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Atlanta Spring Classics Open with Big Wins for Fargis and Weinberg

Release: March 26 2009

Author: severs

By Robbi Meisel

Fresh off a glorious winter circuit, legendary Olympic Gold rider Joe Fargis of Middleburg, VA, kicked off the opening week of the 2009 Atlanta Spring Classics with a victory in the Spring Welcome Stake aboard Diams III. Fargis, who is one of the most recognized riders of equestrian sport, faced off with some of the nations best up-and-coming athletes in Thursday’s event presented by the Classic Equine Equipment Company.

A challenging 16-effort layout by one of the most respected course designers, Michel Vaillancourt, didn’t rattle any of the competitors despite the numerous rollbacks that had horses traversing the vast Olympic arena to beat the 84-second allowance. First-round action saw the rails dropping until the fourth horse in the order, Marcus Aurelius, owned and ridden by David Jennings, were the first to go clear in a fast 79.69 seconds. Only four others would join them for the abbreviated second course of seven obstacles, including Mary B. Schwab and OEJI Farm’s 17-year-old Selle Francis mare Diams III, also taken clean in the starting round by Fargis in 74.295 seconds.

A seemingly easy layout of eight efforts and generous time allowance of 48 seconds, the true test of the deciding round came at the last three fences as riders came off a tall vertical to then roll back tight right, heading over a wide oxer and immediately take a sweeping left turn towards another vertical. Surviving this gauntlet meant only a gallop to the final oxer. Marcus Aurelius and Jennings were again the first tested and passed with flying colors, stopping the clock at 40.941 and setting the bar high for those to follow. The two-time Olympic veteran Joe Fargis, fondly known as “Jumping Joe” to his many fans did not disappoint or miss a stride with partner Diams III giving an encore performance to cinch the win in a blazing 39.346 seconds.

Second place went to Trading Places with Daniel Geitner riding for owner Kyle Register in a final clear time of 39.759. Marcus Aurelius and David Jennings claimed the third position with a time of 40.941 while Jack Hardin Towell and Boo Van Het Kastanjehof took the fourth spot in a time of 41.244, and rounding out the top five was owner-rider Kitt Ritter piloting Jumbo Jet with a finish of 41.885 seconds.

Show jumping thrills continued on Saturday evening with the $25,000 Cherry Blossom Grand Prix, presented by the Classic Company. Crowds lined the walls surrounding the arena to cheer on their favorites. Designer Michel Vaillancourt once again created a course to test both a horse’s endurance and a rider’s skills with another 16 effort layout that had the usual suspects—double and triple combinations, liverpool, tight turns, and as always the infamous Vaillancourt “bogey” fence. This time a skinny vertical early in the course at fence #5. Despite an allowance of 84 seconds the first horse on course sadly fell victim to the bogey. Next in was the young pro Hardin Towell with Boo Van Het Kastanjehof making their way clear in 82.20, as would next in Michael Tokaruk with new mount Roger Rabbit going clean in 83.77 to assure a jump-off round.

The next clear round would go to the eventual victor Tracey Weinberg of Lovettsville, VA, riding her 13-year-old “tiny” Holsteiner mare Linda Z in a time of 78.99. When asked about the “bogey” fence, Weinberg agreed it was the sticky part early in the run, explaining that coming off the triple combination, the last oxer required some leg to get out, but heading to the bogey was “such a careful five [strides] to a very skinny bland jump.”

Weinberg got the last laugh in the eight-effort final round with a blazing clean time of 40.271, well below the allotted 48 seconds. The pair blasted through the in-gate and never looked back, “I knew I had a strong contingency behind me so I just went for it.” Weinberg said. She stated there was never any qualms about “going for it.”

When asked about bea

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