Large 3rd party pdf file with drop shadows on vector grass blades.

We receive 3rd party files quite often. We don't send them straight to print without checking them first. Received a particular troublesome one yesterday that I'd like to find out exactly how it was done wrong.

4fth x 8ftw "banner" in pdf format. Import to coreldraw and it takes forever to come in. I see along the bottom of the banner a row of grass approx 4" high. Each blade of grass is vector with various shades of green. I see also the each blade has it's own drop shadow. Here's where the trouble is. Each shadow is 4'x8' and 300dpi.That's over 450 shadows images @ 300dpi! WTH! The shadows should only be slightly larger than the blades of grass not 4x8. I tried to replicate this using both corel & illustrator but each time I save as pdf the shadows DO NOT BECOME 4x8! I assumed the file was produced with illustrator but maybe it wasn't at all.

Thoughts or insight?

p.s. I got what I needed from the file. Turns out I only needed the vector logo and for whatever reason, probably lack of design skills, the client sent this full "banner" layout. 

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