Fearless Aaron Vale is Flawless in Winning the $200,000 FEI 4* Upperville Jumper Classic
Copresented by Ethel M. Chocolates® and Lugano Diamonds at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, presented by MARS Equestrian™.
UPPERVILLE, VA — Aaron Vale and Styles delivered an incredible performance to win the $200,000 FEI 4* Upperville Jumper Classic on Sunday, capping off an exceptional week of international competition at the 172nd Upperville Colt & Horse Show. The marquee class, copresented by Ethel M. Chocolates® and Lugano Diamonds, drew a world-class field of riders to one of the nation’s most historic showgrounds.
With a double-clear performance and the fastest jump-off time, Vale, from Williston, Florida, and the 9-year-old grey Belgian warmblood gelding owned by Debbie Smith and Don Stewart topped a tightly contested leaderboard to claim victory over 22 total starters. Sloane Coles of The Plains, Virginia, was just 0.97 seconds behind riding the Ninja Group’s Ninja JW Van de Moerhoeve, while Egyptian rider Nayel Nasser ended his very successful week with Evergate Stables’ Coronado in third place, stopping the jump-off clock at 39.27 seconds.
“My horse is just young enough that there wasn’t anything really special I felt I could do,” Vale said of the jump-off track. “I saw everything forward. It was a little like downhill skiing; I just turned and accelerated and never had to hit the brakes. It was a suitable course for Styles, and it turned out great.”
Local favorite Sloan Coles’ first Upperville was the lead-line class when she was 2 or 3 years old, and she has been showing under the oaks every year since her competitive career began taking flight.
“My mom likes to joke that Joe Fargis asked me what bit my pony had, but I could barely speak,” she laughed. “It feels great to be here in my community, with all the people I grew up with, my best friends, and even my former schoolteachers.”
Of her equine partner, a 12-year-old Belgian warmblood mare, she said, “Ninja is really peaking right now, and the past few shows she has tried to win. My goal here was, of course, to win, but I am happy with the result. It’s so nice for me to have a horse like her.”
Nayel Nassar’s third-place finish capped off a solid week for him and his partner of eight years, Coronado.
“He’s been an incredible horse for me and my career, as a multiple 5* winner,” Nassar explained. “He’s been a little injury riddled the past couple of seasons, but we have been able to manage it and I am so pleased that he gave me the feeling he did today! He’s a real trier and I feel like I’m dialing him back in now.”
The show experienced a weather delay late in the morning, but the riders agreed that the footing held up tremendously well despite the torrential downpour.
“We had a lot of rain, but the footing was great and so was the competition,” Nassar said. “This was my first time here and I’ll definitely be back.”
Coles agreed, saying, “The footing was incredible. It couldn’t have been better after all of that rain!”
Vale, who has won the Upperville Jumper Classic multiple times when it was held on grass, said, “I haven’t been here in a while. The new arenas have really revived the show, from the number of entries to more international riders to more spectators. The crowd is bigger and even more into it. It’s a modern facility now and the horses appreciate it.”
The Upperville Colt & Horse Show, established in 1853, is the oldest horse show in the United States. Today, it blends deep equestrian heritage with elite sport, attracting Olympic-caliber athletes and horses from across the globe. The $200,000 FEI 4* Upperville Jumper Classic marked the culmination of a weeklong series of Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) sanctioned classes at the show, which is held annually in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Sponsors of the 2025 Upperville Colt & Horse Show include presenting sponsor MARS Equestrian™, Ethel M. Chocolates®, Koons Motors, Michael and Wendy Smith, Lugano Diamonds, The Salamander Collection, B&D Builders, Markel Insurance, and Delta Air Lines.
For full results, visit upperville.com.
Photos courtesy of Erin Gilmore Photography.
Posted on: June 10, 2025