The last fence of the final round of November 1’s $15,000 C3RV Six Bar was set at a daunting 1.84m, yet three horse and rider combinations easily maneuvered it without fault to tie for the win in Friday night’s featured class. Clearing the high obstacle to take home the shared victory were Mark Finnerty on Silas DS Z, Avery Griffin aboard Candy of Picobello Z and Taylor Bowman with Ibiza-S.
Mark Finnerty, Taylor Bowman and Avery Griffin were presented as the co-winners of the $15,000 C3RV Six Bar. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Ten entries took on the first round of the Six Bar class, and by the penultimate round, that field had been slimmed down to four. Those four horses and riders attempted 1.73m before the field was narrowed again to three and the fences were raised, with the final fence at 1.84m.
While it was the first time attempting any six bar or puissance competition for Finnerty, Griffin and Bowman, they each made it look easy, clearing the tall vertical each seemingly with room to spare.
Avery Griffin and Candy of Picobello Z. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“It was super fun!” said Griffin. “[Candy of Picobello Z] is really brave. He’ll jump anything. He just came right in and marched around. He was the right choice [for this class] for sure. I was trying to prove my mom wrong. She thought I’d have a rail in the first round! Once I made it through that, I was pretty happy.”
Mark Finnerty on Silas DS Z. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
Finnerty was similarly pleased with the results and how Silas DS Z handled the experience.
“I thought my horse dealt with it really well; I thought it was a really fun class to jump!” said Finnerty. “It was kind of a last-minute decision I would say [to do the class]. I think he’s ultra brave. I think he has all the scope in the world, and I think he’s also really careful. So, I said that he jumps big courses well enough, maybe he could also jump a six bar! It was an exciting class under lights, so I thought it would be a nice experience.”
For Bowman, she wanted to utilize the opportunity under the lights to gain experience for 11-year-old Ibiza-S.
Taylor Bowman with Ibiza-S. Photo by High Desert Sport Photo
“It was her first time under the lights,” said Bowman. “She’s kind of stepping up to bigger classes, so we thought it would be a good way to get her under the lights and set her up for those bigger classes.”
For full results of the $15,000 C3RV Six Bar, click here.