©ESI Photography. Sarah Segal and Ubris claim the $30,000 SmartPak Wild Card Grand Prix.
SAUGERTIES, NY (September 5, 2014) – Sarah Segal was looking forward to her debut in the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix, but is $9,000 more confident going into it now. With her appearance in the Triple Crown of Show Jumping’s final leg secure, the $30,000 SmartPak Wild Card Grand Prix win with Chartwell’s Ubris was the cherry atop her HITS Championship.
“It’s a big class Sunday, but good to win a grand prix when you have the opportunity, and I didn’t hold back,” said Segal, who topped an eight-horse jump-off with the 10-year-old Holsteiner mare. “She [Ubris] has a big stride and I felt good about our chances going into the ring.”
While most jump-off contenders were careful with Danny Foster’s [Milton, Ontario] track, Segal [New York, New York] was honest about taking risks. “She’s [Ubris] so honest and has a special talent for picking up fences on an angle,” Segal noted.
The duo returned fourth to face the short course and bumped Jonathan McCrea’s Great American Time to Beat of 54.30 seconds from contention. Her time of 49.91 seconds stood after four more rides. “We approached the skinny vertical halfway through the course and others were backing off for a direct approach. I didn’t have to,” said the 29-year-old, who trains with Olympic Gold Medalist Chris Kappler. “Having Chris on my team gives me confidence – he’s gone everywhere and done everything. He knows just when to be tough and when to be supportive.”
One of the four remaining in the Wild Card was Jill Henselwood [Oxford Mills, Ontario] and Quidam Blue– a new mount for the Canadian rider, owned by Equitop and Juniper Farms. The nine-year-old stallion carried her to a clear round in 52.14 seconds for the red ribbon. “He has been moving up and continues to jump brilliant rounds, so we are looking ahead at the Canadian Pan Am and Olympic teams,” said Henselwood.
A regular in the HITS $1 million classes, Henselwood will watch from the sidelines this year. “We’ve been getting good results and opportunities like this don’t come along all the time, but I’ve seen the jumps and my horse isn’t quite ready to step up yet,” she said. She won’t be missing all the action, however, and will coach fellow Canadian rider Elizabeth Gingras on S & L Elite for S & L Farms.
Julie Welles [Wellington, Florida] and Twan, owned by Stephex Stables and Missy Clark, took third with a clear time of 53.18 seconds, while McCrea [East Windsor, Connecticut] and Aristotles V settled in fourth for Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables. Laura Chapot [Neshanic Station, New Jersey] and Mary Chapot’s ISHD Dual Star rounded out the top five as the fastest of four-fault rides.
Segal maintains she had high hopes for Sunday before today’s win, but more than ready now. “The mare is new to this level but has to get her feet wet and if everything goes our way… we might just have a shot,” she said with a smile.
With coast-to-coast qualifying complete, the Zoetis Million will take the stage Sunday, September 7 at 2 pm and available worldwide via live webcast, presented in cooperation with HRTV, iEquine.com and A Good Show. Tune in at HRTV.com or iEquine.com.
To watch a replay of the class, click here.
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