March 26, 2018 
To jump off immediately, or to wait?
That was the question in the $15,000 Turkish Airlines 1.40m Jumper Time First Jump-Off class on the final day of the Palm Beach Open at the spectacular Deeridge Farms in Wellington, FL. Riders were given the option of staying in the ring to immediately jump-off or waiting until the end of the first round.
Chloe Field and Tess De Jalesnes opted for the latter.
“I didn’t have a choice,” joked the Massachusetts-based rider.
“I ride with Norman [Dello Joio] and you do what Norman says. But seriously, it was a long course and it is hot today so to let them relax and have a drink was a wise choice. It worked out well for me.”
The plan paid off.
Field and Tess Du Jalesnes, a chestnut mare by Baloubet Du Rouet, were last to go in the jump-off and had the benefit of knowing the time to beat set by Olympic and World Cup veteran Mario Deslauriers aboard his Jamaica Van Paemel.
Deslauriers stayed in the ring to complete the second round, posting a penalty free round in a time of 39.196 seconds.
“Philip Richter was very helpful,” continued Field. “He watched Mario go and said that to the last fence Mario was a little wide. I know that Mario is usually totally unbeatable, so I had no thought that I would beat him. Philip said just land and go. Fortunately, she likes to run away, so my thought was to just let her run away to the last fence and the distance should be there, and it was.”
Field and the 10-year-old Selle Francais slipped past the timers two hundredths of a second faster than Deslauriers, stopping the clock at 39.173 seconds for the win.
“It is hard not to have a great trip on this mare, and it is hard not to have a great time at this venue, especially after 11 weeks in Florida,” smiled Field. “When this show came up a few weeks ago it was an immediate choice for us to be here. We love it. It is a real treat for the horses to be here.”
Learn more about the Palm Beach Masters Series at palmbeachmasters.com.
