McGuinness Outruns the Rest To Win $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix
Equestrian News Release
Indio, CA – March 10, 2006 – McGuinness never noticed the raindrops during the final $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix of this year’s Indio Desert Circuit. Though the rain fell for most of the class, the only lightning to be seen was inside the ring as Rich Fellers and McGuinness flawlessly flashed through a jump-off course packed with 17 other top competitors.
This year’s victory streak began for Fellers during week four with the $75,000 Footings Unlimited Grand Prix, also aboard McGuinness. Fellers then raced through the wind the following Friday to claim a $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix victory, aboard his other Irish mount, Gyro.
As if in competition with last Friday’s gale force winds, Fellers and the rest of today’s Grand Prix class not only dealt with howling gusts blowing the deserts dust across the ring, they also rode through an uncommon desert rain. But even as the temperature dropped and the footing became soggy, only a handful of horses and riders seemed to give the precipitation a second thought. If anything, it seemed the riders were cleaning up faster than the water falling from the sky.
Course designer, Conrad Homfeld, who is renowned for designing exceptionally formidable courses, may have underestimated the degree of talent in Indio this year. Horse after horse, the course was solved, sometimes in consecutive efforts of three and four in a row. Contributing to most of the second round’s volume, Richard Spooner put five entries through to jump-off and John Pearce qualified two. Fellers also brought back two mounts for the second round, but McGuinness became the contender to catch.
He galloped into the arena with Fellers aboard as if to foreshadow his impending triumph. With Cristallo and Spooner’s prior jump-off trip posting a faultless effort in 41.37 seconds, Fellers knew the mark he had to hit, and put his trust in McGuinnes to take him there. “A lot of it just has to do with a simple amount of confidence. We have so much confidence in each other it’s like we can do anything,” said Fellers.
And with a full head of steam throughout their trip, an eventually unbeatable time looked to be the obvious outcome for the pair. After McGuinness floated over the second fence at a considerably faster pace than previous pairs, they managed to keep that consistency throughout the course, turning hard and taking-off from the sweet spot at every obstacle. The clock stopped with 39.88 seconds glowing definitively against the storm-tinted sky.
Spooner next brought Airtime into the ring to tackle the challenge, but the young horse showed his uncommon, but all-too-natural inexperience with a refusal at the first fence, and then again at the second. The next eight entries to attempt their luck at beating Fellers’ time would ride in vain as rails fell and time ticked too far. But Pearce and Archie Bunker next stepped up and executed a phenomenal run rivaling that of Fellers and McGuinness. Yet, the duo rode across the finish line just late in 40.92 seconds.
The final horse to challenge the time would be Ezrah with Spooner at the reigns once again. The pair commanded the course and looked as if they would answer Fellers’ challenge. “I could tell what [Spooner] was thinking in there,” said Fellers of his long-time friend. “I think he definitely had me.” That is, until the final rail fell leaving Ezrah’s time of 39.31 seconds an outstanding effort, but just shy after falling four faults behind.
“McGuinness is just so fast, I don’t know how else to put it. He really likes jump-offs and he’s very experienced at them,” said Fellers. The pair is now in their fifth year of competition together. “Once he gets in the ring he just knows what to do. A lot of the reason he’s so fast is because there just aren’t many adjustments that need to be made,” he added.
And McGuinness continued his gallop to the winners circle with the blue ribbon clipped to add the week-six $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix to his $75,000 Footings Unlimited Grand Prix championship. McGuinness and Fellers next bring their confidence and speed to the final Grand Prix class of this year’s Indio Desert Circuit, Sunday’s $150,000 HIT Grand Prix of the Desert.
Results – HITS Indio Desert Circuit, $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix-3/10/06
1 – McGuiness- Harry/Molly Chapman- Rich Fellers – 0/0-39.88
2 – Archie Bunker- Forest View Farms- John Pearce – 0/0-40.50
3 – Cristallo- Show Jumping Syndications International- Richard Spooner- 0/0-41.37
4 – Gyro- Harry/Molly Chapman- Rich Fellers – 0/0-43.63
5 – Robinson- Half Moon Bay Investment Group- Richard Spooner – 0/0-44.79
6 – Quirino 3- Oscany Inc- Richard Spooner – 0/4-38.68
7 – Ezrah- S&B Corp- Richard Spooner – 0/4-39.31
8 – Shakira- Gord Munro- Helen McNaught – 0/4-40.90
9 – Sapphire- Watring/Bohannan- Mark Watring – 0/4-40.92
10 – Hoek’s Nan- Danielle Korsh- Ali Nilforushan – 0/4-41.50
11 – Pariska 2- C&S Partnership- 0/4-44.15
12 – Kilkenny Lesandra- Kilkenny Crest LLC- Mariano Alario – 0/5-51.67
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Joshua A. Walker anchors the coverage of California and all of the West Coast for PhelpsSports.com.
Look for the debut of this exciting new website in late August. PhelpsSports.com is a new and highly innovative equestrian sports website offering equestrians and fans of equestrian sports from around the world a single web address for the latest breaking news of the Hunter, Jumper, Dressage, Eventing and other High Performance disciplines. The website will include up to the minute audio reports, live video interviews and features from around the globe, photography, and the creative writing and reporting of some of the finest equestrian journalists in the world.
Today’s report from Joshua Walker in Indio is another preview provided by PhelpsSports.com. Look for the debut of this brand new, dynamic and exciting equestrian news website during the World Equestrian Games in August. PhelpsSports.com is going to change the standard of equestrian coverage on the Internet and will be your best source for up to the minute video, unique and personal audio interviews and late breaking news of the High Performance disciplines. Stay tuned!
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