Mill Spring, North Carolina – October 17, 2021 – Cathleen Driscoll (USA) captured her second national Grand Prix win in a row by taking the win in Sunday’s $25,000 Tryon Resort Sunday Classic, this time riding Flotylla to a time of 31.607 seconds at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (TIEC). Karl Cook (USA) and Caillou 24, the 2007 Holsteiner gelding (Cassall x San Patrignano Corrado) owned by Signe Otsby, secured second place with a time of 32.028, while Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and Carlito’s Way 6, the 2010 Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Lordanos) owned in partnership with Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC, cleared the short course in a time of 32.276 to earn third.
Forty-three horse-and-rider pairs challenged the first round of the Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) designed course, with 17 pairs earning a chance at the jump-off track. Fresh off a Sunday Classic win from Tryon Fall 3 competition aboard Blue Diamant, Driscoll and Donald Stewart’s 2011 Polish Warmblood mare (Alvaro x Flourin Du Rouet) took on their first 1.45m class together and won after she decided to test her ride’s jump-off skills:
“This was her first 1.45m, so I rode it a little aggressively, but she responded beautifully. Everything rode nicely. I thought the triple was good. The time was right on,” she reported of the first round. “This is only my second week showing [Flotylla], and every time I go in the ring I feel like I’m learning something new about her, so I decided to take a shot and I didn’t know how she would respond. I really sliced the verticals, and had the big gallop to the last, and I thought I would take a shot and see how it ended up!”
After notching her first-ever Grand Prix win just a week ago, then following suit on a second mount to close out Tryon Fall 4, Driscoll joked that she’s “leaving so someone else can win. The last two weeks have been pretty unbelievable. At the end of every day, I just have to stop and remind myself that at some point this is going to end,” Driscoll acknowledged of her hot streak at the venue. “I just have such an unbelievable group of horses right now, and owners and sponsors and supporters behind me. I feel so blessed to be here and be doing this and be doing as well as I am at the moment.
“Tryon is a staple on our tour,” Driscoll emphasized. “We always come here in the fall. The weather’s beautiful, the footing is good, and the courses are always great. It’s a really nice show for the seasoned horses for the Saturday Night Lights classes as well as for the young horses coming up with this Sunday [grand prix] class, and the open jumpers during the week. This has already been such a great show, and this [win] was just such an unbelievable way to finish off here.”
Final Results – $25,000 Tryon Resort Sunday Classic
1) Cathleen Driscoll (USA) & Flotylla – 0 / 0 – 31.607
2) Karl Cook (USA) & Caillou 24 – 0 / 0 – 32.028
3) Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) & Carlito’s Way 6 – 0 / 0 – 32.276
Source: Press Release from TIEC – Tryon International Equestrian Center
Photos: © TIEC / Reagan Ibach
Categories: Results, Tryon International Equestrian Center
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