Laura Chapot, aboard her aptly-named gray mare Sprite, sprung to victory in the $40,000 Howard Community College Columbia Classic Benefit Grand Prix on Sept. 11, in Columbia, Md. The pair posted a double-clear round in 42.93 seconds, just nipping past Georgina Bloomberg and Riviera. Bloomberg, who placed all three of her rides in the jump-off, finished second, just .17 seconds slower.

Earlier this year, Chapot, 30, of Neshanic Station, N.J., and Sprite took the Winter Equestrian Festival’s Acorn Hill Farm Challenge (Fla.). With her victory in Maryland, the talented, 9-year-old mare, who stands just 15.2 hands, has signaled that she can contend at the grand prix level.

The first round saw six of 24 horses jump clear. The primary culprit came at fence 8, a large, gray-and-white Mercedes vertical coming off a left-hand turn from the liverpool. The green oxer at fence 12 and the final line,an in-and-out with a Swedish oxer leading to another tall vertical, also caused some difficulty.

Bloomberg rode first in the jump-off. Aggressively pressing the clock aboard her bay mare La Movida, she cleared the second fence rather awkwardly, an omen of travails to come. They then clipped the Mercedes vertical, and disaster struck on fence 4, one of the two gray oxers, when La Movida stopped short. Bloomberg fell hard and was down for a few moments, but she rose to the crowd’s delight and recovered in short order.

Kim Frey entered the ring next, aboard Overlook Farm’s Tattiana. Frey, winner here in 2000, set a more deliberate pace, navigating the tricky course carefully after just grazing the Mercedes fence. They posted the day’s first double-clear, albeit with an attainable time of 47.36 seconds.

After a brief delay, a recovered and composed Bloomberg returned aboard her trusted bay gelding Riviera. In a fast, yet fluid foray, they barnstormed through the jump-off, finishing inside of 43 seconds.

The ever-dangerous Todd Minikus and the black gelding Gardenio were next poised to strike. A rail at the first fence instantly grounded their hopes of a win, but Minikus refocused Gardenio and finished with a respectable 4 faults.

Chapot and Sprite followed. Although not visibly pressing too heavily, Chapot took advantage of her mare’s quickness, as their time was matching that of the ostensibly faster leaders’. After clearing the difficult combination, Chapot asked for that little bit extra, and the plucky Sprite responded gamely. Tapping her final reserve, she kept tight lines to the final two fences. After clearing the final obstacle, the pair galloped home to the delight of the cheering spectators.

Chapot instantly looked to the score-board. After a momentary delay, it flashed a time of 42.91 seconds, which put her in the lead. With only Bloomberg’s final entry to go, the pair was assured no worse than second.

“I thought that we were behind [the time], but I knew that it would be close,” said Chapot. “We just managed to get in under [Bloomberg].”

Bloomberg, aboard her speed horse Nadia, eagerly set about the final tour at a punishing pace. Nadia took up the rider’s challenge, nimbly setting the course ablaze with an aggressive line to each fence. But Nadia just clipped the second-to-last fence after another tight approach. The rail sleepily rolled over in its cups for a moment, and, finally, plum-meted downward. Despite having the round’s fastest time, the fallen rail relegated them to fourth.

Gracious in victory, Chapot had nothing but praise for her partner. “[Sprite’s] such a great little mare, as anyone can see,” she said. “She gives me everything that she has.”

Chapot has had the Holsteiner, by the Selle Franç¡©s stallion Quidam de Revel and out of an Echse mare, for three years.

“I didn’t want to push too hard because it was a tough course,” added Chapot. “I decided to add a stride coming off the Swedish oxer because I found it too risky if I hadn’t.”

Earlier in the afternoon, grand prix runner-up Bloomberg had her own win, taking home the 18-entrant $10,000 Junior/ Amateur-Owner Classic aboard her new bay mare, Lumina. The pair went first in the jump-off and despite having dropped a rail, no one managed to go clear or better their four-fault time.
“I honestly didn’t believe that my round was going to hold up in the jump-off,” said Bloomberg. “I guess that I was really lucky today.”

Bloomberg purchased Lumina during her summer sojourn through Europe with the U.S. Nations Cup team.

“The Nations Cup has really helped me improve,” said Bloomberg. “The courses and the competition have shown me different aspects of the sport. I plan to use [Lumina] as a high amateur horse with the hope of moving her up to compete in smaller grand prix.”