July 22, 2024 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Speed was undoubtedly the name of the game in Sunday’s $50,000 Blenheim Summer Festival Grand Prix, and Kassidy Keith and Havana put their pedal to the metal to take the win.
The 26-year-old Canadian rider was one of nine riders to jump without fault over the first-round track, set in the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park’s Ortega Ebb & Flow Arena by FEI Level III course designer Anderson Lima. From there, it was a fast foot race to the top of the leaderboard.
When Keith and her own Havana entered the ring, the time to beat had been set at 40.292 seconds by Australia’s Lane Clarke and Venom. Then, with a slick slice across the center of the ring and tidy turns, Keith shaved more than a second off that time, stopping the clock in 38.932 seconds.
That time would hold up as the best through to the end of the class, with only the USA’s Michelle Parker edging in between Keith and Clarke to take second place with a time of 39.781 seconds aboard Knass B.
“I thought [Havana] handled [the course] really well,” said Keith of the 12-year-old mare that she has had since the mare was 4. “When there kept being clear rounds, I was a little nervous because there were some really fast horses. I just tried to stay smooth. Through the turns, she’s really tidy, so I just tried to keep going, keep up the revs on the turns. It worked out really well.”
For the victory, Keith received a custom riding coat from Pacific Saddlery, Mary’s Tack & Feed’s Nutrient Scoop All-In-One Supplement and a Blenheim EquiSports tack room pillow.
“I want to thank my friends and family, everybody that supports me and my sponsor, Fobi,” said Keith. “It takes a large group of people to get everything done, and everybody coming together makes it work. [Havana and I] have a really strong partnership. We travel a lot together. I do a lot with her in the barn. I groom her. My boyfriend’s helping me groom her here, as well as one of the clients and the kids in the barn. She’s just a really great partner. She’s a fighter.”
Also earning top jumper finishes earlier in the week was Jamie Sailor. The Moorpark, CA-based rider rode Fire Flash Toltien and Atlantic DVZ to first and second place, respectively, in the $20,000 Markel Open Jumper Speed Stake held on Friday, July 19. Rounding out the top three in the Markel Jumper Series class were Eduardo Sanchez Navarro and Gradje O.
For results from all jumper competitions at the Blenheim Summer Festival, visit blenheim.showgroundslive.com.
