June 12, Upperville, Va.
Heavy thunderclouds were rolling in as the final riders completed their first rounds in the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic during the final day of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show (Va.).
Of the starting field of 24, a strong group of six riders advanced into the jump-off as the rain began to fall, and at the end of the day, it was 19-year-old Kaitlin Campbell and her gelding Rocky W who captured the win over last year’s winner Aaron Vale, who rode Bonnie Smith’s Tibor into second. Callan Solem, of Chester Springs, Pa., and Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC’s Magic Cruise finished in third. Local favorite Joe Fargis and Sandron’s Lariat were a close fourth.
Her first time at Upperville, Campbell had to make some adjustments in her riding style throughout the week. The pair showed Thursday and Friday in jumper classes but didn’t place.
“I’ve never been to Upperville, and I honestly have never jumped on a field that rolls, and so it was different. It took me a while to figure it out,” said Campbell.
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And in only her fourth grand prix performance, Campbell, Upper Black Eddy, Pa., was riding against some industry veterans.
“I was looking at the prize list of the people that have won for the past God-knows-how-many years, and I thought, ‘My name is not meant to be on that list.’ It’s an amazing feeling,” said Campbell.
“Last night I just sat up watching YouTube videos of all the Upperville grand prix classes that I could find, trying to figure out what I could expect. It was a little bit of motivation,” she continued.
Campbell, Vale, Solem and Fargis, with the addition of Ramiro Quintana riding Graf Lando and Nellie Foosaner on her Iveena S, jumped Alan Wade’s course clean and within the allotted time of 87 seconds and returned for the jump-off.
Thunder rumbling in the distance, Campbell directed Rocky onto T.A. Randolph Field for the second time with one thing on her mind: speed. Vale, Williston, Fla., had just put down the fastest round to settle himself in first.
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“Well, first of all it wasn’t ideal conditions,” she said of the ground which began to get slippery as a light rain fell. “He slipped a little in the second round. But Aaron [Vale] is about the fastest rider out there. [The order of go in the jump-off] was Aaron and me and then Joe [Fargis]. So I knew I had to go as fast as I could if I was going to beat Aaron.”
When Solem stepped into the ring as the final rider, Vale, who watched the final rounds from a tent near the in-gate, out of the rain, said, “Well, we know we’re at least third,” after seeing Campbell beat his time and waiting to see what time Solem would acquire. Solem and Magic Cruise jumped cleanly but a little slower than Vale and Tibor to land in third.
The sky really opened up as Campbell led the field in a victory gallop, but her face was shining bright.
“This is better than he’s ever gone before in his whole life,” said Campbell, who just won the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall Of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic on June 4 at Devon (Pa.),” with a grin. “Now he’ll be getting some well-deserved time off.”
Full results can be found here.
