Category Archives: Competitions

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

McLain Ward Wins His Fourth Grand Prix of the Season at HITS-on-the-Hudson and Inches Closer to Pfizer Million Rider Rankings

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© ESI Photography. Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward captures his fourth victory of the season at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix aboard Antares F.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 6, 2011) — For the fourth time this year, McLain Ward led the victory gallop in the Strongid C 2X Stadium beating out 51 starters to take home the blue in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York. This time around, Ward’s win came aboard Grant Road Partners LLC’s Antares F.

Ward, of Brewster, New York, is no stranger to winning at HITS-on-the-Hudson. In addition to being the reigning Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix champion, he won the first $50,000 Grand Prix of the season during opening week aboard his own Oh’ D Eole. He followed that with two more wins during Week II, in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix aboard Blue Chip Bloodstock’s Domino, and again two days later aboard Oh’ D Eole in the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, both presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

International Course Designer Bernardo Cabral of Portugal is in charge of putting riders to the test this week and preparing them for Sunday’s $100,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Sunday’s summer finale promises to be a real game changer for many riders, including Ward, looking to break into the Top 40 Pfizer Million Rider Rankings.

Friday’s line up was packed with High-Performance heavy weights, so it was no surprise to see 15 riders advance to the jump-off. Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, New Jersey was second to show in the jump-off and quickly went to work making it all the way around the course without any faults in a time of 39.040 seconds to set the Great American Time to Beat aboard Mary Chapot’s Umberto. In the end, Chapot finished the class in third place.

Continue reading McLain Ward Wins His Fourth Grand Prix of the Season at HITS-on-the-Hudson and Inches Closer to Pfizer Million Rider Rankings →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Christina Kelly and Creata Van Ten Biesen Win High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Christina Kelly and Creata Van Ten Biesen won the High Junior/ Amateur-Owner Jumper class at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 5, 2011 – There was nothing but sunshine at the Kentucky Horse Park for the third day of the Kentucky Summer Classic. Today, talented horse and rider combinations competed at the Rolex Stadium during the High and Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper classes. Taking home the blue ribbon in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class was Christina Kelly aboard Creata Van Ten Biesen, posting the target time for the jump-off as the first duo to compete in the class. Michael Murphy mirrored her success aboard Ultrafox in the Low Junior Jumper class, claiming the blue with no pair coming near his jump-off time.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela used the many of the same obstacles from last night’s $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class today in the Rolex Stadium. The obstacles included a liverpool, two vertical-oxer double combinations, and a vertical-vertical double combination. For the jump-off, riders began with a single vertical bending to a single oxer bending to the vertical with a turn to a single oxer. Riders then faced the vertical-oxer combination with a left rollback to the single oxer finishing the jump-off with the yellow-and-white-striped vertical.

Twenty-four horse and rider combinations attempted the first round in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers; however, sixteen succeeded into the jump-off with an amazing eleven riders going double clean. Christina Kelly was the first to do so with Creata Van Ten Biesen, owned by Diamond Edge Farm of Nicholasville, KY, setting the jump-off target time from the start at 36.864 seconds.

“It felt great to be the first one in, I was hoping she would get into the jump-off, and once she did, we just went fast and clear,” described Kelly. “It was intense watching everyone try and get our time; one girl was really close and I was a little bit nervous, but it worked out and I was so happy to win!”

Continue reading Christina Kelly and Creata Van Ten Biesen Win High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic →

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

HITS-on-the-Hudson V Week in Review

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HITS Saugerties sells out as exhibitors flock to the Hudson Valley for the very best in summer showing, Pfizer Million and Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Qualifiers produce new riders for the Rankings, and a fun filled weekend awaits for Week VI

© ESI Photography. Ellen Toon and Invincible on course in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 5, 2011) — Barns were full, rings hosted non-stop action and entries were sold out for Week V at HITS-on-the-Hudson as almost 2,000 horses docked at the show grounds, making HITS Saugerties their summer home. Week V featured two more chances to qualify for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and one opportunity for riders to gain points toward the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, both scheduled for the weekend of September 10-11, 2011 at HITS-on-the-Hudson.

Riders race to qualify
Ellen Toon picked up her fifth $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix and sealed her place at the top of the current Diamond Mills Rider Rankings with a victory in Saturday’s class aboard her own Invincible. The win gave Toon the hat trick, marking her third Devoucoux blue of the season. Six new riders, including Toon, made their way onto the eligible Diamond Mills Rider Rankings during Week V in Saugerties as only three qualifiers remain before the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final highlights Pfizer Million weekend September 10-11 in Saugerties, New York.

Also winning big this week was High-Performance rider Todd Minikus and Candy Tribble & Windsor Stables’ Sweetheart. They captured their first win together in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and went on to sweep the weekend, riding to victory in Sunday’s $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

Continue reading HITS-on-the-Hudson V Week in Review →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

British Pip the Irish in Dublin Duel

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Great Britain won the seventh leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 in Dublin, Ireland today. Pictured (L to R): Michael Whitaker, Robert Smith, Chef d'Equipe Rob Hoekstra, Nick Skelton and Scott Brash. Photo: FEI/Tony Parkes.

Dublin (IRL), 5 August 2011 – The British pipped their old rivals from Ireland in the seventh leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show in Dublin, Ireland today.  Just a week after the exciting jump-off at Hickstead (GBR) in which Germany won through, it came down to yet another three-round thriller with Nick Skelton going head-to-head with Billy Twomey.  And Skelton was in a class of his own as he steered Carlo home to clinch it for the British for the 25th time in the 85-year history of the event.

Belgium and France finished joint-third, while the USA slotted into fifth ahead of Germany.  The long-time league leaders from The Netherlands had a less successful day today when having to settle for seventh place, and Denmark came in last.  It was an improved performance from the Danes however.  Although they may be making an early departure from the top-level series at the end of their inaugural season, they will be stronger for the experience, and they have shown great courage and resilience throughout.

The countries really feeling the heat at the end of today’s classic clash were the Belgians and Americans, because only two points separate them on the league table going into the final leg in Rotterdam (NED) in three weeks’ time.  One of them is likely to join the Danes as the two lowest-placed teams on the FEI Nations Cup 2011 leaderboard are relegated to the FEI Promotional League at the end of the series.

LOST THEIR MOMENTUM
The French held sway on a zero score at the halfway stage this afternoon, but they lost their momentum when all four riders produced single errors second time out.  Alan Wade’s course proved plenty testing, with the triple combination at fence seven, the following vertical with water-tray, and the tricky planks all claiming a number of victims.  Britain’s Michael Whitaker explained, “Yes the combination was difficult, a triple bar to vertical to oxer, and it was tight in there, and then it was a short six to the water tray vertical.  It was a really good course, plenty difficult,” he pointed out.

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

USEF Names FEI World Pair Driving Championship Team, Nominated Entry Submitted for FEI World Pony Driving Championships

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the following drivers to represent the United States at the two driving World Championships set to take place over the next two months.

The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championships will take place in Conty, France August 24-28, 2011, and the three drivers who will represent the U.S. with pairs of horses will be:

Kathi Dancer (Woodside, CA)
Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL)
Joe Yoder (Aiken, SC)

Alternates:

Lisa Singer (Chadds Ford, PA)
Alan Aulson (Georgetown, MA)

The USEF also named the Nominated Entry for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships which will be held in Lipica, Slovenia September 22-25, 2011.

Continue reading USEF Names FEI World Pair Driving Championship Team, Nominated Entry Submitted for FEI World Pony Driving Championships →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk Go Double Clear to Win $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk won the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.

Lexington, KY – August 4, 2011 – It was a beautiful night at the Kentucky Horse Park as the nation’s top horses and riders gathered at the Rolex Stadium to compete in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Classic. Venezuela’s Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk proved to be the best of the best, topping the two-horse jump-off with the only double clear effort. Lauren Tisbo was the first to tackle the short course with Coco 135, and their four-fault round netted them the second place prize.

Tonight’s class was the fourth of seven grand prix events that make up the Hagyard Challenge Series, sponsored by Hagyard Medical Institute and presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Following the final event in the series, a cash prize of $45,000 will be awarded to the rider accumulating the most points throughout the series for the Leading Rider Bonus.

Twenty-eight riders challenged tonight’s opening track, which was designed by Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela. For the first round, the competitors had to show over a triple bar, a liverpool, two vertical-oxer double combinations, and a vertical-vertical double combination. The end of the course proved to be the most difficult, causing many riders to incur costly penalties and elimination from the jump-off. Fence ten was a liverpool oxer off of a sharp right turn, followed by a steady five strides to the vertical-vertical double combination, and the course ended with a wide oxer just past the gate. Twelve horses had rails at fence 10, while 14 horses lowered the height of a fence in the double combination, and six then went on to add four faults to their score at fence 12.

“I walked the course and I talked to Leopoldo, and it walked quite technical and careful, not huge, but a careful course,” explained tonight’s winner Angel Karolyi. “I took my time. The time allowed wasn’t super tight, so I just made sure that I did a nice track. James T Kirk knows his job and is getting experienced; he jumped very well here in May.”

Continue reading Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk Go Double Clear to Win $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Summer Classic →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Evan Coluccio Pilots Batman to the Win in Medium Performance Hunters at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Evan Coluccio and Batman at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 4, 2011 – The skies stayed blue with sunshine shining down on the Kentucky Horse Park for the second day of the Kentucky Summer Classic. The best horse and rider combinations competed for top honors during their respective divisions in the Stonelea Ring for the First Year Green Working Hunters, Second Year Green Working Hunters, High Performance Hunters and Medium Performance Hunters.

Today in the First Year Green Working Hunters division, Havens Schatt, did not disappoint aboard Macallan, owned by Tracy Scheriff-Muser of Wellington, FL, as they claimed the championship prize. The duo earned a first place ribbon and a third place ribbon during yesterday’s classes as well as a second place ribbon and a fourth place ribbon today. “Macallan was really good today, I was a little nervous when I was schooling him because he felt lazy,” explained Schatt. “He has such a great time doing the handy, he came through today for me, especially since he is so scopey and easy to get to the jumps.”

Bel Canto, piloted by Sarah Young and owned by Sarah Rubenstein of St. Louis, MO, took home the reserve championship award during the First Year Green Working Hunter. Yesterday the pair earned a second place ribbon and a fourth place ribbon. Today they followed with a strong conclusion earning them a first place ribbon and a fourth place ribbon, garnering the reserve champion tricolor.

Holly Orlando and Sailor’s Valentine, owned by Westerly Farm of Unionville, PA, won the Second Year Green Working Hunters championship award. The consistent duo took home the blue ribbon prize in all four of the classes, as well as the under saddle. “Normally the handy is one of our better rounds because he definitely is a handy horse with how easily he will turn inside and slice jumps,” described Orlando. “My plan for the handy ended up giving me a little bit more horse than I needed, but he pulled through, and we are taking everything as a learning experience.”

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Draw, Round 7, Dublin

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FRENCH WILL BE PATHFINDERS AT PENULTIMATE LEG IN DUBLIN TOMORROW by Louise Parkes

FEI Director Press Relations, Grania Willis, and Pat Hanly, Show Director at the draw for order-of-go at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show in Dublin, Ireland yesterday. Photo: FEI/Tony Parkes.

Dublin (IRL), 4 August 2011 – The French are drawn first to go in tomorrow’s crunch leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 series at the Discover Ireland Horse Show in Dublin, Ireland.  It’s getting down to the wire with just one more leg remaining following the Irish fixture, and the draw took place this morning at the gracious Royal Dublin Society showgrounds which is widely recognised as the birth-place of the sport of show jumping.

The order-of-go is as follows: 1, France; 2, The Netherlands; 3, Belgium; 4, Denmark; 5, USA; 6, Great Britain; 7, Ireland; 8, Germany.

The host nation is not under great pressure, as the Irish are lying comfortably third on the series league table which is headed by The Netherlands followed by Germany, while the British are in fourth. But there’s nothing quite like the expectation of the Dublin crowd.  As team manager Robert Splaine acknowledged today, “The last time we won at home was in 2004, and the Aga Khan Cup is one of the most coveted trophies in the world – we want to do well tomorrow and give the home spectators something to cheer about, and we’ll be going out there to give it a try!”

NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY
The pathfinders from France however are amongst the four nations occupying the lower end of the FEI Nations Cup league table, and the double-champions have no room for complacency going into tomorrow’s competition. Denmark has picked up only eight points from the previous six rounds, and seems destined for a return to the Promotional League in 2012, but just 4.5 points separates the French, winners in 2009 and again last season, from the Americans who are in second-last place behind Belgium.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

USEF National Junior Hunter Championship Continues

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©ESI Photography. Lillie Keenan rode to victory for the second time in Tuesday's $4,000 Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under Classic Round aboard Madison.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 3, 2011) – On Tuesday, the USEF National Junior Hunter Championship – East Coast at HITS-on-the-Hudson welcomed Junior equestrians to the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium for the first phase of competition. Riders vied for individual Champion awards as well as Wild Card Berths in September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.

Riders in Small Junior 15 and Under, Large Junior 15 and Under, Small Junior 16-17, and Large Junior 16-17 completed the first two phases of the three-phase format on Tuesday. The initial standings were established after the scores from a $4,000 Classic Hunter Round, worth 40% of the overall score, were then coupled with the scores of the $2,000 Under Saddle Phase, worth 20% of the overall score. After the third and final phase, the top ten overall in each section will be pinned, and the champion rider of each section will receive a Wild Card Berths for September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.

Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under

Lillie Keenan of New York, New York aboard Don Stewart’s Confidential established a strong hold on the top spot of the overall rankings in the Small Juniors 15 and Under, winning both the Classic Round with a score of 88 and the Under Saddle with an impressive 92.

“My goal is to qualify for the [Diamond Mills] $500,000 [Hunter Prix] Final and winning the Wild Card would be great,” said Keenan, who trains with Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm. “I would love to show Confidential in the Hunter Prix Final. He is so much fun to ride and the class will be a great match for us.”

Continue reading USEF National Junior Hunter Championship Continues →

Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi and Galant Speed to Victory in 1.40m Open Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Angel Karolyi and Galant won the 1.40m Open Jumpers at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.

Lexington, KY – August 3, 2011 – Early thunderstorms could not stop the exciting jumper action in the Rolex Stadium for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Classic at the Kentucky Horse Park. This afternoon, riders had the opportunity to compete in the 1.40m Open Jumper speed class and the 1.35m Open Jumpers. Angel Karolyi led the way in the 1.40m Open Jumpers aboard long-time partner Galant, while Michael Morrissey sped to victory in the 1.35m Open Jumpers, completing the fastest double clear effort with Vorst.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela designed today’s technical tracks in the Rolex Stadium. For the 1.40m speed class, riders had to show over a wall fence, a liverpool, an oxer-vertical double combination, and a vertical-oxer double combination. Only six horse and rider combinations were able to be speedy and tidy, leaving all the rails intact and tripping the timers without fault.

Christian Heineking was the first on course during today’s 1.40m Open Jumper speed class, and he set the pace with a clean effort in 77.187 seconds aboard NKH Barbosa, who would eventually place fifth. Michael Tokaruk quickly upped the ante with a fault-free round in 74.409 seconds riding Gama Righter Z, and eventually taking home the fourth place award.

Angel Karolyi and Galant, owned by McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, were only the third horse and rider combination to enter the ring during today’s 18-horse competition, but they easily jumped to the top of the leaderboard. The talented rider guided his nimble mount over each obstacle, and with each rail intact they crossed the finish line in 70.183 seconds to eventually earn the winning title.

Continue reading Angel Karolyi and Galant Speed to Victory in 1.40m Open Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic →