Wilton Porter and Patriot (Phelps Media Group)
However, it was Shane Sweetnam and Beluga who took the early lead in the power-and-speed class, clocking a seemingly unbeatable jump-off time of 28.148 seconds.
As competitor after competitor attempted the Alan Wade-designed course, Sweetnam's time remained unchallenged until Sharn Wordley stepped up to the plate on Popstar Lozonais, tripping the timers in 28.673 seconds - just half of a second behind Sweetnam's lead.
With only a handful of riders left to jump, Porter and Patriot entered the ring and delivered a flawless power round to advance to the speed portion. While the turn to the final single-to-oxer combination proved fatal for the majority of riders, Porter's effective ride kept the duo in the clear, surpassing Sweetnam with a time of 26.809 seconds.
"I didn't even see Shane go," Porter admitted. "We were really tight in our turns, especially that final turn to the last two jumps. I think we nailed that, and that's probably where we beat them. Patriot's also a quick jumper; he just kind of skims the jump, and there's not much air time, so that helps as well."
One final challenger, Adam Prudent, came close to Porter's blazing time with Si Bella, clocking in at 28.659 seconds and falling short by 1.85 seconds to settle for third place, leaving Wordley in fourth, Sweetnam in second and Porter and Patriot with the top spot.
Patriot has been a favorite of the Porter family for years, having brought both Wilton and younger brother Lucas Porter up the ranks.
"He's been an awesome Young Rider horse," Porter said. "He got a lot of results at Tryon this summer in the Under 25 classes, and he's just been so consistent throughout the years."
The summer jumper action continued on Friday with the 1.35m Open Jumpers, which saw 24 entries over the Alan Wade designed course.
Third in the order of go, Hayley Iannotti and Carlos G delivered the second clear round, immediately advancing to the short course. The duo went double clear, stopping the clock at 33.461 seconds in the jump off.
Challengers Andrew Welles and Crimana also went double clear to clock the second fastest time, coming in just .23 seconds behind Iannotti with a time of 33.691 seconds.
Conor O'Regan and Salome De Mars secured third place with their assertive effort, finishing just a tenth of a second behind Welles, and .33 seconds behind Iannotti.
The young rider's early effort held fast throughout the close race, securing the win for Iannotti and Carlos G.
"He's just naturally a really fast horse, and he doesn't like to get rails," Iannotti said. "If I ever do get rails, it's my fault, not his. I really tried to stay on the pace, and I took a stride out down the first two lines, so that was to my advantage. He was amazing, and he jumped really well."
Look for both riders in the Rolex Stadium this weekend, with upcoming jumper highlights including the Kentucky Horse Park's Hats Off Day and the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the U25 Grand Prix following on Sunday.
Class : 437 OPEN JUMPER II sec C 1.40m Results
Power Round Speed
Pl Nbr Horse Rider Faults Time Faults Time
1 48 PATRIOT WILTON PORTER 46.976 26.809
2 1587BELUGA SHANE SWEETNAM 44.642 28.148
3 1246SI BELLA ADAM PRUDENT 44.958 28.659
4 1766POPSTAR LOZONAISSHARN WORDLEY 46.620 28.673
5 586 SERENA JORDAN GILCHRIST 46.498 31.358
6 953 CALIDA 55 KYLE TIMM 44.119 31.792
7 1764CROWN JEWEL SHARN WORDLEY 47.321 32.110
8 131 IMERALD VAN'T VOCODY AUER 49.027 35.057
Class : 432 OPEN JUMPER II sec 2b 1.35M Results
First Round Jump Off
Pl Nbr Horse Rider Faults Time Faults Time
1 1645CARLOS G HAYLEY IANNOTTI 70.565 33.461
2 1040CRIMANA Z ANDREW WELLES 71.468 33.691
3 318 SALOME DE MARS CONOR O'REGAN 72.837 33.790
4 954 ANDOLIN KYLE TIMM 71.888 36.069
5 1735PACORD KRISTIAN SKOURIDER 72.698 36.497
6 1170WAY OF LIFE H ANSGAR HOLTGERS 72.219 36.693
7 1052WINDOCTRO KATE MORRISON 71.144 37.044
8 1055LISMEEN LANCER KATE MORRISON 69.088 37.716