Danielle Torano and Woodstock won the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors, on July 19 at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. Photo by David Mullinix Photography
Danielle Torano and Woodstock celebrate their win in the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors, at the Vermont Summer Festival. From left to right: Danielle Torano mounted on Woodstock, Jimmy Torano aboard Bentley, aunts Maruchi Albertini and Maria Teresa Torano with children JJ and Natalia Torano, Kimet and John Hand of Hand Motors, and Woodstock's groom, Armando Fernandez. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

July 19, 2014 – East Dorset, VT – Danielle Torano of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Woodstock won the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors, on Saturday, July 19, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. Torano won the same event in 2011 riding Capitano.

Torano and Woodstock, her 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Wolfgang, were one of only two double clear rounds on Saturday, with the other double clear being posted by Torano's husband, Jimmy Torano. Jimmy Torano finished second to his wife riding Bentley, while Ian Silitch finished third after an unfortunate refusal with Cordovo in the jump-off. Silitch battled his way into the top three despite having three broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

Torano has only had the ride on Woodstock since June, and the uncertainty of a new horse was on her mind when she was making her plan for the jump-off. As the final rider to go in the tie-breaker, she decided to go for the win after some encouragement from the crowd.

"It felt good!" Torano laughed of finishing ahead of her husband. "I wasn't sure if I was going to go fast. I always try to go a little bit fast, but it's a brand-new horse for me. I've only shown him a handful of times. When I went in the ring and the announcer started (egging me on), I thought 'I'm going to try!' I thought Jimmy was pretty fast though, so even when I landed after the last jump, I wasn't sure if I had him or not."

When she first tried Woodstock, Torano was attracted to his straight-forward attitude, which paid off when she found herself at several deep distances to the jumps in the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix.

"In the first round, I was underneath the triple bar, underneath the wall, underneath the last jump," explained Torano. "When you ride him, he feels like, 'Oh, what's the problem?' He didn't question or think, 'Oh my god, we're underneath it.' He just goes, and that's what I liked about him when I first rode him. Anybody can ride this horse."

Torano has still been trying to get to know the big chestnut gelding; after only showing him a handful of times, she remarked that he has felt like a different horse each time she's gotten on him.

"For me, especially because he's a little bit big, having a little bit of leverage just makes me feel like he's not dragging me (around the course)," Torano explained. "I wasn't comfortable with the bit I was using and I thought I needed a different one. Jimmy said, 'Try this bit,' and I said, 'In the grand prix?' I hemmed and hawed, but I thought to myself, 'What's the worst case scenario?'"

The last minute equipment change clearly paid off, bringing Torano her first grand prix victory at the Vermont Summer Festival since 2011. Torano will give Woodstock a well-earned week off before returning to the competition ring during week five of the Vermont Summer Festival.

Jimmy Torano's second place finish in the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors, put him into the top 10 in the Sir Ruly Open Jumper Award standings, which are presented in memory of his uncle, Raul 'Ruly" Torano. Riders earn points towards the circuit-end awards in the Open Jumper division, with $10,000 being awarded to the top three open jumper riders of the circuit.

Amanda Flint is currently in first place with 189 points thanks to a hot streak during her first two weeks at the Vermont Summer Festival while Jackie McQuade stands second with 72 points. Canada's Christi McQuaker is currently in third place with 46 points.

The Vermont Summer Festival offers a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation competition. The $10,000 Open Welcome Stake Series, presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, is held each Thursday while the week's feature event, the $30,000 Grand Prix, takes place each Saturday at 1 p.m. The $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix will be held during the sixth and final week on Saturday, August 9.

Spotlighting the hunter competitors, the popular $5,000 3'3" NEHJA Hunter Derby series is held each Thursday, culminating in the $15,000 3'3" NEHJA Hunter Derby, presented by Land Rover Experience.

Competition runs weekly from Wednesday through Sunday, beginning at 8 a.m. Admission prices are $5 for adults, $3 for children from Wednesday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children. 100% of the gate proceeds benefit area libraries, including Manchester Community Library.

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.

$30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, presented by Hand Motors

	Rider	Horse	Faults	Time
1.	Danielle Torano	Woodstock	0:0	39.46
2.	Jimmy Torano	Bentley	0:0	41.68
3.	Ian Silitch	Cordovo	0:4	52.19
4.	Jimmy Torano	Zena D	4
5.	Wendy Ritter Peralta	Cruz Z	4
6.	Kenneth Berkley	Catoki's Son	4
7.	Amanda Strain	San Pirolo	8
8.	Holly Mitten	Parenzo Jmen	8
9.	Katie Tyler	Kroner Z	9
10.	Andrea Torres Guerreiro	Anabella	12

$10,000 Sir Ruly Open Jumper Awards - Standings as of July 19, 2014

	Rider	Points
1.	Amanda Flint	189
2.	Jackie McQuade	72
3.	Christi McQuaker	46
4.	James Gillam	44
5.	Kenneth Berkley	42
6.	Jimmy Torano	42
7.	Cassandra Herman	41
8.	Bryn Sadler	38
9.	Amy Momrow	33
10.	Amanda Strain	26