Results: Tryon Fall Finale 1
Grace Debney and Jesprit H.S are Best in $15,000 Buckley Fence Sunday Grand Prix
Gracie Allen Takes Top Honors in $5,000 ProElite Welcome Stake
Natalie Mercer and Heartthrob Shine in 2’6 Open Hunter Derby
For Immediate Release
Rette Solomon for Tryon International
November 3, 2024 – Mill Spring, NC – Closing out Tryon Fall Finale 1 with a win in Tryon Stadium, Grace Debney (Hampden, MA) and Jesprit H.S (Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Esprit-R) claimed the $15,000 Buckley Fence Sunday Grand Prix with a double clear performance. Debney and Jesprit H.S jumped to the top of the leaderboard with a 36.36 second jump off time. Clayton Russel (Columbus, NC) also converted two clear rounds aboard Starboy (Cellestial x Fame), the 2016 Hanoverian gelding owned by Christina Kelly to take second in the class, with a time of 38.25 seconds. Incurring four faults in her 36.87 second jump off round, Gracie Allen (Moorestown, NJ) rode Hadj Des Fontaines (Captain Semilly x Tea De La Bruyere), the 2017 Selle Français gelding owned by Koryo Equine LLC, to third place.
Grace Debney and Jesprit H.S
©Bailey Beck for Natalie Suto Photography
Grace Debney and Jesprit H.S, known as “Jessie”, enjoyed a successful first week of Tryon Fall Finale competition. “Jessie is probably my best Grand Prix horse right now,” the amateur rider established. “She's here getting back in the groove of things – this is a really nice show to do that at.”
“She is a wild thing! She's really special, and she's a really quality horse,” Debney said of the 2014 Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Temple Equestrian LLC. “When she's with you, she's really with you. She really fights, and she’s probably the smartest horse I've ever encountered.”
Clayton Russel and Starboy
©Bailey Beck for Natalie Suto Photography
Winning the Buckley Fence Sunday Grand Prix by nearly two seconds, Debney detailed her jump off strategy. “My plan was to be really smooth and fast. I didn't want to run her too much – she shows next week in FEI in Aiken, so I thought it was a really good setup [for that competition]. I just did some nice, neat turns, and got all the right numbers. She had a lot of fun out there!”
Gracie Allen and Hadj Des Fontaines
©Bailey Beck for Natalie Suto Photography
Also claiming second in the Welcome Stake, Debney shared that the key to her mare’s consistency was “sticking to our routine. She has a really good system, and she has a really good groom. Lindsey DeVito knows the horse inside out – I can't go to a show without her! I think keeping everything the same really keeps her happy. I've never taken her to this show before, and she really likes it.”
Grace Debney and Jesprit H.S in their awards presentation ceremony.
©Bailey Beck for Natalie Suto Photography
Using her time at Tryon International to prepare to compete in FEI classes, Debney shared that she is also taking the opportunity to allow her younger equine teammates to gain more experience. “It's a quieter show, which is really nice. You get to use the bigger facilities, even for the smaller classes. I have a younger horse that's showing in the smaller classes, but she gets to go on the Grand Prix ring, so it's really good experience. It's been nothing but nice here!” She concluded.
For full results from the $15,000 Buckley Fence Sunday Grand Prix, click here.
Gracie Allen Takes Top Honors in $5,000 ProElite Welcome Stake
November 1, 2024 – As one of four double clear efforts in the $5,000 ProElite Welcome Stake, Gracie Allen (Moorestown, NJ) rode Hadj Des Fontaines (Captain Semilly x Tea De La Bruyere), Koryo Equine LLC’s 2017 Selle Français gelding to the win with 42.03 seconds on the clock. Claiming the Welcome Stake’s second place Grace Debney (Hampden, MA) and Jesprit H.S (Eldorado Van De Zeshoek x Esprit-R), owned by Temple Equestrian LLC, stopped the jump off timers at 43.60 seconds. On a jump off time of 44.07 seconds, Richie Moloney (Wellington, FL) placed third with Princess Van't Heike (Cumthago C x Quanina Van't Heike), the 2015 Belgian Warmblood mare, for Frog Pond Stables.
Gracie Allen and Hadj Des Fontaines
©Bailey Beck for Natalie Suto Photography
For full results from the $5,000 ProElite Welcome Stake, click here.
Natalie Mercer and Heartthrob Shine in 2’6 Open Hunter Derby
November 2, 2024 – Aboard her own Heartthrob (Heartbreaker x Hannahlea), Natalie Mercer (Jonesborough, TN), rose above the rest to win Saturday’s 2’6 Open Hunter Derby. Mercer and the 2012 Hanoverian gelding earned an overall score of 156 to be crowned class champions. Shanthi Ramesh (Richmond, VA) teamed up with her own Fresco (Zambezi x Maxim), the 2010 Dutch Warmblood gelding, to claim second place with a score of 148 points. Taking third with 143 points, Kim Barklow (Johnson City, TN) rode her own Der Solotanzer (Der Graf x Ravaging Ruby), the 2004 warmblood gelding to complete the Derby’s podium.
Natalie Mercer and Heartthrob in their awards presentation ceremony.
©Laci Matthews for Natalie Suto Photography
For full results from the 2’6 Open Hunter Derby, click here.
The Tryon Fall Finale takes place October 22-November 3, and features two weeks of Regional/Level 3 competition. From November 5-9, Young Horse Show Finals presented by Spy Coast Farm will be held in the Indoor Arena, as horses from yearlings to seven-year-olds compete in Hunters, Jumping, Dressage and Eventing disciplines. Click here to learn more about what’s happening at Tryon International!
Photos ©Natalie Suto Photography (Bailey Beck and Laci Matthews, as noted). These photos may only be used once, in relation to this press release. Competitors may view and purchase competition photos at www.nataliesutophotography.shootproof.com. With questions regarding photography at TIEC, contact media@tryon.com.