Johnstown, Ohio—Oct. 9   

Andrew Ramsay had quite a week at the Split Rock Jumping Tour’s Columbus International CSI***, held at the Brave Horse Show Park in Johnstown, Ohio, winning both the $35,000 Hollow Creek Farm 1.45-meter Speed Cup and the $130,000 Split Rock Farm 1.55-meter Grand Prix aboard Cocq A Doodle, owned by the Doodle Group.

After the speed class on Thursday, Ramsay commented: “She is a fighter. She gets out there and she is quick, she just looks for the next fence. A really enjoyable horse to ride. She is eager and has plenty of energy.

“Our plan on the first day was just to let her go a bit, let her get confident, and she really delivered. Her confidence zone is to let her out and let her have some pace and it worked out for us,” Ramsay said.

Andrew Ramsay and Cocq A Doodle. Photo by Winslow Photography LLC

And the strategy worked as “Doodles” carried the confidence from the speed class into the grand prix on Sunday, jumping clean in Round 1 to join eight other horse/rider combinations in the jump-off.

Ramsay and Cocq A Doodle, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Tolan R, entered the ring in the eighth slot, having the advantage of seeing all but one test the course.

Ramsay geared up the little mare and 40.57 seconds later they crossed through the timers, 2 full seconds ahead of the field. The time would hold up to win the class.

“It was a wonderful show,” said Ramsay.  “I brought one horse and she jumped fantastic all week. I have had Cocq A Doodle about two years and she is just a fantastic mare, really a winner. She just really wants to go and this jump-off suited her well. She can really gallop, collect, and turn and it all worked today.”

Ramsay made a rollback turn to a vertical in the jump-off that had the crowd gasping, but as Ramsay explained, “The left turns are a little more difficult for us, so I didn’t want to cut it too short. I got a little deep in the turn but I knew she had her eye on it, I knew she was there. She is so game. She just wants to please. Once you get her going she just looks for the fences. I really look forward to having more time with her.”

Second place went to Andrew Bourns, who rides for Ireland, with his CHS Inception, a 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding by Clover Flush.  The pair turned in two impeccable rounds, but their time of 42.76 seconds could not withstand the speedy round Ramsay turned in.

Ali Wolff, who hails from Columbus, Ohio, was the first rider to qualify for the jump-off with Casall, a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, owned by Blacklick Bend Farm, and they were the first pair to enter the ring to contest the jump-off. The pair turned in a clear round with a time of 43.15 seconds, giving Wolff a third place finish.

Plain Bay Sales’ Chuck Berry 8 and rider Abigail McArdle took the blue ribbon in the $10,000 Under-25 Grand Prix with a faultless performance over two rounds and a final jump-off time of 37.62 seconds. Of the 22 original starters in the class, only three were able to produce clean rounds to advance to the jump-off, where only two riders, McArdle and Eugenio Garza on Diadora, owned by El Milagro, crossed the finish with no penalties. Garza’s time was 2 seconds slower around the course, 40.194 seconds, giving McArdle the win.

Abigail McArdle and Chuck Berry 8. Photo by Winslow Photography LLC

“He is a horse that we got at the end of Florida,” said McArdle.  “He has just been getting better and better every show. I moved him up to the grand prix ring and right now I think he is one of the best U25 horses in the country.”