Rich Fellers has been having a good week. He’s not only sitting in fourth in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final standings on Flexible, but also topped the $75,000 Las Vegas Grand Prix today, Apr. 18, on Kilkenny Rindo.

“I think confidence plays a big part, and winning today has certainly built my confidence, so that’s good for tomorrow!” Fellers said. Tomorrow, he and Flexible with compete in the last leg of the World Cup Final.

Fellers rode Kilkenny Rindo, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood, to a turning and burning round in the jump-off.  Five riders qualified for the short course, and when Fellers cantered into the ring on Kilkenny Rindo, Saudi Arabian rider HRH Prince Abdullah Al-Saud was leading with the only clear jump-off on Mobily Ashkur Allah Obelix.

But Fellers made short work of beating his time by almost 2 seconds. He rolled back quite neatly to a vertical by the in-gate, then picked up the pace on the long, sweeping turn to the last oxer.

Gerco Schröder of the Netherlands took a bid on Eurocommerce Seattle, but when the rail fell at the second fence of the jump-off, the victory went to Fellers.

“He’s learning the game pretty quickly,” Fellers said of Rindo, who just started jumping at the grand prix level in November 2008. Rindo jumped in four of the World Cup-qualifying classes at the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, Calif., this winter, though he didn’t place. “We’re getting a good rapport—he’s trusting me, and I’m trusting him, and that’s a big part of this whole game.”

Kilkenny Rindo is owned by Sherry and Doug Boyd of Kilkenny Crest in Bend, Ore. When Fellers, who had been riding horses exclusively for Flexible’s owners Harry and Mollie Chapman, became available last summer, the Boyds invited him to ride at Kilkenny Crest. “They’re wonderful people and they’ve been in the sport for years,” Fellers said. “This was a great success for them and their farm.”

The Boyds have a thriving breeding farm in Bend, and Fellers commutes from his Wilsonville, Ore., home. “They have lots of horses, some young ones. I’m just trying to get it all sorted out. They have more than I can ride in a day!” he said. While their breeding program is thriving, the Boyds bought Rindo (Indorado—Doliart) from Dutch dealer Paul Hendrix.

Fellers has enjoyed introducing Rindo to the top level of the sport. “The fun thing is that he loves it. He’s having a lot of fun. When I start jumping in the warm-up ring, I jump just a few little oxers, and he lands and bucks and plays. That’s important to me in my program—they’ve got to enjoy it,” he said.