Jennifer Ward, accompanied by ringmaster Gustavo Murcia, presents 17-year-old Kelli Cruciotti with a $1,000 bonus from SSG Gloves following her win in the $10,000 Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic on Saturday, March 14. Photo by Sportfot
Alexandra Crown, mounted on Von Cim, receives her second $1,000 bonus from SSG Gloves representative Jennifer Ward so far this season for wearing SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves on her way to victory in the $15,000 SJHOF High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Photo by Sportfot

March 15, 2015 – Wellington, FL – Kelli Cruciotti and Alexandra Crown both went “clean for the green” to win $1,000 bonuses from SSG Gloves during week 10 of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Both young women were wearing SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves on their way to victory to earn bonuses in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion running throughout the 12-week Winter Equestrian Festival.

Each week, bonus money is offered to the winner of the Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup, the High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, and the Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic if they are wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style riding gloves on their way to victory. On Thursday, March 12, Nick Dello Joio picked up a $3,000 bonus after winning the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10. Come the weekend, it was Cruciotti and Crown who stood in the spotlight.

In Saturday’s $10,000 Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic, a total of nine horses jumped clear over Michel Vaillancourt’s course to qualify for the jump-off. Cruciotti had the advantage of having two horses in the jump-off, and was able to utilize the experience gained with Zidante, her first jump-off mount, to her advantage. With her second entry, Wallenberg, Cruciotti posted the winning time of 41.31 seconds to relegate Victoria Colvin and Don Juan into second place.

“It definitely helps getting to ride the track once and then going in and fixing the little mistakes you made the first time,” said Cruciotti, who scored the win with Wallenberg and also took third with Zidante.

Of Wallenberg, a 10-year-old grey gelding purchased in December, Cruciotti remarked, “He has all the qualities of a top horse. He’s scopey, careful, and he’s a winner. He is amazing. I am very lucky to ride him.”

A first-time winner in the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion, Cruciotti, who trains with U.S. Olympic gold medalist Peter Wylde and her mother, Cindy Cruciotti, was thrilled to be presented with a $1,000 bonus from SSG Gloves in recognition of her support.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” said the 17-year-old from Elizabeth, CO, of the SSG Gloves promotion. “The gloves are a fabulous product, it encourages more people to wear them, and you get the bonus of $1,000!”

While Cruciotti was enjoying her first win in the SSG Gloves promotion, Crown was earning her second bonus of the season following her win in the $15,000 High Amateur-Owner Classic. Having posted victory in week seven, Crown and Von Cim returned to the winner’s circle in week 10. This time, the pair topped a seven-horse jump-off to claim victory.

“The secret was to keep it cool and do our plan, and put a little pressure on the rest of the riders,” said Crown, 19, of New York, NY, of her jump-off strategy. “We were lucky to go right in the middle; we didn’t have to go first this time!”

Crown, who trains with Kent Farrington, has been partnered with Von Cim for approximately two months and noted, “She’s a fast horse. She is definitely really hot and ready to go, but she always tries to keep the jumps up.”

Crown, who is always seen sporting her SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves, noted, “They are perfect. They fit really well, they are grippy, they work well in the rain, and they last.”

While noting that she will once again spend her bonus money on buying more treats for her 10-year-old Holsteiner mare, Crown took the opportunity to recognize SSG Gloves for its sponsorship, saying, “It’s amazing! It’s so nice to have a rider bonus because the amateurs don’t really get the opportunity to have bonuses the same way that the professional riders do. Thank you so much to SSG!”

SSG Gloves will continue to offer a $3,000 bonus in each of the weekly Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series events, as well as a $1,000 bonus in the High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and the Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper Classic competitions. If the winning rider in any of these three competitions is wearing SSG ‘Digital’ style gloves with the SSG horse head logo clearly visible, they will be presented with the SSG Gloves bonus during the awards presentation. A total of $60,000 in bonus money is on offer from SSG Gloves at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival.

SSG ‘Digital’ riding gloves are available for purchase at numerous Wellington locations including Tackeria and Dover Saddlery, as well as on-site at the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds at various retailers including Running Fox and Hadfield’s Saddlery.

Please refer to the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival Prize List for complete promotion details on the SSG Gloves “Go Clean for the Green” promotion. For further information, please contact promotion manager Jennifer Ward, Starting Gate Communications Inc., at cell: 613 292-5439 or jward@startinggate.ca.