Susan Hutchison and SIG Zuleika (Phelps Media Group, Inc.)
The Open Welcome was run as a II.2 ab allowing the competitors the option to either go to the jump off round immediately following their round or wait and come back after the completion of the all the first rounds.
Twenty-eight horse and rider combinations came to try their hand at Azevedo's large course. First to go was Susan Hutchison from Temecula, Calif. and SIG Zuleika, owned by SIG International. The first round was clean and the pair opted to move on to the jump-off round. In the short course they had a rail but were fast with a time of 38.077.
In three more rounds, Canadian John Pearce and Forest View Farms's Johnny B Good were clear and opted to come back for the jump-off after the first rounds.
In another three rounds Californian Justiin Resnik and Copias, owned by AMA Marketing & Management were clear in the first and opted to finish the short course. They two had one fence down and a time of 40.248.
Hunter Holloway and Hays Investment Corp's Yolo were clean but had one heartbreaking time fault. The duo would still land in the ribbons in tenth place.
Taylor Sutton of Austin, TX and her MTM Summit had a first clear and eight faults in her jump-off round.
Natascha Gates and her own Quickie finshed finished round one with all the rails in their cups and went immediately on to the short track. Gates too knocked a rail and had a time of 41.174 which would eventually leave the pair in sixth place.
Three more clean rounders opted to return later for the jump off round, Matt Cyphert of Justin, Texas and his big bay Lochnivar, Kristen VanderVeen from St Charles, Ill. and Bull Run's Alli Lu Ya and Hutchison with her third entry, SIG International Ziedento.
Hunter Holloway and Hays Investment Corp's Yolo were clean but had one heartbreaking time fault. The duo would still land in the ribbons in tenth place. VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal also fell victim to the time allowed by 0.004 seconds placing them ninth.
First to return for his short track, Pearce and Johnny B Good cut the turns and were lightening-fast crossing the timers at 36.839 but had a rail. With no double clear, they would take the lead. Cyphert and Lochnivar returned, and also had one down with a time of 42.098.
VanderVeen and Bull Run's Alli Lu Ya were the first to be double clear with a fast time of 36.789.
Then, Hutchison and her Ziedento bested the field with one of only two double clear rounds of the class, stopping the clock at 34.729, blowing away the competition and repeating her victory from Week IV with SIG Excel.
"It was bigger than the Welcome last week, which is fine," said Hutchison. "Excel (who won last week) had four faults today in the first round. But I was really pleased with her. She can jump 1.45m but I usually keep her more 1.35-1.40m and really the rail was really my rail."
Hutchison hadn't shown Zuleika last week. She didn't ship as well here as the other horses so she gave her last week off. Hutchison said that she's been doing the bigger classes in California and getting good ribbons. Zuelika was the second fastest of the four faulters in the jump off, which landed her in fourth place behind Pearce and Johnny B Good.
"I am very pleased with the first and I'm very please with the fourth," said Hutchison. "And I'm very pleased with my four faults on my first horse because she hasn't jumped this big of a track all year. That is her first rail down in 26 classes. She's won 26 rounds this year she's won 24 classes and been second in the other three, so she doesn't owe me anything."
Bull Run's Alli Lu Ya is a 9 year-old and is a newer ride for VanderVeen.
"My brother rode her during the winter so she's new to me and we're still kind of figuring each other out," VanderVeen said. "So this is the first time I've stepped up and done a bigger class. My brother has done her in the high amateurs in Wellington but I haven't done bigger stuff. I didn't exactly pick a small Welcome to start her off with, but off we go! I was really happy with her she tried really hard."
"I wasn't going to catch her (Hutchison) on my first big jump off on that horse," she said. "I was just happy that we did the turns and were quick enough. More power to Susie. She's great!"
VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal (Phelps Media Group, Inc.)
"I thought it was great that you didn't have as many clean," said VanderVeen. "Going clean is a big deal, you know you're going to get a ribbon- I like that. The lines were nice, not too trappy anywhere, but still some questions and she works with her turns and her bending lines.
Bull Run's Eternal was absent from the $30,000 Kubota Grand Prix because of a mild bout of colic. With his time fault, VanderVeen concluded that it was a nice warm up for the $50,000 Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix.
"Johnny is a good 1.50m horse," said Pearce about his third place mount. "He's always in the money."
Pearce also rode his young horse, Chantico in the class and had an unfortunate rail at the last fence.
"It's taking him a while to adjust to the ring and he's been a little green," he said. "I've been going slow with him. He jumped some big tracks with me in California he's going to be a nice horse."
For the Grand Prix on Saturday Pearce may have three mounts. "I'll probably get the old guy (Chianto) out," he said.
589. $15,000 Open Welcome Stake
1/304/Ziedento St. Bride's Farm/Susan Hutchison/4500.00
2/757/Bull Run's Alli Lu Ya Bull Run Jumpers Three LLC/Kristen Vanderveen/3250.00
3/396/Johnny B Good Forest View Farm/John Pearce/1950.00
4/302/Sig Zuleika SIG International, Inc./Susan Hutchison/1200.00
5/596/Copias AMA Marketing & Mgmt, Inc/Justin Resnik/900.00
6/206/Quickie Natascha Gates/Natascha Gates/700.00
7/732/Lochinvar Matt Cyphert/Matt Cyphert/600.00
8/350/MTM summit Taylor Sutton/Taylor Sutton/425.00
9/758/Bull Run's Eternal Bull Run Jumpers One LLC/Kristen Vanderveen/425.00
10/821/Yolo Hays Investment Corp./Hunter Holloway/350.00
11/370/Coco Colette Guy Mc Elvain/Guy Mc Elvain/350.00
12/300/SIG Excel SIG International, Inc./Susan Hutchison/350.00