91原创's Ayla Martinoff started streak last weekend when she won first place at the Odlum Brown Ltd. Grand Prix 1.40m at Thunderbird Show Park on Sunday, July 7.
She was hot off a win from Friday's, July 5, Highland Farms Ltd. Welcome and a pair of second place finishes from the week before in the YETI Welcome and the 91原创 Grand Prix.
Aboard her trusty partner Calloway, Martinoff topped a nine horse jump-off in the recent grand prix at 40.81 seconds.
"Everyone had gone clear and reasonably fast, so I thought, 'Well, you either have to go clear really fast or you have four faults and be [the equivalent] of a slow clear anyways [on the leaderboard]," Martinoff said.
Aldergrove's Kassidy Keith and Havana rode to second with a time of 43.17 seconds, but Martinoff and Calloway set a speedy standard from the start, galloping to first and using Calloway's natural foot speed and agility to blaze through the timers.
The 10-year-old grey has grown in competitiveness over the years, Martinoff remarked.
"He's gotten so good. I've known him his whole life, so we've grown up together in the ring," she said.
"Since he was seven, I've been able to go fast as long as I know he's comfortable. But lately, he knows my every move before I do 鈥� he's so smart."
A 2023 George & Dianne Tidball Scholarship winner, Martinoff credits her time in the ring at tbird last season for the success she's experiencing with Calloway and his sister, A Crown Royale.
"It was really great to get to compete in these classes last year without having to worry about winning the prize money back. I had two down almost every time," she laughed. "But I got to practice a lot, and it's paying off now."
Now, Calloway will enjoy a well-earned week off.
"I'm driving home and I'm going to put him out in the field with his brother for a week. I won't really ride him other than maybe bareback to the pub for lunch or something," Martinoff said, noting the local restaurant has a paddock for horses.
But the pair will return to tbird for the international competition in August.
