NORTH SALEM, N.Y.--Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvalho of Brazil on Ester De Maugre won the $125,000 Old Salem Farm 3* Grand Prix on Sunday, Sept. 22, in the final international competition of the Old Salem Farm September Horse Shows, Week 2.
Joao Eduardo Ferreira De Carvallo on Ester De Maugre (Photo by SEL Photography)After his victory in the $40,000 Old Salem Farm 2* Grand Prix on Saturday, Sept'14, Ferreira De Carvalho won again in the 3* Grand Prix, going clean in the jump-off in 37.95.
Seven from the starting field of 36 were clean over the course designed by Alan Wade.
Eight-time Olympian Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil had an early clean round in 40.16 seconds on Corrie 9
Irish Olympic veteran Darragh Kenny then went into the lead, stopping the clock in 38.75 seconds on Chaccoletto.
Ferreira De Carvalho was the last rider to return.
“I know that my mare is very, very quick over the ground,” Ferreira De Carvalho said. “There were some amazing, fast riders before us, but I knew that I had the chance to beat them if we could go clear. I don’t think there was a specific place where we caught them because the mare was so fast around the whole course."
“IT'S A DREAM to be jumping here with these amazing horses,” he said. “These last two weeks are something to remember for sure. I work for Kent Farrington, and my two Grand Prix mounts are from Alison Firestone, who wants to spend more time with her kids. I had the privilege to show them here, and this was an opportunity that I’m so grateful for. I knew I had to just ride my best and be clean because these are really amazing horses.”
Kenny on Chaccoletto ultimately placed second, and Pessoa on Corrie 9 was third.
Earlier in the day, Cristian Hacker of Wellington, Fla., won the $7,500 1.35m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic and the $15,000 1.45m Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic on CSH Equine LLC’s Caramix, clean in the jump-off in 28.204, and on Cocaine De Riverland,, the only clean in the jump-off, respectively.
“Caramix is pretty young, she’s 7, so I didn’t want to risk too much with her." said Hacker. "I had a good plan of trying to make the turns as quick as possible and not having to run her off her feet. It was a great jump-off course for that. It was so much fun. I wasn’t sure if we would keep the winning time because there were a lot of really good riders in the class, but I knew that I put my best foot forward. My mare was super, and she reacted so well.”
After sweeping the 1.40/1.45m Junior/Amateur Jumper classes all week and posting the only double-clear round in Sunday’s Classic, Hacker and Cocaine De Riverland also won the 1.40/1.45m Junior/Amateur Jumper Championship.
“She is a wonderful mare,” Hacker said of the horse who won February’s Show Jumping Hall of Fame Horse of the Month Award. “I’m so blessed to have her. My trainers Nick and Norman found her for me, and she has just been unimaginable in our career together. I have so much trust and faith in her, and she’s just been so wonderful, especially throughout the week here. She loves jumping and has so much heart, and she really seems to find competing as fun as I do.”
Lilly Ward of Brewster, N.Y. , daughter of McLain Ward, on Beyaert Farm's Faylins Kodachrome, won the Small/Medium Children’s Pony Hunter Championship.