USA: Aaron Vale, McLain Ward and Ian Millar Top $50,000 Equine Couture/TuffRider Grand Prix

29 Jan 2015

Capturing the win in Sunday’s $50,000 Equine Couture/TuffRider Grand Prix at HITS Ocala meant besting an impressive lineup of riders the likes of McLain Ward, Margie Engle, Charlie Jayne, Candice King and Ian Millar. After a quick, double clear effort, Aaron Vale did just that aboard Quidam’s Good Luck, taking home the lion’s share of the prize money sponsored by Equine Couture and TuffRider.

“I know if we leave the jumps up, he’s got a good chance,” Vale said of the 9-year-old bay gelding owned by Troy Glaus. Vale said the horse has a jumping style that’s “fairly extravagant – the way he kicks his hind end up and flicks his tail at the same time.”

Aaron Vale earned the victory in Sunday’s $50,000 Equine Couture/TuffRider Grand Prix. Photo By ESI Photography

Vale, of Williston, Florida, is a HITS Ocala regular, racking up numerous grand prix victories there, but this year the show circuit is attracting a lot more than just the regulars. Both the second and third place finishers, McLain Ward and Ian Millar, made the trip from Wellington, Florida to Ocala to ride in the $50,000 Equine Couture/TuffRider Grand Prix before returning back to the Winter Equestrian Festival.

Aaron Vale and Quidam’s Good Luck. Photo by ESI Photography

Ward clinched the second place spot aboard Double H Farm’s HH Ashley, while Millar earned the third place honor riding The Baranus Group’s Baranus.

Equine Couture and TuffRider provide top-of-the-line apparel, footwear and products, and the brands are proud to support top-of-the-line riders. “It’s exciting to be a part of the sport at its highest level,” Equine Couture and TuffRider President Timmy Sharma said. “We look forward to continuing to provide both innovative products and apparel and support for some of the world’s best riders.”

Second place finishers McLain Ward and HH Ashley. Photo by ESI Photography.

Source: Phelps Media Group