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Fellers flies into first in the $30,000 Thunderbird Spring Grand Prix

June 4, 2010

Langley, BC --– Rich Fellers and Flexible went up against California’s Ashlee Bond and Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios in the $30,000 Thunderbird Show Park Spring Grand Prix and came away with the win. Although Fellers wasn’t quite the fastest on the field, he left all the sticks up to take the class.

Course designer, Peter Holmes, set his fences tall and tight with combinations that required control and scope. Thirty riders challenged the first round, but only six advanced to the jump off as rails came down all over the course.

It was nine rounds before Bond and her 13 year-old Zangersheide mare, GZS Cassira Z, posted a clear ride and then another seven before a guaranteed jump off. Keean White had four faults on his first mount, as did Ireland’s Jennifer Crooks on both S.F. Tin Tin and S.F. Uryadi. The second clear round went to Tiffany Fong and Black Ice, followed by Rich Fellers and Flexible.

Emily George chose to leave Quidam’s Ramiro in the barn, riding her 11 year-old Oldenburg gelding, Ferrari, in the class and finishing out of the top order with a pair of rails down. Chris Pratt suffered the same fate with one rail on Union and two on G-5.

Of the final eight rounds, six were clear, but time faults kept Cara Anthony, Lisa Carlsen and Keean White on Chanel out of the jump off. Pablo Barrios and G&C Quick Star, winners of last Sunday’s Grand Prix made it through, alongside Ashlee Bond on Chivas Z and Langley’s Samantha Buirs on Total Touch.

Bond led the jump off with a rail at fence one. Fong was clear with a time of 32.10 and a huge smile as she sailed over the final fence. Fellers and Flexible threw down the gauntlet with a clear round and a time of 28.74. Always quick in the turns, Fellers galloped unchecked to the final fence. Buirs pulled one rail in her 30.81 second round, leaving Bond and Barrios in the hunt for first.

Bond had spectators on their feet as she maneuvered her gray Zangersheide gelding, Chivas Z through the short course, but despite a clear round, wasn’t able to beat the blazing time set by Fellers. Barrios, on the other hand, was five tenths of a second faster, but a rub at the first fence kept him out of the top spot.

The class provided an exciting preview of the upcoming $55,000 CSI2**-W Keg Steakhouse & Bar World Cup, set for Saturday, June 5th. It’s the first North American stop for competitors earning points in the FEI North American League West. Thunderbird will host a second World Cup during the Summer Festival Tournament from August 25 to 29th.

$30,000 Thunderbird Show Park Spring Grand Prix

Place Horse Name Rider Name Owner Time Faults

1. Flexible Rich Fellers Harry & Mollie Chapman 28.74 clear

2. Chivas Z Ashlee Bond Little Valley Farms 30.63 clear

3. Black Ice Tiffany Fong Robert & Maxine Jack 32.10 clear

4. G&C Quick Star Pablo Barrios Gustavo & Caroline Mirabal 28.04 4

5. GZS Cassina Z Ashlee Bond Little Valley Farms 30.23 4

6. Total Touch Samantha Buirs Samantha Buirs 30.81 4

7. Woodpecker de Vilars CH Cara Anthony Pot Creek Meadow Farm 73.73 1

8. La Boom Lisa Carlson La Boom Syndicate 74.91 1

The full Park schedule is available at www.thunderbirdshowpark.com.

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