The Roanoke Valley Horse Show was spectacular all week in its run at the Salem Civic Center.
It saved its best for last – late Saturday night.
Taking the lead right out of the gate, sixteen-year-old Venezuelan Emanuel Andrade won the grand showcase finale, the $50,000 Grand Prix of Roanoke, to deny long-time rider Aaron Vale the opportunity to capture his thirteenth overall, and fourth straight, Grand Prix championship.
Riding first in the jump-off on Walter 61, Andrade raced through the course in 34.773 seconds, good enough to hold first through four more horses until Vale mounted Spirit of Alena for the final circuit of the Civic Center track with the clearcut knowledge of the do-or-die time to beat.
As excitement built among the large crowd on hand, Vale gave Spirit a good look at the jumps in the 45-second countdown before heading onto the tight course with one objective at hand.
Vale and Spirit did not drop a rail, heading to the final jump with everyone in the arena knowing it was going to be close and offering the possibility that, like many times in the past, Vale would pull off the victory.
As Vale and Spirit cleared the final jump and the clock spit out 35.295 seconds, Andrade knew he had taken the $15,000 winner’s prize. Vale took home $11,000 for second, followed by Fernando Cardenas on Quincy Car for third and $6,500.
Although not the blue ribbon he wanted, Vale still won $15,500 in the Grand Prix. In addition to Spirit of Alena’s purse, Vale rode Palm Sunday to a fifth-place finish worth $3,000 and Zippo II to eighth, good for $1,500.
Andrade also rode two other horses that finished in the money, collecting $2,500 on sixth-place ZZ-Top VH Schaarbroek Z and ninth-place Crossfire 10, good for $1,500. It was Andrade’s first Grand Prix win in the United States.
by Bill Turner
