Samantha Senft & Deauville S Soar to the Top in the $25,000 CCTV Agent Grand Prix

By Jumper News USA on October 16, 2023

Mill Spring, North Carolina, USA – October 15, 2023 – The second week of the Wellington International Fall Series, ESP Fall I, came to a close on Sunday but not before Samantha Senft (USA) and Deauville S placed the winning ride in the $25,000 CCTV Agent Grand Prix.

**Samantha Senft** (USA) & **Deauville S**

“So, Deauville [S] is actually super famous,” joked Senft. “He was Laura Kraut’s mount in 2016. He suffered a few injuries so he was on bed rest for a little bit. Tanner Korotkin got him right before the world shut down in 2020. I’ve been with Alan [Korotkin] since I was four-years-old and he knows my type very well. When I saw this horse, I looked at Kirsty and Alan and I was like, ‘I need him.’”

The class consisted of twenty-three riders over a challenging thirteen-obstacle course designed by Jasen Shelley (USA). The class started out with a bang, including several early clear trips, but as it unfolded the clear rate slowed. As the first round wrapped up, a total of seven pairs advanced to the short track.

“For the first time ever, everything actually went to plan,” added Senft. “When I was walking it I always get a little confused when I do the strides out here because for whatever reason I feel like I’m walking too short. I walked the course really quickly because I went third and I was really stressing out about time. I watched the first one go and I was like, ‘Oh! It rides literally how I walked it.’”

Brazil’s Gabriel de Matos Machado (BRA) cleared both tracks with a speedy time of 35.652 seconds, falling just behind the leading time, securing the second-place ribbon with Kirsten Kopp Real Estate’s Thomascourt Legaland.

Rounding out the podium was New Zealand’s Kimberley Bird (NZL) and her own, Cera Cassina with a time of 37.465 seconds.