Derek Petersen and Forgiven Enjoy Successful Week at Tryon Spring 4 With Wins in $5,000 Suncast® 1.45 Welcome and $25,000 Grand Prix

Mill Spring, NC – May 12, 2015 – Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) concluded the fourth installment of the eight week Tryon Spring Series this past Sunday (May 7-May 10), with numerous divisions of hunter and jumper classes followed by a competitive Grand Prix finale. The Spring Series continues this week with Tryon Spring 5 (May 13-May 17), highlighting World Championship Hunter Rider week, offering Premier Rated hunter competition and Level 6 jumpers alongside the first “Saturday Night Lights” Grand Prix of the season, beginning at 6:30pm in the George H. Morris Stadium on Saturday, May 16.

Derek Petersen of Archer, FL, capped an impressive week aboard Forgiven, a 10-year-old Belgium Warmblood gelding (Chatman x Polydor), adding a win in the $25,000 Tryon Grand Prix after capturing the $5,000 Suncast® 1.45m Welcome Stake earlier in the week. Petersen and Forgiven laid down a clean first round in the Grand Prix, designed by John Manning, moving them forward to the jump-off where they finished in 36.361 seconds to take the win. Jay Land of Atlanta, GA, and his own Nepal finished just behind Petersen in 37.428 seconds and Kristen Vanderveen of St. Charles, IL, placed third aboard Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili finishing in 37.665 seconds with four faults.

Derek Petersen and Forgiven

Petersen and Forgiven are a relatively new partnership, as the gelding only arrived stateside three weeks ago, but the pair has proved they can be competitive against the best, collecting two big wins at Tryon Spring 4.

“This was his second Grand Prix here in the States and he jumped clean two weeks ago and then won here at Tryon which was pretty unexpected. He’s a really cool horse, and we’re learning about each other right now,” Petersen stated. “There were some really challenging lines in the Grand Prix, and I’m proud of how he handled them. I’m glad it wasn’t easy, but I also felt very confident with the horse I have.”

Originally, Petersen imported the flashy gelding as a sales project, but his athleticism and smarts have made him a quick favorite in Petersen’s string and he hopes to keep him around the barn a bit longer.

“He’s so careful. He doesn’t like to touch anything. He’s a pretty simple ride and we’re going to keep working with him and learning what makes him go,” commented Petersen. “He’s willing to step up when it matters and that’s why I’m excited about him.”

Derek Petersen and Forgiven in their presentation ceremony with Paige Bellissimo

The pair, who have quickly forged a strong bond, will look to add to their recent success in the coming weeks at TIEC, as they are slated to compete in the Tryon Spring 5 $15,000 Welcome Stake and the “Saturday Night Lights” $50,000 Grand Prix.

“Right now we’re going to see how he does this coming week, and we’ll figure out what the plan is from there. If we can keep on winning, we may stick around a little bit longer,” explained Petersen. “I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do as a living, something I used to do as a kid for fun. I pinch myself everytime thinking I’m dreaming because I really am living the dream.”

Final Results for the $25,000 Tryon Grand Prix 

1. FORGIVEN: 2005 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Chatman x Polydor

DEREK PETERSEN, Derek Petersen: 0/0/36.361

2. NEPAL: 2002 Argentinian Warmblood gelding by G.S. Raimundo x Rye Grass Finest RP H-31

JAY LAND, Jay Land:0/0/37.428

3. BULL RUN’S FAUSTINO DE TILI: 2005 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Berlin x Bijou De Vijfheide

KRISTEN VANDERVEEN, Bull Run Jumpers LLC: 0/4/37.665

4. GANDOR DE WALPUT: 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Wandor Van De Mispelaere x Ursula De Walput

BENJAMIN ROSICHAN, Benjamin Rosichan: 4/79.684

5. BUGATTI VDL: 2006 Dutch Warmblood stallion by Silverstone x Uzamieka VDL

CANDICE KING, Bellissimo LLC: 4/79.827

6. SAMURI MEC: Oldenburg gelding by Sempatico x Rikita

LINCOLN RUSSELL, Patrick Benson: 4/87.758

7. QUAN: 2002 Oldenburg gelding by Quatro B x La Fayette

MIGUEL A. VENTURA, Allison Ventura: 8/77.054

8. DOMAR C: Belgian Warmblood by Heartbreaker x Omara

CANDICE KING, Fas Farms, LLC: 8/77.421

Jumper Highlights 

Derek Petersen began his successful week aboard Forgiven with a win in the $5,000 Suncast® 1.45m Welcome Stake on Friday. The pair completed their first trip in 74.931 seconds and finished the difficult jump-off course in 49.456 seconds, adding just two time penalties. Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s Faustino De Tili finished closely behind Petersen, in 50.094 seconds, accumulating three time penalties. Jared Petersen, riding Derek Petersen’s Titus 2:11, rode the fastest of the three in the jump-off phase, crossing through the timers in 44.05 seconds, but dropped a rail to ultimately finish third.

Riding Madeline McDermott’s Bull Run’s Becky Blue, Megan McDermott captured the $2,500 NAL Low Jr./AO 1.20m Classic with two efficient rounds to take home the victory. The duo moved to the jump-off after completing a clear first round in 72.525 seconds and finished their second trip in 33.839 seconds. Paige Bellissimo aboard Bellissimo LLC’s Da Beers followed in second with a time of 39.026 in the jump-off after producing two fault-free rides. Frances Land and Taylor Land’s Dulricke Utica placed third in 40.937 seconds.

Derek Petersen and Forgiven competing in the $5,000 Suncast® 1.45m Welcome Stake

Thomas John Russell took the first class of the $3,000 1.20m Open Jumper division, piloting Lily Hahn’s Victoria VII through two clear rounds and finishing in 39.305 seconds. Russell also placed third with Lily Hahn’s Karenina in 41.483 seconds. Vick Russell of Columbus, NC, finished in second with Helen Landon Terranova’s Creed, who would ultimately be champion in the division.

The first class of the $1,800 Adequan® 1.30m Open Jumper Division challenged riders, as only three pairs moved forward to the jump-off. Michael Dorman and Wyndmont Inc.’s Zaldorado placed first, with a clean trip in the jump-off, finishing in 38.993 seconds. Ricardo Villa and his own Carolina collected second place, adding another clear round in the jump-off, crossing the timers in 41.700 seconds. Clayton Russell and Greer Hindle’s Jagger rounded out the top three. Ricardo Villa claimed the overall division champion award aboard Carolina after the duo also won the second class of the division.

Vick Russell and Ashland Stable’s Erupthion D’or De Wandor captured the division champion award in the $1,800 Animo 1.20m Open Jumper after the duo placed first, second, and fourth respectively. Lincoln Russell and Linda Stenzel’s Colina finished with reserve honors.

Hunter & Equitation Highlights

Hunter competition heated up at TIEC during Tryon Spring 4 as several competitive pairs recorded wins in preparation for $50,000 WCHR Open Hunter Classic to be held on May 17 in the George H. Morris Stadium.

Kathryn Mittauer, aboard her own Allawishus, won the $1,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic with an overall score of 154. Kara Jones riding Joyful placed in second with a 149 followed by Madison Orr on Dreamgirl in third with a 148.

The $500 NAL/WIHS Child/Adult Hunter Classic saw ten entries and was won by Jean Rohland on her own For Keeps. Kimberly Paige Burton and Van Gogh, owned by Burton, finished in second with Lisa Esch and Carolyn Van Houten’s Four O’Clock Phineas rounding out the top three.

Kristen Cox and John Giza’s Porthos collected the win in the first 3’3/3’6 Over Fences class of the  Bruno DelGrange Performance Hunter division. Vick Russell aboard James Fisher’s Zanzibar finished in second with Gary Young and Jamie Wolff’s Zeus placing third. Brian Shook and Hunterpointe Farm’s Memphis took home two consecutive wins in both Performance 3’3 Over Fences classes.

In the ASPCA Maclay Medal, Courtney Osborne and Falcon Ridge Stable’s Patron finished with a well-deserved win, followed by Maria Hackney aboard her own Herr Chico in second, with Julia Tait and Falcon Ridge Stable’s Legacy in third.

The USEF Pessoa Hunt Seat Medal presented by Randolph College saw seven competitive entries and was won by Courtney Osborne aboard Patron, collecting her second win of the week. Maria Hackney and Herr Chico placed second with Curry Sherard aboard Starter in third.

Lisa Esch and Four O’ Clock Phineas finished atop the NCHJA Children’s Medal, followed by Emma Hay on Jeannie Smith’s Sourthern Saluut in second, and Isabella Lombardozzi in third with her own Consultation.

Competition continues at TIEC this week with Tryon Spring 5, beginning on Wednesday, May 13, and continuing through Sunday, May 17. The first competition of the “Saturday Night Lights” Grand Prix series will be held Saturday, May 16, beginning at 6:30pm. The $50,000 WCHR Tryon Open Hunter Classic will take place in the George H. Morris Stadium on Sunday, May 17, beginning at 1pm. For more information and full results, please visit www.tryon.com.

For media inquiries, please contact media@tryon.com.

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