Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili Continue Streak to Take $35,000 1.45m Suncast® Commercial Welcome Stake CSI 3*
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Kristen Vanderveen (USA) and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili won yet again today at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), this time victorious in the $35,000 1.45m Suncast® Commercial Welcome Stake CSI 3*. Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili stopped the timers in 36.296 seconds to take the win ahead of Abigail McArdle (USA) and Cade, who earned second place with a time of 36.514 seconds. Paul O’Shea (IRL) and Terceira collected third place, finishing the short course in 37.722 seconds.
Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili went towards the end of the class order, which saw 75 entries test the track set by Oscar Soberon (MEX). Seventeen combinations qualified for the short course, in which seven pairs finished the morning with a double clear effort on the day.
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| Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili |
“I thought the course looked really challenging when I walked it, so I was surprised that there were so many clean. I didn’t think it would be such a big jump off,” said Vanderveen. “The strides worked out a little bit nicer than I thought. There were a few half strides that I was debating, but everything came up nice when riding.”
“I thought [Oscar] used some spookier elements today to keep it interesting, so that was fun for both the horses and riders I think,” she added.
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| Abigail McArdle and Cade |
Vanderveen added four jumping faults at the last fence with her first ride Bull Run’s Testify, but was able to return to the jump-off aboard her impressive mount Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili, more commonly known as “Frosty” in the stable. She commented, “It was really nice that Frosty pulled through and gave me another try for win.”
Vanderveen will now wait see how many horses she will be able to enter in the $130,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday, July 8, but noted that she’ll choose Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili for Saturday if she has to pick between the two. Vanderveen will be one of more than forty entries expected to contest Saturday night’s competition.
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| Paul O’Shea and Terceira |
Today’s win follows a string of impressive accomplishments for Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili, a 2005 Belgian Warmblood stallion (Berlin x Darco) owned by Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC , as their consistency has outmatched other combinations at TIEC all season. When asked what makes them so good together, Vanderveen emphasized how rare her situation actually is.
“I’m just enjoying it while it lasts. Every rider knows this doesn’t happen so often, so I’m just trying to soak up every minute of it. He’s in top form right now and it’s working out for us. I’m just thankful.”
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| Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili in their presentation ceremony. |
Vanderveen elaborated on why she enjoys showing at TIEC, as the venue has brought her some of her fondest career victories and her appetite to win has been exercised to its fullest extent. She laughed and said, “It’s working out great for us. The horses love showing here and I love winning!”
Click here to view full results for the $35,000 1.45m Suncast® Commercial Welcome Stake.
Competition at TIEC will continue tomorrow with a $15,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby at 8:00 a.m. and a $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at 4:00 p.m. showcased in the George H. Morris Arena ahead of the $130,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 3* on Saturday evening. Activities and entertainment during “Saturday Night Lights” will begin at 6:00 p.m. while competition will start at 8:00 p.m. For more information on TIEC, please visit www.tryon.com.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.