Farrington’s laid back round with Baltic Star wouldn’t last as the rest of the class took the field. Week 8’s Turf Tour champions, Taylor Land and Nepal, made easy work of the Chris Jones course putting in a double clear effort to finish on 44.630 seconds. Land, who rides her family’s veteran Grand Prix horse Nepal under the guidance of her father, Jay Land, refers to the gelding as a family heirloom.
“Nepal loves grass and jumped very well today,” said Land. “It was a big, long course and I think I was a slightly more conservative just because of how he felt today. The Ridge is a great break for both me and the horses and jumping on grass is such a nice change, especially for Nepal as he prefers it to sand.”
An impressive effort by Canada’s Kevin Crosby and Casino put them into third behind Land and Nepal. The relatively new partnership took to the grass, and Crosby chose the Turf Tour and Palm Beach Series’ laid back atmospheres to show a number of horses in the past few weeks. “I’ve been riding Casino for about a month and half, and this was a great experience for both of us for a change of scenery,” said Crosby. “He’s an experienced horse but seemed to enjoy jumping on the grass. I’ve become more and more familiar with The Ridge and its organizers, and they do a great job creating a relaxing environment and providing an opportunity to develop horses.”
With Land and Nepal leading, Emmanuel Andrade and Gaverdi Z edged out Crosby and Casino for third, and Ireland’s Darragh Kenny ultimately claimed the top prize with Diamond D, with a late in the day effort finishing on 42.984 to win the class. The decorated Irish rider brought a number of horses to capitalize on the pristine turf course.
“He [Diamond D] is a new horse for me, he arrived last week and I was impressed with him today,” said Kenny of the 10-year-old gelding. “We jumped Wednesday and Thursday in the 1.30 divisions [on the Palm Beach Series] at Jim Brandon, and he felt really good and jumped brilliant today on the grass. I really like the show and the concept especially for horses getting going again. It’s not a huge pressure situation for them and a nice, different environment especially for younger horses that are being developed for the bigger, more intense classes. It’s also a nice change to show on the grass. Their [the organizers’] idea is super and its a great concept for the horses and riders.”
The Turf Tour continues March 17 at Carben Farms and March 24 at Wolfstone Stables with Low, Medium and High Jumpers, 1.30m division and the $15,000 1.40m Grand Prix, and concludes April 1st at Polo West.