When Bob Kraut rode Accordian into the ring to jump off as the last rider in the $35,000 Cleveland Grand Prix, he found himself in prime position. The only faultless jump-off round, laid down by Claus and Angela Klein-Moore, had been a conservative clear, leaving the door open for a winning trip.

And Accordian rose to the challenge, finding a shorter track without touching a rail, for his first grand prix victory for Happy Hill Farms. Argentinean Jorge Zamudio joined the jump-off with a pair of mounts, but rails relegated him to third and fourth.
 
“I knew I didn’t have to take any crazy shots in the jump-off, but I did see the scoreboard coming out of the in-and-out and saw that I had to take an inside turn to make the time,” said Kraut.
 
Klein-Moore admitted that she knew she left room for improvement aboard her longtime partner.

“My horse thinks that he’s Superman—he thinks I should leave him alone and let him do his thing, so we have to compromise,” she said. “Claus is brave and careful, and we’ve had a lot of success, but he’s not the speediest.”

Thirteen riders tackled Michel Valliancourt’s first-round track, with the middle oxer of a combination manifesting itself as the  bogey fence. “It was a tricky line,” admitted Valliancourt. “Those riders that had a quiet approach into the line had the second fence down.” 
 
Kraut started riding the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Jacorde—Norozo) four years ago, bringing him up through the levels. “He’s been very good this season,” said Kraut, who splits his time between Welling-ton, Fla., and Oconomowoc, Wis. “I’ve been careful to show him where I thought I could build his confidence. He’s won ribbons, but this is his first win. He really deserved this.”
 
The gravity of winning the nation’s oldest grand prix wasn’t lost on Kraut.
 
“I remember coming to this show when I was 12, and I’m 43 now. I remember seeing all of the greats here: Bernie Traurig, Melanie Smith Taylor, Rodney Jenkins, Michael Matz. To win this same grand prix is pretty special.”