©ESI Photography. Aaron Vale and Dress Balou claim the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.
SAUGERTIES, NY (September 8, 2014) – Don Stewart called Aaron Vale 18 days ago and told him he had a horse Vale could win the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final with. Two weeks later Stewart’s premonition was spot on and his five-year-old gelding, in Vale’s steady hands, landed them a $150,000 check.
“When I got the call from Don and went to sit on the horse [Dress Balou], I wasn’t sure he was the ride for me. He’s young and still in the ‘when you pull right I drift left’ stage,” said Vale [Williston, Florida] of the mount Stewart purchased from Kyle Dewar in April.
After a week’s worth of preparatory rounds during HITS Saugerties VII, Vale and Dress Balou set foot in the Outside Course to take a chance on $500,000. “I knew the jump would be there – his jump is always beautiful – but wasn’t sure he had the experience,” added Vale.
After a poetic performance in Friday’s first round, both panels of judges awarded scores of 93. “They were breathtaking,” said Stewart. “For judges who have never seen this horse before, it was impressive to earn such scores.”
Saturday however, wasn’t all smooth sailing for Vale and Dress Balou. A stumble after the first fence visibly shook horse and rider. But scores in the 80s kept the pair alive and guaranteed an appearance in the top 25 on Championship Sunday.
After scores were cleared from the previous two rounds on Sunday, riders were welcomed to a clean slate. “When I saw the ring Sunday morning thought my little horse was in way over his head,” said Stewart. “But Aaron instills confidence in every horse he rides. No one else could have done what he did with this horse.”
When called upon, Dress Balou rose to the occasion and carried Vale to top scores in both the third and fourth rounds on Sunday. Their overall 555 sent them straight to the winner’s circle after scores in the 90s from all three panels. While now confident in the young horse, Stewart and Vale weren’t always so sure.
“Balou looked special but I didn’t commit to buying him right away,” said Stewart. “It was the most money I’ve spent on a horse at that level, but I took a chance and it paid off today.”
Remarkably, second behind Vale was Amanda Steege [Bedminster, New Jersey] and Dress Balou’s half-brother Balou. They returned to familiar territory in the Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final and landed on a combined score of 544. “I was third two years ago and love the format of this class no matter where I sit coming into the final two rounds,” said Steege of the fresh start presented in the third and fourth rounds. “Balou’s track record is that something usually goes terrible wrong on Friday and I have to put up an amazing score to make it to Sunday. This year we were second going into Saturday.”
Steege and Balou have a storied history, and won the $25,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala last winter. They reunited a month ago when Balou came to Steege from owner Lisa Arena Davis with the Diamond Mills Hunter Prix as their fall goal. “Lisa is pregnant, so Balou has been on maternity leave and we decided this would be his next big event,” she added.
Junior rider Hunter Holloway [Topeka, Kansas] was fourth in the 2013 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final and crept closer to the top this year riding Lyons Creek Bellini to third for owners Hays Investment Corp. Their final score was 536.
Patricia Griffith [New York, New York] has tasted big-money glory before after a win in 2012, but settled for fourth this year with new ride Black Label, owned by Maxwell Levy. “I think the horses jumped better this year than any year in the past – the courses were great, rings remarkable and the event impressive,” she said after finishing four points out of third on a 532.
With high-stakes hunter competition a clear favorite at the HITS Championship, HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri confirmed the classes are in Saugerties to stay. “If you don’t have hunters, it can’t be a true American Championship and what we saw this week was just that. I’m proud to host and say the riders at the top are some of our best clients,” he said. “This class is unique because riders only have one shot on one horse. The result was exciting competition all the way around.”
Kimberly Maloomian Wins One for Mom
“The horse belongs to my mom, the check to my mom – I’m just here for the ride,” said Kimberly Maloomian [Needham, Massachusetts] after she and Urlala jumped to the win in the Platinum Performance $250,0000 Hunter Prix Final.
Kimberly and Urlala, the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood owned by Terri Maloomian, have been to the HITS Championship before but this year they put all the pieces into place.
“When the word ‘Final’ is attached to anything I get instant nerves,” Kimberly said. “The last two years, problem lead changes have kept us from the top. But, we worked it out this time.”
Maloomian, who trains with Mitch and Amanda Steege, qualified for the Platinum Performance Final showing at HITS Ocala and HITS Saugerties. After finding success in Florida, she and Urlala traveled north to practice on the bank that makes the Outside Course at HITS-on-the-Hudson a nod to the traditional hunt. “Urlala never has trouble, but I needed to be confident,” she said.
The pair certainly displayed confidence during the first two rounds of competition, finishing second in round one and third in two. “I just wanted to get to the final and have fun,” said Maloomian, after returning first in the fourth and final round. “Even if we aren’t in the lead, I like going first in the order. Then everybody has to catch me,” she added.
Catch her they could not, however. With only a half point separating the top four scores after the third round, competition promised to be rich in the final. But a 171 easily topped the leader board and handed Maloomian the blue, along with $75,000 in prize money.
Haleigh Landrigan [Marstons Mills, Massachusetts] experienced her fair share of success this winter at HITS Ocala, winning four $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix qualifiers. She quickly became a top contender at her first-ever HITS Championship. Five points off the lead in the final round, she and Tegan Elizabeth Treacy’s Winston finished second.
“I rehabbed this horse after an injury,” said Landrigan. “To see him come full circle like this is amazing – I’m lucky to have been able to spend so much time getting to know him. I think it helped.”
Kendall Fately [Basking Ridge, New Jersey] and her own Magnetic finished third, while Sara McCloskey [Pound Ridge, New York] was fourth aboard her own Austin.
A first-year sponsorship for Platinum Performance, representative Emily Smith admits she immediately embraced the opportunity. “I grew up showing in the hunters and we focus a lot on the jumpers at Platinum Performance, so I didn’t think twice about sponsoring something I am personally passionate about,” she said. “I was lucky enough to watch all the qualifiers in Ocala, Culpeper and Saugerties, so to see the culmination was an once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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