The jump-off of the $100,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon looked as if it would be quite a speed duel, but in the end, it was the only clean round that won it.  Darragh Kerins—going last of a five-horse jump-off, knew what he had to do.

“I hated going into that situation.  There were two big oxers to roll back to and I was just afraid of making a mistake,” Kerins said.  But he was flawless on Night Train and jumped to a second clean round with a careful, deliberate go in 53.16 seconds.

Todd Minikus had set the pace in the jump-off at 49.56 seconds, but three rails fell on his way around the ring on Pavarotti.  Hillary Dobbs followed and looked to be on her way to making life difficult for the riders to follow, but Corlett just barely touched the front rail of the last oxer and it fell, leaving them with 4 faults in 46.65 seconds.  It would be good enough for third place.

“It’s my first year in the grand prix here and I was just thrilled to death to go clear in the first round,” Dobbs said.  “I got a bit unlucky at the last jump, but I can’t be too disappointed because the mare jumped really well for me.”

Up Chiqui was next and it looked as if it was his and Kent Farrington’s to win.  Farrington started out fast, slicing the turn to a plank vertical enough to make the crowd gasp.  But as he jumped into 5AB, a triple bar to a vertical, Up Chiqui toppled the back rail of the triple bar.  “It was an ulucky rail—I thought he jumped great,” Farrington said.  “There was a short two strides in that combination and I put him right at the base of that triple bar to help him back off for the vertical and he just let down on the back rail a bit.”  They came home with 4 faults in what was by far the fastest time of the night—43.98 seconds.  The score would put them into second place.

Callan Solem looked ready to give it shot on Allison, but rails fell at three fences.  Her deliberate round stopped the clock in 53.10 seconds.

All Kerins had to do was go clear, but if he went too slow, a rail would drop him down to third.  He and Night Train jumped neatly and efficiently, but without taking too many risks.  Their efforts brought them home clean in 53.16 seconds and the crowd went wild for the Irishman.