With the Acorn Hill Speed Series already locked up weeks ago, Laura Chapot and Sprite hardly needed the extra advantage of the final spot in today’s jumping order. Chapot and her dazzling grey mare did what they have been doing consistently now for three seasons, sending the competition home disappointed. Chapot dashed home in 66.843 seconds for the victory.
Chapot talked about her race to the finish and a missed opportunity for an inside cut. “She landed so forward after the in and out, and because the turn came up so quickly after the jump, I couldn’t get her turned around that fast,” she explained. “She’s so strong and bold; she thought she knew where she was going. But just her natural speed is so great that she was able to win without that inside cut.”
“I watched Brianne go, so I knew what I had to do,” Chapot said. “I know my horse is very fast and very careful, so I left out a stride from fence three to four, which I knew I could do easily. She just covers a lot of ground.”
“I really don’t know where the speed comes from,” laughed Laura’s father, five-time Olympian Frank Chapot. “If you see her just trot in the ring, she’s not a beautiful mover, and she doesn’t show much length of stride trotting. Our luck with her comes from not training her,” he detailed. “We don’t put draw reins on her or make her tuck her head. We just let her stick her head out there and do her own thing. And she does it pretty well. She’s very, very careful, and she’s got beautiful form jumping.”
He went on to say, “She was a little bit unlucky early in the circuit. She finished second a lot of times. But, it wasn’t the same horse beating us each week. No horse can steadily compete with her.” And he added, “If she were a little bit bigger, she might be another Gem Twist.”
Sprite and Chapot won the season series for the third year in a row, and took home top honors in the 1.40m Circuit Championship for the third time. “She’s been Circuit Champion every year that I’ve owned her,” said Chapot.
Results of Class 1005 $6000 1.40M Acorn Hill Challenge Table II Sec 1 - Tournament of Champions CSI – Covered Arena – 3/30/06
1 132 LAURA CHAPOT SPRITE 0.00 66.843 $1850 LAURA CHAPOT
2 530 BRIANNE GOUTAL CASAR 0.00 67.301 $1200 CLOVERLEAF FARM
3 382 LAURA KRAUT TIFFANY 0.00 70.050 $635 THE TIFFANY GROUP
4 549 EDUARDO SALAS HERRER RMW GUMARO 0.00 74.396 $400 ROCKYMT WARMBLOODS
5 923 EMILY WILLIAMS SATELLITE 0.00 79.603 $325 EMILY WILLIAMS
6 529 BRIANNE GOUTAL ONIRA 4.00 68.029 $275 CLOVERLEAF FARM
7 136 LAURA CHAPOT THREE COINS 4.00 68.831 $275 WINDSOME FARM LTD
8 227 IAN MILLAR NERO 4.00 69.770 $250 SUSAN GRANGE
9 734 MICHAEL MORRISSEY SCEAL EILE 4.00 70.032 $250 CLOVERLEAF FARM
10 244 CANDICE KING CONSTANTI 28 4.00 72.004 $180 JOAN KALMAN
11 867 NORMAN DELLO JOIO MALCOLM 4.00 74.749 $180 MALCOLM GROUP
12 547 JAIME GUERRA SANTA TERESITA SALAMANCA 4.00 77.288 $180 SANTA TERESITA
FINAL STANDINGS – ACORN HILL FARM SPEED CHALLENGE SERIES
1 SPRITE LAURA CHAPOT $7,285
2 ROADRUNNER KINLOCH ENT. $3,685
3 FAR WEST HEATHER CARISTO & THE REGOS $3,620
4 CASAR CLOVERLEAF FARM $3,050
5 GALANT MCLAIN WARD $2,575
6 CARLOW CLOVER ACORN HILL FARM $2,525
7 CAROUSEL MARY B SCHWAB & O E J I FARM $2,485
8 THREE COINS WINDSOME FARM LTD $2,450
9 IDEAL DE ROY M. MICHAEL DEROY $2,150
10 UP CHIQUI JENNIFER GREENLEAF $2,125
11 GERRY MAGUIRE BROOK FURLONG FARM $1,850
IMPULSIVE BENNETT SPORT HORSE $1,850
LARIOSO MCLAIN WARD & BLUECHIP BLOODSTOCK $1,850
OKIDO CODY AUER $1,850
ROLLING THUNDER MAGGIE FERGUSON $1,850
16 CARNIVALE OVERLOOK FARM $1,560
17 TELEGRAPH STEVE COHEN $1,550
18 QUICK STAR II Z DOUBLE H FARM $1,500
19 MARENGO ENRIQUE GARCIA $1,400
20 ONIRA CLOVERLEAF FARM $1,325
21 CANAILLE WYNDHURST STABLES $1,310
22 CEDRIC K & H ENTERPRISES $1,230
DARIOS V CHABURN HOLDINGS $1,200
DIAMS III MARY B SCHWAB & O E J I FARM $1,200
HIDDEN CREEK’S CHARLIE BROWN HIDDEN CREEK FARM $1,200
SAMANTHA SUNDANCE GROUP $1,200
SENNA MR. BAILLETT $1,200
28 RIOVANNA EURO HORSE $1,180
29 NERO SUSAN GRANGE $885
30 EURO BOY ALEXIS BAIKE $830
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