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KOCHETOVA DELIVERS ONE-TWO KNOCKOUT
AT $75,000 ESI GRAND PRIX
AUGUST 12, 2013 โ ROCKWOOD, ON โ On Saturday evening the crowds began pouring into the Angelstone Show Park to witness a showdown between Canadian Olympian Ian Millar and Russian Equestrian, Liubov Kochetova, along with a field of 27 of North America’s top horses.
The two riders had competed at Thursday’s $33,000 Delta Open Welcome, with Millar besting Kochetova with his star horse, ‘Dixson’, who claimed victory for his third straight major in a row at Angelstone.
Coming into Saturday’s Grand Prix, Millar was focused on continuing his winning streak, with a follow-up performance in front of a packed audience. Both riders had entered two horses with Millar riding ‘Star Power’ and ‘Dixson’, and Kochetova piloting ‘Wilford 2’ and ‘Aslan’.
The first round of jumping resulted in only six clear rounds, with ‘Dixson’, ‘Wilford 2’, and ‘Aslan’ making the cut to the jump-off. Kochetova was first to test the jump-off course and completed consecutive clear rounds with both her horses, delighting fans in the audience with her first appearance at Angelstone.
Millar and ‘Dixon’ were the last pairing to enter the ring, and came out gunning for victory, navigating the course in blazing time, seconds faster than Kochetova and ‘Aslan’; however, the night was to belong to the Russian rider, as ‘Dixson’ clipped the final rail, finishing with a score of four faults and a third-place finish.
Kochetova went on to earn both first and second-place finishes at the ESI Grand Prix, collecting $39,000 for her winning efforts. On Sunday afternoon, she continued her winning ways with an additional victory at the $10,000 Animo Modified Grand Prix with her horse, ‘Chacciana’.
International Show Jumping continues next week at Angelstone with week one of the National, which will feature the $100,000 Champions Grand Prix, presented by Canadian Olympic gold medalist, Eric Lamaze, where Millar and Kochetova will once again get a chance to go head to head on the evening of August 24th.
About ESI: Equestrian Services International produces and installs the world’s top equestrian footing, optimized for performance at the highest caliber of show jumping competition. ESI has delivered arenas to many of the world’s foremost competition sites, including the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), Devon Horse Show, The Hampton Classic, Angelstone Tournaments, and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.
www.equestrianservicesinternational.com
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