Las Vegas – As Savannah Jenkins crossed through the finish timers at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, the crowd burst into enthusiastic cheers. She and Comrado had just taken over the top of the leaderboard in the $10,000 CSI4*-W Blenheim EquiSports Speed Classic, presented by LAURACEA, and they would ultimately remain there, taking home the win in the final class of the day on Wednesday, November 17, at the Las Vegas National CSI4*-W.
“It’s pretty awesome!” said Jenkins of her win. “I love being here; it’s super fun. I like the atmosphere. To hear everyone screaming and stuff was just really amazing.”
With challenging questions asked and rails falling throughout Wednesday evening’s Guilherme Jorge-designed course, Jenkins’ speedy clear round in a time of 59.20 seconds stood out to the enthusiastic spectators, and while 17 entries would follow Jenkins, none would come within a second of her time.
“I thought the course was really awesome,” said Jenkins, of Santa Rosa, CA. “I thought there were a lot of places were you could show off your horse a little bit. With [Comrado], he’s actually a little slower moving. Speed classes are not normally our forte, but, especially in this small ring, I can walk a tighter track than most people do because he’s so scopey and so stridey. I can leave out the stride and still make the inside turn. When I walked, I said, ‘You know what, let’s go for it a little bit today!’ It worked out, so I’m super blessed to have him and everybody that helped.”
Jenkins has had the ride on Comrado for approximately eight months, and following some ups and downs, including time off for a broken collarbone for Jenkins, things are now coming together for she and the 10-year-old German Sport Horse gelding, owned by Proper 12, LLC.
“He’s super special, and I’m just super blessed for everything,” concluded Jenkins.
Finishing in second place behind Jenkins and Comrado with a time of 61.38 seconds were New Zealand’s Uma O’Neill and Quintago VA, owned by O’Neill Showjumping. Third place went to the USA’s Hunter Holloway who stopped the clock in 61.59 seconds aboard Dana de Kerglenn, owned by Decimal Support Ldt., Equivarandas, and Juan Carlos Garcia of Italy took home fourth place with a time of 63.30 seconds riding Lyranta van ‘t Gebroekt, owned by Stephex Stables.
On hand for the presentation of awards was Tamara Makris of LAURACEA, a luxury leathergoods brand designed with the rider in mind.
“When I started LAURACEA, I wanted to create quality products that are classic and timeless – beautifully crafted from exceptional materials,” said Makris. “It was very important to me that as a brand, we create something of lasting worth and value. I want a LAURACEA purchase to be something that you can pass down to a younger generation, and not only will it look better with time, but it will still be fashionable.”
Among those long-lasting, fashionable products is LAURACEA’s best-selling Convertible Backpack Tote, available for purchase at the Las Vegas National CSI4*-W or online at www.LAURACEA.com
Competition at the Las Vegas National CSI4*-W continues through Sunday, November 21, with Thursday’s featured events including the $41,000 Markel Insurance 1.45m Jumper Series Finale at 4 p.m. (PST) and the $40,000 FEI 1.50m Las Vegas National Welcome Speed Classic beginning at 7 p.m.
The highlight event of the week, the $150,000 Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM Las Vegas, presented by Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, gets underway at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 20, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Purchase tickets to watch which rider has #TheTimeToBeat here!
For complete results from the $10,000 CSI4*-W Blenheim EquiSports Speed Classic, presented by LAURACEA, click here
For a full schedule and event details, visit www.TheLasVegasNational.com. To access the live stream during competition hours, click here, and exhibitors can view and access round videos here.
