Mill Spring, NC – October 28, 2016 – Fabio Andres Rodriguez, who represents the nation of Colombia in competition, guided his mount Venus to a first place finish in the $5,000 Under 25 Welcome at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), taking the class with a jump-off time of 33.336 seconds. Hilary McNerney of Lake Forest, IL, and Contact earned second place after crossing through the timers in 34.116 seconds. Viggo Bjorklund of Wellington, FL, and Abu Dhabi Gold collected third place with a time of 34.362 seconds.

Competition at the 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District commenced on Thursday, September 22, and will continue through Sunday, October 30, featuring hunter and jumper competition, alongside two weeks of FEI CSI 3* classes and an FEI CSI 5*.

Rodriguez and Venus, a 2002 Dutch Warmblood mare (Tangelo van de Zuuthoeve x Julius) owned by Raylyn Farms LLC, made easy work of their time in the George H. Morris Arena today, completing two solid rounds to mark their first major victory at TIEC this season.

Venus has valuable experience in the ring and has jumped with a number of top professionals at the highest levels of the sport. Rodriguez feels honored to jump such a class mare and feel that they have a great partnership beginning to grow.

“She’s a very experienced horse. She’s been ridden a lot by Angel Karyoli and Marilyn Little. She’s just very nice,” he elaborated. “She’s a bit hot and she really wants to go all of the time. She’s very quick and she’s clean so I don’t have to worry about the rails. I just need to be effective and accurate.”

Rodriguez is an emerging talent for his home nation of Colombia and described his ideal ride, which he believes is a perfect fit with the demeanor of his new ride Venus. He stated, “I’m very relaxed with the horses and I like to wait. She’s the kind of horse I think I would do very well with.”

“I think that we will be in Ocala, FL, or Wellington, FL, this winter, which will be good for us both. I think looking forward I’d like to be prepared to begin the process with the Colombian team to potentially be able to go to the next Olympics. That would be the best place for us to start.”

Syquia was ecstatic with the flawless rounds from Soon To Be and the duo’s ultimate placing in the derby. The pair earned an 86 in the first round and returned to receive an 89 from the judging panel in the handy to secure their victory.

“I thought the class was nice. It was very inviting. I went first on Soon To Be this morning and there was an option on the first line that ended up being a bit forward. The rest of the class did nine and I did eight there, but the rest of his round was just beautiful.”

“He jumped incredibly throughout and in the handy, we did all of the inside turns and I thought he handled it beautifully. I’m only riding here because Jennifer Hannan is prepping the horses for Kentucky next week. I’m just here to keep the saddle warm,” smiled Syquia.

“His appearance is one-of-a-kind. He always carries head and his neck in the most beautiful way and always has his ears pricked forward. He’s so talented that he’s able to do any distance and any turn without looking like it’s work. His technique is unbelievable. I think this is one that’s going to do it all,” he added.

Syquia also piloted Samba’s Secret to a second place finish in the class after the pair secured scores of 81 and 86 to conclude with a total of 167. Syquia was pleased with the mare’s performance and the way she handled the derby atmosphere.

“Samba’s Secret is just great. She’s another one of Jennifer’s horses and is a full sister to her past mount, As Always, who just won at Washington International this week,” he explained. “She’s just a little green and this is one of her first derbies, but in the second round she came out beautifully. We did all of the high options in the second round and she was really good. She stepped right up to the plate and answered all of the questions.”

The owner of Soon To Be and Samba’s Secret, Jennifer Smith, also competed in the class aboard Olympic Fire, owned by Roger Smith, finishing in seventh place.

“I am so grateful to Jennifer Smith for allowing me to ride these two horses in this class and would like to congratulate her on a top finish in her first ever derby today,” concluded Syquia.

The 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District offers six weeks of hunter and jumper competition, including three weeks of internationally recognized FEI show jumping featuring two FEI CSI 3* weeks and an FEI CSI 5*. For more information on Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) and surrounding amenities please visit www.tryon.com.

To view results for the $5,000 Under 25 Welcome please click here.

To view results for the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby please click here.

Photo Credit ©Sportfot. These photos may only be used one in relation to this press release.