Andrew Kocher Wins CSI4* Opener at Washington International
Andrew Kocher & Uppie des Lis. Ph. Shawn McMillan Photography
The 2016 Washington International Horse Show hosted its first day of jumper competition at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 with a win for the USA’s Andrew Kocher aboard Uppie des Lis in the feature $10,000 International Jumper CSI4* speed class.
The $10,000 WIHS Children’s and Adult Jumper Championships were also highlighted with a win for Sarah Boston and Herminas in the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship, presented by The Klein Family & Lance Williamson Stables, and victory for Dean Dignelli riding Redefin in the $10,000 WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Championship, presented by The Treacy Family.
WIHS continues through Sunday, October 30, featuring hunter, jumper, and equitation highlights. The entire competition at WIHS is live streamed, so don’t miss a minute – go towww.wihs.org to watch!
Ireland’s Alan Wade is the course designer for jumper competition at WIHS this week. He opened the week with 45 starters in the $10,000 international speed class and 21 clear rounds. Kocher and Uppie des Lis, a 15-year-old NRPS gelding (Andiamo x Landsieger) owned by BTS Entertainment and Sales, clocked the winning round in 50.20 seconds. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Main Road, owned by Sweet Oak Farm and Seabrook LLC, finished second in 50.26 seconds. Catherine Tyree (USA) and Mary and Joseph Tyree’s Enjoy Louis finished third in 51.30 seconds.
Wednesday’s class marked Kocher’s first win at WIHS. He has shown at the competition in the junior jumpers and hunters, as well as jumping in the Puissance class twice, but explained that he never did the bigger open classes. This week he came to WIHS to jump Saturday’s $130,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Washington, presented by Events DC, as he hopes to qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup Finals in March with Uppie de Lis.
Kocher has been riding a wave of success on the fall circuit; he most recently picked up a big grand prix win at CSI3* Tryon aboard Zantos II, and won the welcome that same week.
“He is my most consistent horse, and I came to do the World Cup class, so I’m excited,” Kocher detailed of Uppie des Lis. “I have been resting him for three or four weeks now just to have him fresh for this, and then we’ll go to Kentucky. He jumped really nice in Omaha in the spring, which is a ring like this. He is actually good in every ring. He is a very solid horse.
“He has a little bit of a choppy stride, so he is good at adding one in here or there,” Kocher continued. “I’m better off to add a stride and make a short turn than leave one out and gallop around. Today, my plan was just to go as fast as I can and not knock anything down. I used to just try to win every class on him, and then I just tried to aim him for bigger classes and he jumped less clear rounds that way, so I’m just going to try to win every class on him again no matter what the table (format) is.”
In addition to Uppie de Lis, Kocher has a young mare named Ciana that will jump in the speed class on Saturday, as well as a mare named C’Havinia that will jump Friday night’s Puissance. She recently tied for first place in the $50,000 Puissance at the Central Park Horse Show, so Kocher hopes that the experience will help their attempt at the wall this week. Uppie de Lis will jump again tomorrow and then rest for Saturday night’s big event.
Find out much more about Andrew Kocher, including why his life motto is “every no is closer to a yes” by visiting NF Style at this link.
See the complete results list at this link.
-Source: Jump Media LLC