Eight others besides Joe and Tracey made the jump-off, which was kind of by-the-numbers except for a cut to the last fence, a vertical.
Joe's mark of 36.613 seconds for a clean round was impressive. Todd Minikus on a new mount, Romy, didn't go quite as all-out as usual. He had only shown her three times and was cautious on the approach to the triple bar, the third fence in the tiebreaker. In retrospect, he said, he didn't need to make as wide a turn as he did, but not knowing the mare, he erred on the side of caution. His time of 37.084 would be good enough for second.
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- Grand Prix runner-up Todd Minikus with Romy
- © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer
This gray mare looks as if she could be a new star for Todd. In fact, she reminds him of Thrilling, the horse with which he first made his big impression on the grand prix scene.
Listen: Todd Minikus gives his assessment of Romy
I hope you took in Todd's sound byte. If so, you'll have noted his "hero to zero" reference.
That's how it went, and back again, for Laura Chapot, a two-time winner of the Beacon Hill competition. She got a perfect trip out of Little Big Man, who she's taking to the Pan American Games. (Todd is also on the team, but with another horse, Pavarotti.) Then, last to go with the gray mare Samantha, she had a refusal at the second fence. When they approached the oxer again, Samantha really put on the brakes and Laura found herself on the ground.
Minutes later, Laura was back in the saddle of Little Big Man, putting in a 37.106-second trip that got her third place in the grand prix.
I told her I was amazed she took the fall in stride and could bounce back, here is what she said to me
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- Laura Chapot jumps Little Big Man against the backdrop of the Beacon Hill stables
- © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer
Listen: Laura Chapot discusses her fall
I was surprised Laura didn't go faster; I thought maybe she was being conservative because Little Big Man (better known as Pony) is going to the Pan Ams.
But she hadn't realized exactly where the timers were. Richard tries to make riders think all the way past the finish line; they're not through after they clear the last jump.
Todd said the first and last thing you do when walking a course is to check where the timers are, so there's a tip for all you aspiring jumper riders. He noted he and Joe actually talked about it; I guess poor Laura wasn't in on that conversation.
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- Candice King joined Frank Madden in the traditional motorcade of cycles at Beacon Hill
- © 2007 by Nancy Jaffer
Tracey had two fences down to finish ninth, but that's still great for an amateur in such company. Fourth went to Kim Prince on Carnivale, followed by Candice King on Courage with the last of the clean jump-off rounds. Candice is one great gal, and I really loved seeing her (in full riding attire, yet!) on a motorcycle in Frank's usual parade of these "hogs" just before the grand prix. They're his hobby, so why miss out on a chance to mix pleasure with business?
Candice also was sixth with the fastest 4-fault round on Tarco, followed by Madden associate Max Amaya on Church Road. Max is also headed to the Pan Ams, where he will represent his native Argentina. Christine McCrea finished eighth on Vegas after he ran by the last fence before finally clearing it successfully.
Oh, I should mention that our own superstar junior blogger on EquiSearch.com, Maria Schaub, made an auspicious grand prix debut with Marga. In fact, I thought she was going to go clean, her round was so nice, but the last element of the triple and that Animal Planet fence caught her. Still she came in 18th, which is excellent for a first effort.
I really enjoyed this afternoon. It was showing the way it used to be, when it was fun for competitors and spectators, all about enjoying the moment instead of trying to collect points for some far-off goal.
It would do the sport good if there were more shows like the one at Beacon Hill, which is admirably managed by Oliver Kennedy. I'm not holding my breath, but given the success of this fixture, maybe someone else will try it. I hope so!
