Morgan Ashby & Dutchess Carola Crowned in $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake at Tryon

By Jumper News Branches on March 31, 2022

Wellington, Florida, USA – March 25, 2022 – Morgan Ashby (USA) and Dutchess Carola were the only duo double-clear in Friday’s $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake to kick off Tryon Welcome 1, stopping the jump-off timers in 40.682 seconds. Ashby bested her trainer, Allen Nabors, Jr. (USA) who was aboard Casanova DVE, the 2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding (CLinton x Diona V/D Wezelse Heihoeve VM) owned by Dutch Valley Sporthorses, and scored four faults in a time of 70.436 in the first round to receive second place. Daniel Pizarro (Milton, GA) and his own Evita P completed the podium, also dropping a rail for four faults in a time of 73.488 seconds with the 2009 Dutch Warmblood mare (Toulon x Promis P).

Ashby (USA) and her own 2011 Holsteiner mare (Contados x Koriska II) have been paired together for about three years, but are coming back from a bit of a vacation, she detailed. “I’ve competed with her a lot here, and did my first two-star with her here. She’s had a little off time, so she’s just coming back,” Ashby relayed. “We’ve been putting a lot of time into her, and she’s come up really well.”

Dutchess Carola stepped up to the challenge in what Ashby called a tough inaugural Welcome Stake for the series, reflecting the caliber of competitors present. “There was a long five [strides] and an easy double vertical to a really tight five. Then, you had the skinny off of a corner and a long stretch to a wide oxer and vertical,” Ashby detailed. “She really stepped up for me.”

Though finding herself alone in the double-clear club, Ashby was primarily aiming for good rounds with her horse as she rejoins the competition circuit, and will be back in the rings every few weeks at TIEC as the season progresses, she concluded.

“I was just trying to go clean. I wanted to be tidy, but also protect her to the double verticals and slow down a little there. She felt like she was pretty quick, though, and I think she still would’ve been competitive if there were more to go clean.”