Monday, April 26, 2010

My Rolex teary moments: Great comebacks

This year I had two teary-eye moments. First was Laine Ashker's clear show jumping round on Anthony Patch (sorry I accidentally deleted the footage on my new HD camcorder). Why get all sappy about this pair? Well, only two years since her horrific Rolex fall she came back with a new outlook and laid down three great performances. I'm not a jumping expert but Anthony Patch is an OTTB and not the strongest or scopiest jumper out there -- but he's careful and tries his heart out. Lainey piloted him around expertly. The joy on Laine's face at the end of that ride would have softened the stoniest heart. Teary-eyed moment #2? Lauren Kieffer and Snooze Alarm (pictured left)...





Lauren Kieffer and Snooze Alarm
Okay, they had a stop, but so did veteran Kim Severson. It was the first time for at Rolex for both of them -- two rookies, yet what an inspiring performance across all three days and a good recovery in show jumping. Remember Snooze Alarm is an Anglo-arab...





While I wasn't brought to tears, I do love Courageous Comet. His dressage compares to anything I've ever seen in USDF competitions. You can see the freedom of shoulder in his jumping effort...

Courageous Comet and Becky Holder
Jimmy Wofford called CC "one of the best horses in the world." Again, an OTTB!



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6 comments:

  1. The BorkoskysApril 26, 2010 at 6:19 PM

    Is there something I need to be able to watch the Snooze Alarm video? When I try to it tells me that it is a private video. The other video plays and what a beautiful round! Thanks for such a wonderful blog :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stacey Kimmel-SmithApril 26, 2010 at 6:25 PM

    Sorry, when you publish via iMovie it makes the video private by default -- should be public now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. WendyApril 26, 2010 at 8:27 PM

    I think you'll like some of the photos I caught of Laine and Anthony Patch after they crossed the wire.
    Here's one for you:

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/4552307163_559eb088e6.jpg

    She gave such a great reaction and salute to the crowd. It was sweet! And I am one BIG TIME promoter of the OTTB so I was thrilled too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stacey Kimmel-SmithApril 26, 2010 at 9:28 PM

    Wendy what a gorgeous photo! Did you get any of Snooze Alarm?

    ReplyDelete
  5. WendyApril 26, 2010 at 9:49 PM

    I do have Snooze Alarm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendy_u/4549038747/sizes/m/

    Take a look at all the pics I got! Here's a slide show but it's in reverse order at the moment: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wendy_u/sets/72157623794909199/show/

    ReplyDelete
  6. WendyApril 27, 2010 at 9:48 AM

    ok - I added a few photos of Snooze Alarm (love that name!) to the Rolex set. I also put them in order from oldest to newest.

    Also, if anyone is interested - my photography friend Candice ended up shooting all three falls during the cross country portion. It was Candice's first time shooting cross country and she left a little shaken up. Here is a link to her photos: http://eclipsesportswire.spitfirephoto.com/slideshow.php?albumId=110782

    Also, it's interesting to note that all three riders were wearing the inflatable vest.

    ReplyDelete

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