Emanuel Andrade aboard Natif Des Roches (SEL Photography)

Lexington, Ky. - After the Gala at the Rock, the black tie affair that Split Rock has quickly become known for, went well into the night, the third morning of competition kicked off at 10 am with the $2,000 Brook Ledge High JR/AO 1.40m Jumper. Victory was claimed by Emanuel Andrade aboard Natif Des Roches who won by a large margin with a speedy jump-off.

The next class to follow was the $7,500 Kask Child/Adult 1.10m Jumper Final where the leaderboard from the day before got shook up by top finisher, Maria Roberts of Collierville, Tennessee who quickly became a fan favorite. Roberts enthusiasm with a hearty fist pump following the fast and clear round also put her in contention for the Equithrive Fist Pump Award. First introduced last May at the inaugural Split Rock Jumping Tour's event, Derek Braun saw it as an opportunity to engage the crowd and competitors. Since it's inception, the Award has produced a number of fist pump styles and has become a welcomed new tradition at the show. The winner of the award will be announced following the feature class, the $130,000 CSI 3* presented by Split Rock Farm.

Roberts rides with Mike Tokaruk who was thrilled with his student's win. "This was a very special win for them," said Tokaruk. "Bongo colicked in Lexington at a show last July and underwent two surgeries. We almost lost him. We kept Bongo at Split Rock for a few weeks of recovery so that he didn't have to travel extensively right after. Naturally when Bongo starting showing again this spring, we talked about making his return to Split Rock - but this time under much better circumstances!" And indeed, the pair showed off their hard work. "I feel like this is only just the beginning of what they are capable of doing together," said Tokaruk.

Wrapping up the day were the youngins of the group - both horse and rider. In the ESI Youngster Bowl, 7 and 8 year old horses made their way around a challenging course. A class designed for young horses to gain valuable experience in an international ring, Manuel Lecuona rode Noche De Ronda to first place while the U25 class bragging rights belonged to Katie Cox on Hocus Pocus VH Hof Ter Heide.