Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 24, 1990 TAG: 9006250051
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
She had no idea, however, that it would be a perfect night for P.S. Gazpacho.
Rudd's only mount had the only two clean rounds in the $60,000 wrap-up to the Roanoke Valley Horse Show, and won the Grand Prix of Roanoke over a tight and tough course before an overflow crowd of 4,200 Saturday night at the Salem Civic Center.
"The horse has done very well in the last few shows," said Rudd, who last competed in the Roanoke Grand Prix in 1986. "I was very optimistic about doing well, but I had no clue we'd win."
P.S. Gazpacho was one of six horses in a record field of 26 to have a clean preliminary round over nine fences. In the jumpoff, the 8-year-old German Westfalian cleared all six boundaries in 32.937 seconds to win the $18,000 top prize.
The clocking became moot when P.S. Gazpacho was the only horse with a clean round in the jumpoff. Finishing second was Shady Lady, with New Yorker David Raposa aboard. Only a refusal to jump the third fence, bringing three faults, separated Raposa's ride from a clean round.
"It's been a while since I've won one this big," said Rudd, 40, of Kennett Square, Pa. "This is a fairly young horse, and it's only my third season on him."
P.S. Gazpacho is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gansky of Newtown Square, Pa. Rudd got the horse as a 5-year-old at an auction in West Germany, and previously finished third in Grand Prix events in West Berlin and Grenoble, France.
"This is his first big win," Rudd said.
It wasn't easy. Course designer William "Fuzzy" Mayo confounded the competitors with a series of difficult hurdles, including Nos. 3-5 fences that required a sharp left turn, a sharp right turn, then an up-and-down over a three-fence combination.
The No. 4 fence, two rails five feet apart, ended the majority of bids for clean rounds.
"It was a very difficult course," Rudd said. Going from No. 2 to No. 3 [the left turn in center ring] it was difficult to get an eye on the jump. The triple [No. 5] was very difficult, and the wall after that, you approached with almost a blind turn.
"The No. 4 [fence against the civic center boards], if you didn't swing out, you didn't get a good shot at it. And it was tough to see the back rail behind the front one. I swung out; some others didn't."
In Rudd's only previous Grand Prix of Roanoke appearance she tied for 10th place on Kashmire III and won $600. P.S. Gazpacho prepared for Saturday's trips by finishing eighth in Friday night's Gambler's Choice open jumper event.
The horse has helped Rudd to a comeback of sorts. The bespectacled blonde was on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, which didn't get to compete because of the boycott of the Moscow Games.
"I haven't been back because I haven't had that good a horse," Rudd said. "This horse was eighth in the trials for the world championships at Devon, [Pa.]. But it's been awhile since I won a Grand Prix."
It was the first Roanoke Grand Prix without Rodney Jenkins, who won the first four and had four of the seven jumpoff horses last year but lost to Barney Ward and Sedac.
Rudd trained with Jenkins for 1 1/2 years. He is retired from Grand Prix jumping and is training thoroughbred racehorses and judging show jumping from his Montpelier Station farm.
"There were a lot of good horses out there tonight," Rudd said. "This is a very good Grand Prix. With $60,000 [as the purse], yeah, it's good.
"I haven't been here in a while. But I'll be back next year, I can promise you that."
The order of the jumpoff finishers in the sixth Grand Prix of Roanoke, with horse, rider, hometown, owner and winnings:
1. P.S. Gazpacho, Terry Rudd, Kennett Square, Pa., Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gansky, $18,000.
2. Shady Lady, David Raposa, Clinton, N.Y., David Raposa, $13,200.
3. Elan's Forecast, Tim Grubb, Newark, N.J., Elan Chemical, $7,800.
4. Grande Donezec, James Young, Titusville, N.J., James Young, $4,800.
5. Jupiter 78, George Lindermann, Greenwich, Conn., George Lindermann, $3,600.
6. The King, Henri Prudent, Middleburg, Jean Jacques Aiassa, $3,000.
by CNB