Thanks to the generosity and support of Sharn’s owners at The Sky Group, the season on Casper and Barnetta ended with a dual celebration at the Tryon International Equestrian Center this past weekend!
Sharn started the weekend with a second place finish on October 27th aboard Casper in the $35,000 1.50m Suncast® Welcome CSI 3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). “Hardin Towell (USA) and New York claimed top honors in the second FEI class of the week during Tryon Fall VI. The duo earned the win with a jump-off time of 35.298 seconds ahead of Sharn Wordley (NZL) and Casper who completed the second round track in 37.627 seconds. Tracy Fenney (USA) and MTM Reve Du Paradis rounded out the top three finishers, crossing through the timers in 37.764 seconds.”
The final week of the Fall competition definitely concluded in a grand finale for Sharn, Casper and Barnetta, as he snagged the first and 3rd spots in the $130K in the Ashville/Greenville BMW Series 3*! Sharn even needed to darn goggles to survive the champagne drenching during the awards ceremony.
For Immediate Release
“Mill Spring, NC – October 29, 2016 – Sharn Wordley (NZL) and Casper made a quick dash to the finish in the $130,000 Asheville/Greenville BMW Centers’ Grand Prix CSI 3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) to top the final FEI Grand Prix of the season at the venue. Wordley and Casper bested the class after crossing through the timers in 40.614 seconds, while Conor Swail (IRL) and Hetman of Colors took second place with a time of 42.372 seconds. Wordley then added to his first place finish, taking third place honors aboard Barnetta after completing the jump-off track in 43.37 seconds.
“Wordley was one of two riders to bring back two mounts for the jump-off alongside Hardin Towell (USA) who finished in fourth and fifth respectively. Aboard Casper, Wordley fought to outpace Swail and finished the course nearly two seconds ahead of the leading time. The class saw 36 original entries take to the first round in George H. Morris Arena, while nine combinations progressed to the jump-off round. Guilherme Jorge (BRA), who led course-designing responsibilities at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, built both tracks.
“The first round was another very good course done by Guilherme. He’s just a fantastic course designer. I felt like it suited the class very well and it was technical enough but also was flowing and smooth,” commented Wordley. “I thought he was spot on with the number of clears.”
Attesting to the difficulty of the jump-off track, Wordley noted that both of his horses handled the pressure of the second round with ease, but also jumped exceedingly well in the first round, which set both horses up for a strong finish.
“Some people just have shows that they do well at and this one happens to be mine. The top riders in the world have been here and we’ve still won classes. It’s one of the shows where the horses enjoy it and I enjoy it,” he smiled. “I love atmosphere and there is always so much great atmosphere here. I love it and it’s just absolutely fantastic.”
The Chronicle also wrote a more detailed article on Sharn’s season of success this year in Tryon.
The following article will give a bit more insight into the end of Sharn’s brilliant season at Tryon and his strategic plans for the competitive season for the 2017 season.
“The conclusion of today’s class marked the end of international show jumping at the facility for the 2016 season. Wordley leaves TIEC as one of the most decorated riders at the venue this year, guiding his string to more than 14 top-five finishes in FEI competition. Wordley took a moment to reflect on his achievements and explain what makes this venue so special to him as a competitor.
“Some people just have shows that they do well at and this one happens to be mine. The top riders in the world have been here and we’ve still won classes. It’s one of the shows where the horses enjoy it and I enjoy it,” he smiled. “I love atmosphere and there is always so much great atmosphere here. I love it and it’s just absolutely fantastic.
“Both of these horses have had a phenomenal year. Casper has one more show, which will be Holiday & Horses CSI 4* in Florida and then Barnetta will go to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto,” elaborated Wordley. “They both have a lot of time off after that. They’ve both had a very busy and successful year.
“I pretty much have every class planned out for them looking into 2017. We’re going to be very strategic with what we do, but I already have a schedule for where I’d like them both to be at certain points in the season,” he added.
“I have to thank the Sky Group for their continued support and dedication to these two horses. We have a few other horses together, but they’re just the most fantastic supporters,” he detailed. “They’re brilliant. They let me make a plan for the horses that I think is best. They’re both horse people so they understand the good times and the bad and I can’t thank them enough.”
Margo Thomas, Wordley’s groom, was recognized for her passion and hard work as the recipient of the Grooms’ Initiative Award presented by Tryon Equestrian Partners. Thomas oversees the care of Barnetta and Casper, playing an integral role as a valued member of Wordley’s team.
There’s also tons of video footage of Sharn, Casper and Barnetta through this link at the COTH. Enjoy!!