Tina Yates and Ceasar Claim the $30,000 Blenheim June Classic I Grand Prix

San Juan Capistrano, CA – After a competitive afternoon of show jumping with a full audience present, Tina Yates and ACE Equestrian’s Ceasar emerged victorious in the $30,000 Blenheim June Classic I Grand Prix. Partners for less than a year, Yates and the grey ten-year-old gelding earned their top honors with consistency and precision. The three other riders in the jump-off each crossed the finish line faster than Yates, but none could match her double-clear effort.

Twenty-five horse and rider combinations took to the track designed by Brazilian FEI course designer Anderson Lima. Almost every fence on the challenging sixteen-effort course fell at least once, and nine entries incurred time faults. The four competitors who advanced to the jump-off kept the anticipatory atmosphere alive. Lindsay Douglass went first and fast, but several rails fell as she blazed around in 38.05. Yates jumped off second and delivered a fault-free trip in a conservative 46.62 seconds. Both Katelyn Edwards and Lane Clarke beat Yates on the clock in under 43 seconds, but each picked up four faults.

“In the jump-off, my strategy was just to have a nice double clear round. I didn’t go crazy fast – I just didn’t want to risk having one down,” Yates explained. She noted the many options available on course, saying that the track had to be ridden differently to suit each horse. “The horses definitely had to try hard and be careful, and in the end I think it was a nice class,” she said.

Yates and Ceasar have been working together since The Las Vegas National Horse Show in November. Still a relatively new pair, they gained miles this winter in Wellington, FL, and are continuing to thrive in California this summer.

“He has a really funny personality,” Yates said. “He’s come a long way. It’s true that he’s a little bit of a goofball, but I actually think that it helps him.”

For her win, Yates earned a sizable percentage of the prize money, a SmartPak cooler, and a pair of Roeckl Sports gloves. Douglass walked away with the SmartPak Fastest in the West Award for her speedy jump-off effort.

RESULTS
$30,000 Blenheim June Classic I Grand Prix
Place – Entry Number – Horse – Rider – Owner – Faults/Time
1. 855 – Ceasar – Tina Yates – ACE Equestrian – 0/0/46.624
2. 707 – Balu U – Lane Clarke – Georgy Maskrey-Segesman – 0/4/40.283
3. 509 – Cetello – Katelyn Edwards – Mountain View West Farm, LLC – 0/4/42.181
4. 603 – Butterfly Tibri Z – Lindsay Douglass – Lindsay Douglass – 0/12/38.053
5. 942 – Darius de la Ferme Rose – Michelle Rodal – Morgan Hill Partners – 1/86.914
6. 274 – Ircos IV – Everardo Hegewisch – Everardo Hegewisch – 2/87.881
7. 373 – Cupilor – Michelle Parker – Cross Creek Farm – 4/80.285
8. 782 – Edesa Stallone – Mariano Alario – Mariano Alario – 4/80.290
9. 374 – Doriena – Michelle Parker – Idyllic Imports – 4/80.974
10. 377 – Vancouver 45 – Michelle Parker – Cross Creek Farm – 4/82.487
11. 883 – Lorein – Felipo Godinho – Sergio Nieto – 4/84.561
12. 276 – V Cantate – Hannah Selleck – Simonne Berg – 5/86.359