Best of JN: Andy Kocher Flirts With Disaster

Andy Kocher. Photo by Phelps Media

Andrew Kocher had a magnificent jump-off round at the Devon Horse Show Tuesday night to win the CSI 4* Welcome Stake, even though it nearly ended in disaster at the final fence. But the heroic save meant crossing the wires in 35.27 seconds and taking home the big check and clinching his first ever Grand Prix win in the Dixon Oval.

See the full round here, and be sure to watch to the end:

“I was lucky to stay on in the jump-off!” Andy said after the class. “I actually had one leg over the horse – I was sidesaddle for the wrong class! It was fun, it was really fast and I got lucky!”

USA’s Callan Solem and Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC’s VDL Wizard finished second to the pair on a final time of 36.850 seconds, followed by Laura Chapot and Quointreau Un Prince (a horse Laura co-owns with McLain Ward), who stopped the clock at 36.860.

There were sixteen horses in the jump-off in total over Kelvin Bywater’s course for the evening.

Andy Kocher. Photo by The Book LLC

RESULTS
 $50,000 Devon Welcome Stake CSI4*:
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / Time / R2 Faults / Time
1. Navalo De Poheton / Andrew Kocher / USA / MKO Equestrian LLC / 0 / 66.150 / 0 / 35.270
2. VDL Wizard / Callan Solem / USA / Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC / 0 / 66.360 / 0 / 36.850
3. Quointreau Un Prince / Laura Chapot / USA / Laura Chapot and McLain Ward / 0 / 68.390 / 0 / 36.860
4. Cooper / Devin Ryan / USA / Devin Ryan / 0 / 69.430 / 0 / 37.810
5. Balou 660 / Vasco Flores / PR / Gotham Enterprizes, LLC / 0 / 67.960 / 0 / 38.680
6. Manodie II H / Georgina Bloomberg / USA / Gotham Enterprizes, LLC / 0 / 67.490 / 0 / 38.700
7. Brasil / Emma Butchard / USA / Emma Butchard / 0 / 69.880 / 0 / 43.980
8. Rothchild / Mclain Ward / USA / Sagamore Farms / 0 / 69.080 / 4 / 36.490
9. GC Chopins Bushi / Alberto Michan / MEX / Iron Horse Farm / 0 / 70.150 / 4 / 37.660
10. Tou La Moon / Charlie Jayne / USA / Alex Jayne / 0 / 68.010 / 4 / 38.950
11. Casall / Ali Wolff / USA / Blacklick Bend Farm / 0 / 67.820 / 4 / 43.980
12. E.S. Finou 4 / Aaron Vale / USA / Thinks Like A Horse / 0 / 67.240 / 8 / 38.620

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