It was Beth Underhill and veteran mount Viggo that vaulted to the top of the leaderboard during the $25,000 Amberway Equine Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Friday, winning the highlight event as the fastest of only four double clear efforts. The pair, hailing from Canada, broke the beam in 42.044 seconds to take home the lion’s share of the earnings ahead of 22 contenders.

Keith Bollotte designed the courses for the $25,000 Amberway Equine Welcome Stake, testing riders with a fair yet technical track. Faults were incurred throughout the 16-effort course, with only eight able to clear the opening round and move into the jump-off.

Eventual winner Underhill said, “I thought Keith (Bollotte) did a really masterful job today. He had quite a few entries and he wanted to test the field. I thought it was a very fair track, but challenging. The jump-off was a really fun track to ride. There were places where you could gallop and you had to be careful, but all of his tracks have been fair and on point.”

Traverse City, MI – July 10, 2015

For nine weeks, Canada’s Beth Underhill consistently placed at the top of The Ridge Turf Tour series, yet victory seemed to evade both her and her veteran mount Viggo. During Week 10 of the Turf Tour Series, Underhill left nothing to chance, racing to the top of the leader board with Viggo in 33.003 seconds.

They closed out the competition only five-hundredths of a second ahead of Sharn Wordley and Popstar Lozonais.
Today, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC), the winds changed, as Underhill left no stone unturned, shaving the seconds with Viggo on the turf.

“I knew I had to be right on it to be competitive in the jump-off,” Underhill explained. “I walked from one to two knew that if I believe the six strides is there we could do it. It was a bit of a blind turn, but we pulled it off. I feel I did the most efficient track I was capable to do with Viggo. He has a big canter and sometimes spends a little bit of time galloping. He was very smooth and efficient today, and honestly, I think it was his best jump-off of The Ridge so far.”

Wellington, FL – March 13, 2015

Beth Underhill and Viggo Win Our Hearts: “At The End Of The Day, It’s About The Horse”

Beth Underhill and Viggo came in second in last night’s $75,000 Ricoh Big Ben Challenge but she felt like a winner.

The pair were making their comeback at The Royal after a 2 year hiatus due to an injury (horse), and they not only put in a fabulous performance but Viggo received the All Canadian Cup, given to the Leading Canadian Horse at The Royal. Beth owns Viggo herself and it’s her only Grand Prix horse right now, so you can imagine how special this was.

Watch their rides in the Ricoh Big Ben (round 1 + jump off, make sure you listen with the sound on. Beth was the last rider to go and the crowd were really helping!)

Many thanks to HorseJunkiesUnited.com

Toronto, ON – November 10, 2013