Tracy Fenney & MTM Timon
Going early in the 11-horse jump-off, Timon scorched around the shortened course to post a clear round in 32.25 seconds, a time no one could come close to catching. Only Fenney’s second ride, MTM Centano, was able to match the pace (31.61 seconds), but a fallen rail cost the victory and relegated them to sixth place.
In the end, it was Timon’s night once again. “He recouped after his long travel from Ocala [Florida], and he felt great,” said Fenney. “I couldn’t have asked him to do anything different. He was amazing. Every turn went fast, he left strides out, angled jumps; I was ecstatic with him.”
The buzz at the in-gate grew in intensity as Fenney took the jump-off course with the flaxen chestnut 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Voltaire—Candy). She and trainer Mike McCormick had made a preliminary plan for Timon, but it didn’t stick.
“Since we had another horse, Mike said, ‘Why don’t we kind of go normal fast and take it easy a little bit.’ When he went to the first jump, I said ‘He’s on. He’s ready.’ So, I just figured with Wilhelm behind us and a couple of other fast ones, I’d go ahead and let him go for it. He felt better than even on Thursday night.”
When Fenney returned on MTN Centano, it was evident that she was going to try and beat her ride on Timon. The leggy 14-year-old bay Holsteiner (Cary—Haiba) tried hard but just nicked a rail for 4 faults.
“I was really happy with him,” said Fenney of Centano. “He just fell in a hair to the second-to-last jump and cut the corner a little too much, and didn’t get there. He’s a little more nervous than Timon. Centano is fast, but you don’t think of him being fast. Like, Timon you’re pushing and Centano you’re hanging onto. They’re a little bit different.”
After Wilhelm Genn gave it his best shot aboard Welcome Cor and Boucanier, respectively, it was time for son Theo to close out the jump-off with Paradox.
He gave the jam-packed Great Southwest Equestrian Center crowd something to cheer about as he went for the victory. He crossed the timers just short of Fenney’s time, finishing in second place with a clear round in 33.59 seconds.
Fenney, 49, of Flower Mound, Texas, has been showing at Pin Oak since she was 13 years old. She’s long since lost count of the number of times she’s won here, but nevertheless, each time it’s special.
See more video and pictures from pin oak at www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2014PinOak/