Langley, BC — Kyle King (USA) came to the Summer Fort Welcome loaded with horsepower. Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) rules limited athletes to three CSI3* entries, so that left King—based locally out of Langley, BC—with four additional mounts to jump the the Bradon Equestrian Grand Prix 1.40m.
The odds of a victory for his stable were strong, but the horse he would ultimately win with was the one he knew least.
“It was kind of a catch ride this week,” King said of Katie De Witt’s Criterio LS.
In just his second time aboard De Witt’s 10-year-old gelding, King bested a nine-horse jump-off, crossing the timers of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) short course in 47.57 seconds. Megan Garcia (USA) finished second with Bentlis (48.67s), followed by Samantha Buirs-Darvill (CAN) and Maria 111 (48.9s).
“He’s a sweetheart…but when he jumps, he really, really jumps,” King said of his winning partner. “The feeling is pretty cool.”
King admitted that his winning ride was not his smoothest, and he met the combination with less stride than he wanted. The key to victory proved to be his horse’s heart—and a furious gallop to the final fence.
“Every time you ride a horse for the first time, you never really know how brave they are,” King said. “I would say, nine out of 10 horses would have quit or put two [strides] in that double the way I came into it, and [Criterio LS] showed me tremendous heart and just grew wings.
“Going down to the last jump, I just kept coming, and I saw [a distance] way far away and hoped that it showed up, and it did,” he added. “I think that’s what pushed me over the top.”
Criterio LS certainly made the case that he’s capable of bigger things. That may complicate King’s entries for next week’s CSI3* Summer Fort Classic—in the best possible way.
“Most of the horses I did in [the Bradon Equestrian Grand Prix], I would have considered jogging in the three-star, but you can only do three [horses in that division],” King said. “It was really nice to be able to have another class so that I can let these horses work a little bit and do something.
“I think we’ve got to sit down after this and figure out what we do next week,” he added, “[to determine] which horses are showing and which ones aren’t.”
$10,000 Bradon Equestrian Grand Prix
Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time
1. Criterio LS / Kyle King / USA / Katie De Witt / 0/0 47.57
2. Bentlis / Megan Garcia / USA / Megan Garcia / 0/0 48.67
3. Maria 111 / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / CAN / Bryony Reid / 0/0 48.9
4. Unique Star / Kyle King / USA / Ritz Fuente LLC / 0/0 50.11
5. Baton Rouge / Ben Asselin / CAN / Attache Stables / 0/4 49.65
6. Filoucha / Philippa Melski / USA / Buffy Hanschka / 0/4 51.88
7. Coeur de Riccerole VG Z / Kennedy Ellingson / CAN / Kennedy Ellingson / 0/4 52.86
8. Quvendy-S / Zazou Hoffman / USA / Zazou Hoffman / 0/4 55.35
9. Iwan / Bretton Chad / CAN / Stone Ridge Farms LLC / 0/8 52.11
10. Connador / Stella Chernoff / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch & Cattle Co Ltd / 0/WD
10. The Freshman / Ben Asselin / CAN / Attache Stables / 0/WD
