RMF Chacco Top Propels Jake Endicott to the Top in the $30,000 FarmVet Open Classic

By Jumper News USA on January 19, 2024

Thermal, California, USA – January 18, 2024 – It hasn’t been too long since Jake Endicott (USA) was just learning the ropes of show jumping, and now he’s a top contender every time he steps in the ring. On Thursday of Desert Circuit 2, presented by Adequan®, he rode to a big win in the $30,000 FarmVet Open Classic 1.45m aboard his top partner, RMF Chacco Top, owned by Ashland Farms.

The pair went early on over Colm Quinn’s single-round speed track, and they weren’t necessarily looking to be the fastest, but the time they put in, 68.229 seconds, held until the very end of the 32 entries. Skylar Wireman (USA) took both second and third places, aboard Crunch K and Citoki, respectively.

**Jake Endicott** (USA) & **RMF Chacco Top**

“It was a very good jump-off in that it was hard and it was a course that if you start to slow down it would make it harder, so my plan was to get a big canter and keep on it,” McDermott explained of her strategy going in first. “If I tried to slow down in the turns I would just override my brain and not do that because I thought I’d be more likely to have a rail. I wasn’t as worried about being tight as I was being fast.”

Being fast was plenty to win the class, as she clocked in almost seven seconds faster than the only other double-clear, which was Cameron Trimino aboard Adalberto Audi Scappino, who won the Surrey U25 for the evening. Kyle King (USA) and Quidam’s Rose, owned by Greg Tomb, took third with just an unlucky rail down in the jump-off.

“It’s been a little over a year now,” Endicott said of his partnership with RMF Chacco Top, a 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion (Chacco-Blue x Graf Top). “He was with Ashland Farms in Wellington, who I rode for a little as a junior. Everything fell into place and I got lucky enough that we could get him over to us. It was a bit of a right place, right time kind of situation. He fell into our hands and he’s been great ever since.”

RMF Chacco Top is rich with experience, winning classes up to the CSI5* level in Europe with extremely notable riders, so he’s teaching Endicott the ropes of higher level jumping. Endicott is grateful to have a seasoned partner as he navigates tougher tracks and bigger jumps.

“He’s got all the experience in the world,” he continued of the stallion’s resume. “He’s jumped 1.55m all over the world for many years. He’s 15 which I think is a great age for someone like me who wants to start jumping bigger classes. He’s brought me from the lower level to be able to go for wins and jump a lot of clear rounds.”

Endicott has wisely utilized the network available to him to get to know the horse better, connecting with previous riders of the horse and asking for their opinions and thoughts. “I actually knew Cormac Hanley when he had him in Wellington and I had watched him and knew the horse a little bit. Shawn Casady also jumped him out here so when I see him walking a course I ask him what he thinks is right for this horse. There’s always a rider that’s ridden him, so it’s easy to get advice from other people,” he shared.

It’s still just the beginning for the 19-year-old, as he hopes to continue building his string of horses and racking up top results, during this circuit and beyond.

“With him I think I’ll jump some three-star classes; that’s kind of his peak classes and he’s great at it,” Endicott said of his upcoming plans. “I can win those classes if I ride well. For myself hopefully I can get lucky and get another horse in my string to jump some bigger classes and start stepping up.”

A native Californian, Endicott is grateful to stay close to home and be able to compete on a world stage.

“I remember as a kid coming out here, it was always a nice show but it’s another whole level now,” he shared. “We don’t need to go out to Wellington to be in a great class and have top sport. It’s nice to be able to stay close to home and jump top sport.”

Show jumping resumes Friday with Junior and Amateur jumper divisions, followed by Saturday’s $7,500 Interactive Mortgage 10 & Under Futurity Series and the $50,000 Adequan® Grand Prix.