Amanda Flint riding Newlight VDL (David Mullinix Photography)

East Dorset, Vt. - Amanda Flint of Long Valley, N.J., took the top two spots to dominate the $10,000 Open Welcome, presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, held Thursday, July 3, at the Vermont Summer Festival.  The six-week equestrian competition runs through August 10 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, Vt..

A total of four horses advanced to the jump-off over the track set by Irish course designer Alan Wade.  Two of those horses belonged to Flint, doubling her chances of victory.  When Flint entered the all-weather grand prix ring as the final challenger, she had only herself to beat.  Already holding the lead with a time of 38.62 seconds riding Chester VDL, Flint outdid herself, stopping the timers in 38.38 with Newlight VDL.

“I’ve had him for a couple of years and brought him up in the young jumper classes,” said Flint of her winning mount, Newlight VDL, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood by Converter.  “I’ve shown him here for the past two years.  He’s a very careful horse, and super-fast.  He is very quirky and thinks a lot of himself; he knows everything!”

For her victory, Flint picked up her share of the prize money, as well as a $1,000 gift certificate from Polo Ralph Lauren and a custom Vermont Summer Festival presentation scrim from Mona’s Monograms.  As an additional award for second place, Flint was given a $500 gift certificate from New Balance, one of the newest brands under the Manchester Designer Outlets umbrella, which she planned to share with her staff in appreciation of their hard work.

Flint’s second-placed entry, Chester VDL, was purchased as a four-year-old at a VDL auction held in Ocala, FL.  Now seven, Chester VDL was the runner-up in the Five-Year-Old Young Horse Championships at the Hampton Classic.
“He is probably my favorite horse in the barn,” said Flint of the Dutch Warmblood by Silverstone x Matterhorn.  “I’ve done a lot of 1.40m classes with him and he’s won a lot, and this was his first 1.45m.”

$10,000 Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets

            Rider                                       Horse                                      Faults              Time
1.         Amanda Flint                          Newlight VDL                        0:0                   38.38
2.         Amanda Flint                          Chester VDL                           0:0                   38.62
3.         Bryn Sadler                             Bon Giorno                             0:0                   39.02
4.         Christi McQuaker                   Brisbane                                  0:12                 40.92
5.         Jackie McQuade                     Copilot                                    4
6.         Amanda Flint                          Gandor de Walput                  4
7.         Helen Goddard                       Noire                                       12
8.         Jackie McQuade                     Final Judgement                     16