Nick Dello Joio and Boomerang (Sportfot)
Anthony D'Ambrosio (USA) set the tracks for Friday's young jumper classes in the International Arena at PBIEC. All of the classes were held with the option to either jump-off immediately following their round or wait until after the first round of competition. In the $20,000 Adequan® Eight-Year-Old Young Jumper Classic, 61 entries showed with eight to jump-off, and five double clear rounds. Nick Skelton (GBR) led the way with Aristio for most of the class, jumping off early in 38.60 seconds, but eventually moved into third place. Adam Prudent (FRA) jumped off after his round with Henri Prudent's Si Bella and briefly took the lead in 38.09 seconds, but was pushed into second. Nick Dello Joio (USA) chose to return for his jump-off round at the end, and took over for the win with Emilie Martinsen's Boomerang in 37.35 seconds.
Boomerang, a KWPN gelding by Orlando x Lux, is a horse that Martinsen rode last summer and then asked Dello Joio to ride with the idea to bring him along and sell.
"I am privileged to ride him," Dello Joio stated after his win. "He is full of character. He is a small horse, but he has more scope and more range than any horse I think I have ever ridden. He is a bit cheeky and has a lot of personality. I think all of that combined is what makes him a super horse."
"I have been riding him at this circuit for five or six weeks, and I think it is time for him to move up," the rider noted. "This is a good division for him, but he is better over a bigger fence, so I think it's time to see what he's got. We have schooled him at home and other places, and when the horse jumps bigger, he is way more focused. When he jumps smaller, it is just too easy for him. It's like (Michael) Jordan playing street ball or something. It's not fair, so I'm excited to take him to the next level."
Commenting on the ride and his decision to wait to jump-off until the end, Dello Joio explained, "With horses like him, you always want to keep them a little bit under your thumb. You want to keep them with you and together. He's not a horse that you want to get off his back and let him do what he wants. You have to kind of work together, and that is when he is at his best, and his most focused."
"In the first round, maybe I left him a little bit too fresh," Dello Joio mused. "He is so gamey; he is so on it, so he finished the first round, and I thought I would just bring him out and let him chill. I wanted to re-school him and get his focus again, and then go back in and have a round like that, and it paid off."
For his round in the jump-off, Dello Joio asked the advice of his father, Norman, heading in. "I asked dad what he thought about it, if we wanted to push him or how important this class was for him," the rider explained. "He just said, 'Be smart and be smooth.' The horse is so quick across the ground; his stride eats it up for a little horse. I had to almost chip and do the nine (strides) down the last line. Everyone else was galloping and I could have done eight if I really needed to, but I saw the clock and I was like, 'Alright, wait, easy.' I just made neat turns and used his stride to my advantage. I have never really put any gas on the fire, so it worked out."
Dello Joio plans to step Boomerang up a little bit in the months to come and knows that the horse has a great future. "There are some shows here in April, so maybe we will pull him out one week and jump one of the grand prix classes here on him quietly, without a ton of people, and just see what he does and see how he reacts to it," he said. "Then the plan is for him to go to Old Salem and Spruce Meadows, which I think will be fantastic mileage for him. Old Salem is an amazing venue, and Calgary, there is no better in the world for experience for horses. If he keeps going like that, he is a super horse, so I think he will get sold."
Final Results: $20,000 Adequan® Eight-Year-Old Young Jumper Classic
1. BOOMERANG NICHOLAS DELLO JOIO EMILIE MARTINSEN: 0/0/37.355
2. SI BELLA ADAM PRUDENT HENRI PRUDENT: 0/0/38.090
3. ARISTIO NICK SKELTON JOHN HALES: 0/0/38.606
4. COOL DE REVE PETER LUTZ FURTHER LANE FARM LLC & DAVENPORT INC: 0/0/39.285
5. STREET HASSLE PARIS SELLON PARIS SELLON: 0/0/40.303
6. BALESTHA KIRSTEN COE ILAN FERDER: 0/4/40.847
7. BRIGHTLY MCLAIN WARD SAGAMORE FARMS: 0/8/37.739
8. GRAFTON DARRIN DLIN ARIEL AND SUSAN GRANGE: 0/8/40.116
9. BENTE ROOSJE BROUWER STAL THIJSSEN BV: 1/77.665
10. ACOBELLA COURTNEY BOYD CYNTHIA NIELSEN: 2/78.030
11. AMI DU HOUSSOIT ALEXA LOWE-WISEMAN WINDSOR FARM SALES: 4/68.829
12. SOORY DE L'HALLALI EIKEN SATO STEPHEX STABLES: 4/71.028