Minikus and the 2007 Oldenburg gelding (Calvaro F.C. x Baloubet du Rouet) owned by Todd Minikus, LTD were able to turn and burn across the Oscar Soberon (Dallas, TX) course design to take the win, Minikus explained. “He’s had some nice successes and jumped big classes [in the last year that we’ve had him]. He hasn’t always been able to turn so well in the jump-offs, but lately he’s been turning better, and today he turned fantastically. I couldn’t be happier!”
Though the course was “pretty difficult for a Sunday Classic,” Minikus noted, ten pairs of the initial 31 pairs to test the track returned for the jump-off round, which “was a good number. It makes for a fun jump-off! There were plenty of speed racers in the jump-off with Aaron Vale, Kristen VanderVeen, Rowan Willis, and so on,” Minikus acknowledged. “We’re lucky we caught them!
“The [new engineered] footing has been fantastic,” Minikus continued. “My horses have been jumping on it for a few weeks in a row now, and they feel very comfortable. It seems like they’re turning well on the footing,” Minikus detailed, emphasizing that the ability to turn safely is an important metric to him. “A lot of people tend to worry about the takeoff and the landing, but I personally think that horses can get hurt more while turning than the actual act of jumping. Very few athletes get hurt running in a straight line, but they always get hurt when they make a sharp cut or turn right after landing.”
Like many riders, Minikus is planning competitions tentatively, but will be back next week to challenge Tryon Summer 5 competition, he concluded. “We’re taking it one day at a time [with our show plans], but we’ll definitely be here next week!”

David O’Brien and Maldonado SCF Win $6,000 Speed Stake CSI 3*

David O’Brien and Maldonado SCF ©Sportfot

David O’Brien (IRL) and Maldonado SCF, a 2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Diktator van de Boslandhoeve x Landino) owned by Spy Coast Farm, LLC, won the Tryon Summer 4 $6,000 Speed Stake CSI 3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), stopping the jump-off timers at 63.82 seconds. Katherine Strauss (USA) and Famous, a 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Aerobic TN x Kojak) owned by Katherine Strauss, LLC, took second place on a clear jump-off performance of 65.25 seconds, while Aaron Vale (USA) and Elusive, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Rodrigoo x Capfucino), owned by Thinks Like A Horse, claimed third-place honors on time of 65.66 seconds.

Marion Gefaell and Home Run Bound Slide into $10,000 USHJA Pony Derby Win

Marion Gefaell and Home Run Bound ©Sportfot

Marion Gefaell (Winston-Salem, NC) and her own Home Run Bound covered all bases to win the $10,000 USHJA Pony Derby at TIEC with a final score of 158. Just one point shy of first-place honors, Riley McKesson (Wellington, FL) and her own High Tops landed second place with 157 points, while JJ Torano (Wellington, FL) and Somekindawonderful, owned by Augusta Iwasaki, took third with a total of 154.5.

The Tryon Summer Series continues next week with Tryon Summer 5 and concludes with Tryon Summer 6 on July 19, 2020. While the entire Summer Series is closed to spectators, highlight classes are available for free live streaming at www.Tryon.com.

Photo credit ©Sportfot. Competitors can sign up for weekly packages at www.Sportfot.com.

EDITED TIEC PRESS RELEASE