Orange Blossom Classic April 18 Featured Class Highlights

From World Equestrian Center – Ocala:

Ocala, FL – Another beautiful, sunny day at World Equestrian Center – Ocala set the scene for the second day of the Orange Blossom Classic. Today’s featured classes showcased the $30,000 NSBA 3 & Over Maiden Trail & $3,000 Limited Rider Bonuses, and the $3,000 NSBA Open Hunter Derby.

Fifteen horse-and-rider combinations gathered at the WEC Grand Arena this evening to compete in the $30,000 NSBA 3 & Over Maiden Trail, but it was Jason Gilliam and Mr Zippos Good Bar (Zippos Mr Good Bar x Krymsuns Only Chip) owned by Granzow and Boxell that took home the lion’s share of the prize money.

We caught up with Gilliam after the class to learn more about his talented partner, “He’s an eight-year-old stallion that we thought had a good shot at something other than just breeding. He was Congress Champion in the pleasure as a two-year-old. I got to ride him in Congress this past year. We did a little pleasure with him, and I thought he had a great career in trail,” he shared. “He’s probably one of my favorite horses I’ve ever shown. He’s the best minded horse that just wants to please you and he never has a bad day.”

“We couldn’t have asked for a better show. We are grateful to be here and show for this much money. We’ve looked for this type of purse in the trail industry for a long time. All I asked for was a shot. I just wanted the ability to show for this much money, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity,” expressed Gilliam.

Justin Wheeler and VS Blurred Lines (VS Code Red x Lope The Line) owned by Waukegan Farms LLC won the $3,000 NSBA 3 & Over Maiden Trail – Limited Rider Bonus. Wheeler spoke about the five-year-old mare, “She’s by VS Code Red and owned by Laura and Maurice Hull. We bought her as a two-year-old and Joy [Wheeler] actually showed her for the first time down here about three years ago in the fall,” he remarked. “[VS Blurred Lines] really took care of me today. I lost my guide a couple of times, but she got me through it.”

$30,000 NSBA 3 & Over Maiden Trail Top Three Results: 

1 Mr Zippos Good Bar, Jason Gilliam, Granzow and Boxell
2 KM Once Upon A Time, Sara Simons, Firefly Ridge
3 Pinball Machine, Nick Mayabb, Tali Terlizzi

RYAN PAINTER AND MISS AMERICAN PI CONQUER THE $3,000 NSBA OPEN HUNTER DERBY

A field of stunning hunters took to Hunter 2 to vie for top honors in the the $3,000 NSBA Open Hunter Derby. In the end, it was Ryan Painter who claimed first place aboard Miss American Pi (One Hot Krymsun x Its Skyline Time) owned by Daisy Mendez-Pompei and third place with Allocate In Green (Allocate Your Assets x Pocket Full Of Green) owned by Gary and Darcy Stricker.

Painter won the class aboard the nine-year-old mare, Miss American Pi with an overall score of 173.

Painter shared his winning plan for the handy round for both of his mounts, “I had a plan to do all of the tight turns and go for it but be a little conservative. They both stepped up. I got to be bolder than I thought I was going to be. They were both there for me, and for this being their first derby, I couldn’t be happier with them.”

Painter spoke about the winner of the class, Miss American Pi, “She belongs to a small child that shows her. She’s just as good for the kid as she is for me, so I am lucky I get to ride her and have some fun showing her.”

Going forward, Painter is excited about a successful derby future with both Miss American Pi and Allocate In Green, “My plan now is to make them a little sharper and maybe show in some derbies in the upcoming summer circuit!”

$3,000 NSBA Open Hunter Derby Results: 

1 Miss American Pi, Ryan Painter, Daisy Pompei-Mendez
2 Strutin To The Blues, Chuck Briggs, Rodger Call
3 Allocate In Green, Ryan Painter, Gary And Darcy