hunter/jumper
Tiffany Foster and Victor Top Off a Fantastic Week with $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Victory Canada’s Tiffany Foster and Victor have been on quite a roll during this year’s FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) and secured another win on Sunday, February 8 in the $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic to conclude week five. The pair beat out world number one, Scott Brash, aboard his mount Hello Annie for the win. Great Britain’s Robert Ellis set the tracks in the International Arena at PBIEC for week five competition and
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challenged the horses and riders right to the end with his course for Sunday’s 1.50m. The class saw 91 entries in total with only 10 clear rounds to advance to the jump-off. Twelve others cleared the course but finished with a single time fault to keep them out of the second round with a tight time allowed. The short course only saw three clear rounds. Scott Brash and Hello Annie, owned by Lord and Lady Harris and Lord and Lady Kirkham, were first to go in the jump-off and set the pace in 46.75 seconds to eventually finish second. Markus Beerbaum and Copernicus
Stables LLC’s Don VHP Z were also clear and finished in a slower time of 52.37 seconds to place third. Second to last, Foster and Victor stopped the clock in 44.25 seconds to earn their victory. Foster and Victor, a 12-year-old KPWN gelding (Elmshorn x Grandeur) owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines, kicked off their FTI WEF circuit with a win in Section B of the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup during week three, sharing top honors in the split class with Todd Minikus and Quality Girl. The pair then earned another big prize on Thursday, February 6, with a shared victory with Ben Maher and Urico in the $125,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5. Both classes were held in a “California Split” due to the large number of entries, with two sets of placings distributed, so Foster and Victor technically had the second fastest time in each class to top both B Sections. This time, they did not have to share their victory. “He was awesome,” Foster stated after the class. “It feels really good (to win). I am so happy with my horses. All of them jumped unbelievably this week and Victor won both classes, so you can’t really ask for better than that.” In addition to her wins for the week, Foster was acknowledged on Saturday night as the Leading Lady Grand Prix Rider for week five. The award is sponsored by Martha Jolicoeur of Illustrated Properties in memory of Dale Lawler. Foster was happy to get the special award and thanked her owners, Andy and Carlene Ziegler of Artisan Farms, as well as her groom, Caroline Holmberg, for their help and support. “I was so happy,” Foster stated. “I have never gotten that award. Last year I didn’t go clear any time, except for Nations Cup, so it was absolutely great to get special recognition for that. It is a great idea and it is always fun. A lot of the European shows do that and it is always an honor, so it is really cool to have the recognition here as well.”
Photo: Jilluann Valliere
« $84,000 Suncast 1.50m Champions Tiffany Foster and Victor.
| April 2014 3/11/14 10:47:00 AM