By Ray Cox, The Roanoke TimesDifferent horse, same result for Tracy Fenney.
Capping a spectacular week of show jumping at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show, Tracy Fenney rode MTM Centano to a rousing championship in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Roanoke Saturday night.
A substantial Salem Civic Center audience hooted and hollered as Fenney edged fellow Texan Aaron Vale for first place in the six-horse jump-off tie-breaker. Fenney, who first appeared at this show last year, was the defending Prix champion aboard S&L Willie, who also qualified for the jump-off and finished fourth.
None of the horses over the shorter course in the extra period came home fault-free. Fenney took down one fence rail for four faults but still blazed through with a time of 41.007 seconds. She then had to suppress whatever anxiety she might have had as Vale, he of the record nine Prix wins here, appeared next to last in the jump-off with previously unheralded Wilkie Van't Merlesnest, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare.
"It was terrible," Fenney said. "It's always rough going near the beginning then having to wait for the rest of the class."
A last minute entry, Wilkie ended with eight faults and sixth place.
"I was thrilled with her performance," Vale said. "This was her first Grand Prix."