, recently turned 18, also had a good week, winning in the Junior Hunter division as well as.receiving the Junior Sportsmanship Award, and she was also the Leading Lady Open Jumper Rider.

“Swifty is a very fast horse, so I knew she could definitely do it,” Tatum. “This was my first Grand Prix, and I was very happy with my rounds.

In the $20,000 National Horse Show 1.35m Open Jumper Classic, Candice van Motman on Landslide won  over a field of 47 going clean in the jump-off in 35.373 seconds.

Lizzy Traband on Rokeechobee STB placed second in 35.717 seconds, with Cory P. Hardy on Harraya CT third in 36.366 seconds.