Aaron Vale continues his dominance at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show. He won the $7,500 Open Jumper Stake Thursday night to go with a number of victories earlier in the week.
Rachel Udelson, the runner-up on Thursday, called Vale the King of Roanoke. And it is hard to argue with that moniker.
Vale has won the last two Grand Prix finales to the Roanoke show and eleven overall. But it is more than winning that brings him back to Salem each year.
"It's a nice change of pace for our horses this time of year," Vale said. "It's just so different being in a small indoor as opposed to jumping outdoors at this time of year."
Vale said the crowd at the Civic Center is also a plus, "There's some atmosphere for the horses. It's good for young horses to get exposed to a little bit of energy that a crowd brings. It's just good things for the horses and the riders."
The 2012 Grand Prix begins at 8:30 Saturday night.
