Lexington, Kentucky, USA – August 17, 2024 – The $40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix, presented by Audi of Lexington, was the marquee show jumping event in the Rolex Stadium on Sunday morning at the Kentucky Horse Park. Besting an 8-horse jump-off with speed and precision, Gonzalo Busca Roca (ESP) and Pinot Gris di Fer took home the winning title. Pathfinders Samantha Schaefer (USA) and James Bond HX captured the second place spot, while hometown hero Kady Abrahamson (USA) and Any rounded out the top three.

The course built by Ken Krome and Meghan Rawlins for Sunday’s class featured 13-obstacles that spanned the entirety of the stadium. Questions in the first round included a triple bar, a vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination to a plank fence, an oxer-vertical double combination and a final steady line by the in-gate. Eight horses advanced to the tiebreaker where six produced a second clear effort, making speed the name of the game as they jumped the double combination again and galloped away from the gate over a final new oxer.

Schaefer was the first to return with James Bond HX and made sure she left the rest of the field chasing her as she cleared the track in a very quick 35.223 seconds.

Midway through the jump-off, Abrahamson and Any made a bid to catch them and came very close as they left every rail in place and broke the beam in 35.275 seconds, just five-hundredths of a second off the pace.

Saving the best for last, Spain’s Busca and Pinot Gris di Fer set in to win and gave it their all as they left out strides in two of the lines to gallop through the finish line in 34.824 seconds. They went straight to the top of the leaderboard as they led the victory gallop followed by Schaefer and Abrahamson.

Competition during the Bluegrass Festival has come to a close, but hunter/jumper action will continue next week at the Kentucky Horse Park during the KHJA Horse Show. Feature events will include the $30,000 KHJA Grand Prix, $15,000 KHJA Welcome Stake and $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. For more information about the Kentucky Horse Shows please visit http://www.KentuckyHorseShows.com.

Final Results – $40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix

1) Gonzalo Busca Roca (ESP) & Pinot Gris di Fer – 0 / 0 – 34.824

2) Samantha Schaefer (USA) & James Bond HX – 0 / 0 – 35.223

3) Kady Abrahamson (USA) & Any – 0 / 0 – 35.275

Source: Press Release (edited) from Kentucky Horse Shows

Photos: © KHS / Shawn McMillen Photography

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