For the second day in a row, the win in the 1.40m division at the Las Vegas National Horse Show went to Amanda Gomez and Charly-Ann. This time, the lightning-fast duo topped the $5,000 1.40m Speed, sponsored by Brown Advisory, by nearly seven seconds.
When Gomez entered the ring at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, the time to beat had just be set at 64.647 seconds by Maddee Morley and Champions Legue. While only five entries were still to come after Gomez, she knew that they were five entries that could really crank up the speed.
Amanda Gomez and Charly-Ann. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
“I know that nobody really was that quick before me, but I knew who I had behind me,” said Gomez, referencing Skylar Wireman, Nicole Haunert and Nicolas Gamboa who were all yet to contest the class. “I knew I had to push it, and it ended up working out in my favor!”
Gomez and Charly-Ann blazed through the timers in 54.993 seconds to ultimately take home the win. Finishing in second place with a time of 61.936 seconds were Haunert and Cleopatra, owned by One Life Stables, and Morley and her own Champions Legue held onto third place.
“I was really excited when I saw the course,” said Gomez. “I thought it was very fitting for my mare. Come to find out she loves indoors, so it’s perfect! With her natural foot speed, she just carries me so quickly around the track no matter where we’re at. I try to just use that to the best of my ability. I did the leave out up the first line, and I just kind of floated around the rest of the track.”
Gomez is not only two for two in the 1.40m division with Charly-Ann, her own 13-year-old Holsteiner mare, she is impressively also two for two in the 1.20m division aboard Cedric.
Amanda Gomez and Charly-Ann. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
“[Cedric] has great, great owners; I’m really grateful for them allowing me the opportunity to develop that horse,” said Gomez of owners Carrera Horses Inc. and their Hanoverian gelding Cedric. “He hadn’t done much before he was sent to me. We have just under a year of a partnership together between him and I. So, it’s relatively new. I hadn’t really shown him in an indoor until this week either. So, it was kind of just play it by ear. I jumped him on Monday in the 1.25m warmup, and he was fantastic.”
Gomez continued, “So, I just decided yesterday, we will push a little bit and see how he steps up to the task, and day by day just is getting better and better. I’m really excited about him as well, and we’re just grateful to be here.”
Competition at the Las Vegas National Horse Show, host to the Marshall + Sterling Insurance/USHJA National Championships, continues through Sunday, November 17. To learn more, visit deserthorsepark.com.