August 10, 2013 – East Dorset, Vermont – Twenty-year-old Emily Short of Cheswick, PA, and the aptly named Grande Finale 3E won the grand finale of the 2013 Vermont Summer Festival, the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors, on Saturday, August 10, in East Dorset, VT.

A starting field of 28 entries lined out for the final grand prix of the Vermont Summer Festival’s six-week circuit with 11 advancing to the jump-off over the course designed by Eric Hasbrouck.  Julie Welles and Bazooka de Muze had set the time to beat at 40.10 seconds early on in the class, and as the second-to-last challengers, Short and Grande Finale 3E sliced nearly two seconds off of Welles’ time, crossing the timers in 38.65 seconds.  Jimmy Torano and Walk About were the final entries on course, but eight faults would put them out of the running.

Johnathan Corrigan finished third on Olympic de Chamant with a double clear effort in 40.91 seconds while young Charlotte Jacobs took fourth with Promised Land in 41.06 seconds.  Torano produced the only other double clear effort to place fifth with Blue Sky Van de Olmenhoeve.

“It’s only my second (grand prix) win, so it’s really exciting,” Short smiled after claiming victory with her 11-year-old Canadian Sport Horse mare (Jamestown x Chin Chin).  “I’m really happy with my horse.  She’s had a couple of weeks off, so I’m excited to be back in the ring and get such good results.”

A hairpin turn back to a stone wall proved difficult for several riders, but that is where Short feels she made the time for the win, thanks to her mare’s maneuverability.

“She’s awesome,” said Short of the mare formerly campaigned by Colombia’s Roberto Teran for Canadian breeder KingRidge Stables.  “She tries really hard for me.  I think a lot of that is because she’s a mare.  She’s really fun and really careful.  She’s quick in the turns.  I rolled back to the wall really quickly and she just popped over it.”

Short acknowledged that she rarely has to worry about speed when riding Grande Finale 3E, describing her mare as a naturally fast horse that is always happy to do her job.  Short believed their victory was the result of the hard work she has diligently put into her mare over the last two years with trainer David Jennings.

“I’ve worked hard with her and she’s a great horse,” praised Short.  “I’m really happy with her and my riding today.  She tries really hard and I think it’s paying off.”

Jennings, whose Full Circle Farm is based out of Nashville, TN, commented, “When (Emily) came to me, she was doing some low junior/low amateur jumpers.  She has come a long way in a short time.  Grande Finale is young, but in the past eight months, they have really started to mesh together.  Emily is growing as a rider and the horse is growing with her.  They’re producing clear round after clear round, getting to the jump-off every time.”

Jennings was especially pleased to see Short step up her game in the grand prix ring, noting “Emily’s always very passive in the schooling arena.  She wants to be so correct.  The last jump we schooled over, I said to her ‘That’s not the way you’re going to win a grand prix.  If you want to win, you’ve got to try to find the jumps faster.’”

Short took her coach’s advice to heart, providing a thrilling finale to the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors.

“I really like it here, they do a really good job,” said Short, who was making her Vermont Summer Festival debut.  “The setting is beautiful, the area is beautiful, and the management does a great job.  It’s very relaxed and it’s a nice change of pace.”

The $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors was the final grand prix of the Vermont Summer Festival and also boasted the largest purse of the circuit.  The Vermont Summer Festival offers more than $750,000 in prize money in total, making it the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont.  The show wraps up its 20th anniversary season in Manchester, VT, on Sunday, August 11, with the $15,000 Vermont Celebration Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic.

The Vermont Summer Festival is a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).  For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit
www.vt-summerfestival.com.

 

$50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix Presented by Hand Motors
	Rider	Horse	Faults	Time
1.	Emily Short	Grande Finale 3E	0:0	38.65
2.	Julie Welles	Bazooka de Muze	0:0	40.10
3.	Johnathan Corrigan	Olympic de Chamant	0:0	40.91
4.	Charlotte Jacobs	Promised Land	0:0	41.06
5.	Jimmy Torano	Blue Sky Van de Olmenhoeve	0:0	43.07
6.	Adrienne Sternlicht	Oreade des Dames	0:4	41.46
7.	Danielle Torano	Capitano	0:4	42.27
8.	Adrienne Sternlicht	S&L Slingback	0:4	43.78
9.	Leann Kelly	Leander	0:4	44.34
10.	David Jennings	Billy the Kid	0:4	48.25
11.	Jimmy Torano	Walk About	0:8	39.72
12.	Adrienne Sternlicht	Hathaway	1