Ocala Horse Properties’ Deniro Z Snags Halliday-Sharp Second Win at Aiken Showcase!

Liz has returned from her weekend road trip to Aiken, clinching her second win at the $50K Grand Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field aboard Ocala Horse Properties’ Deniro Z.   This is her second showcase of the 2020 season, and Deniro Z is showing his competitive aptitude in his lead up to Land Rover Kentucky 3 Day Event in April!

Aiken Showcase Winners! PC: Christine Quinn Photography

Aiken Showcase Winners! PC: Christine Quinn Photography

Rob Desino, who was in Aiken to support Liz said it best, “We are thrilled!  That horse keeps getting better and better and so does Liz.  Ownership in the sport is massively rewarding, and it’s fun to be part of it.”

Next up is the Ocala Horse Properties’ Eventing Prix on Tuesday, March 3rd at Southern Cross Equestrian. The team at Ocala Horse Properties is looking forward to cheering for Liz and The Monster Group’s Cooley Quicksilver, as we’re certain she has her eye on the prize!  We hope to see you there.

Thank you to Eventing Nation for providing excellent coverage of the Aiken Showcase.  An excerpt and link to the full article is below.

Liz Halliday-Sharp Claims Back-to-Back Wins in $50k Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field

Defending champion Liz Halliday-Sharp felt the pressure when she left the start box at the $50,000 LiftMaster Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field. After overnight leader Boyd Martin withdrew, the inaugural winner had no one to beat but herself on the cross country. Partnered with Deniro Z, she went 2-0 at the Aiken, S.C. venue.

“That’s how I wanted it to be,” Liz smiled of her back-to-back wins. “We have such a great partnership, and he’s such a good friend of mine as well. He was just magic. The horse just keeps getting better. He’s so adjustable this year, so I didn’t feel like I was going crazy. I galloped fast in between, but I never felt like I was taking a risk. I didn’t have any fences that weren’t as I planned, so that’s super when you can still set them up a little, but you’re still that far under the time. He’s just a great horse. It’s a pleasure to be here riding him.

Liz and Deniro on their way to winning the 2020 Aiken Showcase. PC: Shelby Allen, Eventing Nation

Liz and Deniro on their way to winning the 2020 Aiken Showcase. PC: Shelby Allen, Eventing Nation

Starting the weekend in third place, she and the 12-year-old KWPN (Zapatero VDL x Zonne-Trend, by French Buffet xx) owned by Ocala Horse Properties and The Deniro Syndicate, moved up after each phase, finally securing the win on their dressage score of 31.1.

“You always feel pressure when you’re in the lead. I knew the time was tight but I didn’t think it was quite as tight as Wellington because some people were way under, so it sort of felt like if I was smart I’d be inside the time, but you never know. It was a tough enough course to ride,” she said. Coming in fifteen seconds under the time, the duo were also the fastest combination of the day.

“It’s a lot of fun here because you’ve got to zoom through the different arenas, so it’s a very different feel to running through Wellington. I think the course was a bit stronger this year than last year, which is cool. I think it’s good for all of us. Certainly the show jumping was a real test for all of us, which we all need to do: to be put out of our comfort zone and under pressure, and that’s why we come to these things,” she said.

Liz Halliday-Sharp Claims Back-to-Back Wins in $50k Grand-Prix Eventing at Bruce’s Field