JOIE GATLIN SCORES ONE FOR THE WOMEN IN $50,000 EMO GRAND PRIX AT THE INDIO DESERT CIRCUIT "One women scares me way more than any guy ever would," said Campf at the in gate before the jump-off. Gatlin and 15-year-old Suncal's King bested a field of 29 riders to secure the winning purse of $15,000. "It was awesome to beat all those men," said Gatlin. "We have to keep all their egos in check." Jump no.12 a seemingly pedestrian vertical jump that was located directly in front of the VIP tent was the last hurdle on course designer "Buddy" Brown's Jump-Off course, and it tripped up two riders who had a shot to beat Gatlin's time of 45.95. First, Ali Nilforushan rubbed a rail just enough to make it fall aboard Cellist 2. Then, John Pearce and Uriso failed to negotiate the hurdle. Each rider had a better time than Gatlin and they could have taken the blue ribbon if not for the last obstacle. Niforushan thought that he had the winning ride until his rail fell to the ground well after he had jumped the last fence. "It was a tough jump but it shouldn't have been such a big deal," said Richard Spooner. "It is at the end of the course and the horses see carrots." Two other riders posted clear rounds but were outdone on the clock by Joie Gatlin. Jeff Campf opened the Jump-Off with the first clear round in 47.23 seconds. Irish rider Eddie Macken, who has returned from a six-year hiatus from Grand Prix riding, followed up by shaving almost a second off Campf's time. Hap Hansen and ABC Lanzelot left all the rails up, but accumulated one time fault for going over the time allowed of 50 seconds. Gatlin said she didn't watch any of the other riders before her and she didn't know the time that she needed to beat. An excited crowd in the Oasis VIP tent let her know that she had taken the lead as they exploded when she cleared the last jump. "They were loud and I was trying not to hear them and to stay calm," said Gatlin. "Once you get over that last jump and it's all over, the crowd is awesome." Brown was pleased with nine horses advancing to the jump off, although he only likes to see six to eight make it through on clean runs. "I wasn't sure how many we would have because there were a lot of young and older horses," he said. "Maybe I was too generous with my time allowed." "It was a well set course that was rideable and very adjustable," said Gatlin. "For the first week it was great and extra great for me." Friday's $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix winner John Pearce finished sixth on Uriso and seventh with his favorite horse Archie Bunker. Before capturing Friday's jump-off, he ate some lucky pecans. Needless to say, he left them home Sunday. Return to Press |
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