Tag Archives: Caitlin Hope

Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Caitlin Hope and Total Touch Hit the Target to Win the $15,000 McElvain Energy Welcome Stake

July 19, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Caitlin Hope and Total Touch.

Parker, CO – July 18, 2013 – The $15,000 McElvain Energy Welcome Stake was the highlight of the day in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO. The Colorado Horse Park’s scenic views of distant mountains paired with blue skies and gentle breezes set the stage for an ideal day of show jumping competition at Summer in the Rockies VI.

International Course designer Danny Foster built a large, challenging course appropriate for the final week of the Summer in the Rockies circuit.

“I’ve known him (Foster) since I first started going to Calgary and he was riding on the Canadian team,” said Diane Carney, trainer of the winning rider, Caitlin Hope. “I thanked him for building a track that let the horses jump. It was fair – there was some careful, there was some width. There was variety in the fences. All of that is really great for keeping the horses sharp, and producing a riding contest, as we saw.”

“The jump-off was hard – it was long,” said John Pearce, the second place finisher aboard Chianto. “I left two strides out on the angle. I thought it was difficult.”

“It was a hard course,” said Daniela Stransky, who rides for the Step by Step Foundation with trainer Hector Florentino and earned third place aboard Twister. “I spoke to John Pearce and he said, ‘Just have fun.’ And I did.”

Of the 29 horse and rider combinations that tackled Foster’s course, 10 progressed the jump-off round. Of the 10, John Pearce and Forest View Farm’s Chianto were the first to complete the short course fault-free with a time of 44.409. Then Stransky and Twister, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farm, delivered a brilliant performance, leaving all the rails in their cups in a time of 48.467.

Next, Caitlin Hope and Total Touch, owned by Kathleen Hope, put in an incredibly fast and accurate performance that edged Pearce out of the first place position, stopping the timer at 43.806. Hope and Total Touch were second in the Welcome Stake during Summer in the Rockies V.

Sarah Tredennick returned on Page Tredennick’s Zenith Dance and also accomplished a double clear effort, timing in at 52.492, which landed the pair in fourth place.

“She rode great,” said Foster of Hope. “It was just how you hope those top stakes classes work out – the best rider of the day wins. I don’t think anybody would dispute that she rode fantastic.”

“You always hope that it is going to be your day,” said Hope. “And a lot of times you’re close to hitting the center of the target but you’re just right off the target. My horse Total Touch did some of the short turns back to the skinny and also the slice to the vertical. I tried really hard just to be smooth, starting with enough to the first jump so that everything showed up nicely.”

“I said to Caitie in the beginning, ‘This is going to be a jumping contest today,'” said Carney. “The riders are going to have to ride smooth and the horses are going to have to jump so I was extremely pleased and proud in how she rode and how she navigated the questions because Danny’s questions were hard today. They came out double clean with the win.”

“I wanted to be good on Chianto today and he needed to stretch his legs,” said Pearce of his longtime partner. “I made some nice turns on him but I didn’t really put the pedal to the metal on him today. I’m going to try to save him and keep him a little fresh for Saturday. Winning both classes is against the odds so it was a little bit strategy. He was great, though and so was the other horse, Johnny B Good. He was third string at the beginning of the circuit and he’s been doing some good things. He’s been clean in almost every grand prix.”

Pearce and Forest View Farm’s Johnny B Good ended up in fifth place and were the fastest four-faulters.

Third-place finisher Stransky looks forward to the future as she continues to improve. “I’m 17,” said Stransky. “I’m still young and I’m still learning. I beat my trainer (Florentino), so that’s fun. He’s my trainer – of course he wants me to do better than him.”

“You love to see these emerging riders take a top pro on like that and go head to head,” said Foster. “Some days John (Pearce) will beat them. These kids are proving that they are good enough that they can compete.”

“I’ve been in love with Twister. I got him a year ago,” Stransky said. “I call my horses my boyfriends because my dad doesn’t want me to have real boyfriends. So I’ll just have horses.”

“I’m not the easiest course designer; I know that,” said Foster. “I’m not trying to make life hard for them. I just want them to be better and better. I’m a born teacher. There is reward after so much is put in. We all know what a tough sport it is to succeed. There is so much losing and so much heartbreak. You can come out with 4 or 8 faults and feel like – wow! That was electric! In the end, this is who I am. This is what I do and I try to do.”

“At the Colorado Horse Park, the jumps are great and the footing is great,” added Foster. “You have every reason to succeed here. I am happy to be a part of it. They are making this a legitimate mid-summer competition venue. It wouldn’t surprise me if this becomes one of the major venues. Kentucky is one and this should be one. The weather is dependable. The climate is great.”

“We’re going to start coming here a lot,” said Stransky. “We like to come here because I like to meet new people, to compete against new people with good prize money. I love it here.”

The Colorado Horse Park Summer in the Rockies Fast Facts

What: Summer in the Rockies AA-Rated Hunter Jumper Show Series

Event Dates:

Summer in the Rockies I June 5-9, 2013
Summer in the Rockies II June 12-16, 2013
Summer in the Rockies III June 19-23, 2013
Summer in the Rockies IV July 3-7, 2013
Summer in the Rockies V July 10-14, 2013
Summer in the Rockies VI July 17-21, 2013

Prize List:

Click here for an online version of the prize list. For a hard copy of the prize list, please e-mail prizelist@cohorsepark.com with your name, address and phone number and specify which prize list you would like (spring/fall or summer).

Entries:

Mail to The Colorado Horse Park, 7522 South Pinery Drive, Parker, CO 80134 or fax to (303) 841-7879. Opening date for Stall Reservations: April 1, 2013. Closing date May 20, 2013.

Contact Information:

Pat Boyle, Show Manager                          (847) 274-6834
Brian Curry, Show Manager                        (303) 918-2908
Show Office                                                 (303) 841-7461
Show Office Fax                                          (303) 841-1419
Colorado Horse Park Main Office                (303) 841-5550
Colorado Horse Park Main Office Fax         (303) 841-7879

Tentative Schedule:
Wed – Sun: Show starts daily at 8 a.m. unless otherwise noted

Directions:

Address: 7375 E Bayou Gulch Rd, Parker, CO 80134

From North: I-25S exit Ridgegate Parkway – go east under the freeway. Ridgegate Parkway to S. Chambers Road, approx 3 miles (Traffic light) – turn right/south onto Chambers Road. At end of Chambers Road turn left/east onto Hess Road. Hess Road to Parker Road/Hwy 83 – turn right/south onto Hwy 83 approx 4 miles to Bayou Gulch Road. (Traffic light). Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

From South: I-25N, exit Founder’s Parkway. Founder’s Parkway to Highway 86, approx 4 miles (traffic light). Turn east/left onto Hwy. 86 to Franktown/Hwy 83. At Franktown go north on 83 approx. 7 mi. to Bayou Gulch Rd. (Traffic light), turn right/east onto Bayou Gulch Rd. Follow signs to Colorado Horse Park.

About the Colorado Horse Park

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the Colorado Horse Park was founded by visionary Helen Krieble who acknowledged the need for a high-volume horse show and horse boarding facility to serve Colorado. The Colorado Horse Park welcomes more than 75,000 visitors per year and hosts over 40 competitions annually. CHP features a derby arena designed by Olympic-designer Linda Allen and a cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor and eventing super-star James Atkinson. There are 300 permanent stalls with capacity for more than 1,000 stalls.

The picturesque property, located only minutes from the town of Parker, hosts international equestrian events in multiple disciplines. Visitors enjoy the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountain surroundings and access to miles of trails and open space. The Colorado Horse Park is committed to supporting equestrian education and amateur athletics, preserving open space, fundraising for local charities and supporting the community.

Carrie Wirth for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
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www.phelpsmediagroup.com

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Granato and Hope Go One-Two in the $15,000 Welcome Stake at Summer in the Rockies V

July 12, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Alex Granato and Gangsta.

Parker, CO – July 12, 2013 – Summer in the Rockies V continued at Colorado Horse Park with the $15,000 Welcome Stake as the highlight event of the day in the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena.

Brazilian course designer Anderson Lima built a challenging course requiring horse and rider to understand each other’s strengths. The course asked the riders to make the most productive choices and take advantage of time-saving options to come in under the tight time allowed. The course tested the best. An orange and yellow outside line triple combination going toward the in-gate (6A/B/C) tripped up many horse and rider teams, many at the “B” element.

Of the 31 horse and rider combinations, Hector Florentino and Liverpool, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farms, were the first to go clean and advance to the jump-off round. Nine rounds later, Alex Granato and his own Gangsta put in a fault-free round. Three rounds later, Maggie Jayne and Pony Lane Farm’s Manneken Du Cory joined the group headed to the jump-off.

Then, four horse and rider teams in a row left all the rails in their cups within the time allowed: Caitlin Hope and Kathleen Hope’s Total Touch, Hunter Holloway and Hays Investment’s Yolo, Matt Cyphert and his Lochivar, and Hector Florentino and his second ride of the class, Anemone’s Vicky, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farms.

Mark Mead and Balthazar, owned by Marianne Marshall put in, what appeared to be a faultless round, but incurred a single time penalty for being .607 over the time allowed.

The final horse and rider combination to progress to the short track was John Pearce and Forest View Farm’s Johnny B Good.

Florentino and Liverpool returned for the jump-off round and had a rail. Next, Granato and Gangsta put in an incredible clear and very fast performance, breaking the timer beam at 33.206. This put them in the lead, where they would stay to eventually win the class. The next pair to go double clear was Hope and Total Touch with a time of 36.136 earning them second place. Florentino and Anemone’s Vicky were the only other horse and rider team to be fault-free in the jump-off with a time of 37.851.

“I’ve had him just a little over three years now,” said Granato about Gangsta. “He’s been a great one. I stepped in with him after Charlie Jayne and have had a lot of fun with him right from the very beginning. He’s 13; he has a lot of fire and he has a lot of desire to do the job. He has a great attitude about the job.”

“In the first round I was a little worried because he was a little strong and he hasn’t done anything since the Prix last week,” he shared. “I had to take a little extra time in the first round to get him settled back. In the jump-off I lucked out a little bit but it worked out to our favor I let him take over and take on a good gallop and let him take hold of my hand and it worked out for us.”

Granato shared his thoughts on the 6 A/B/C combination that cost many of the horse and rider pairs a rail or two.

“A couple horses over-jumped ‘A’ a little bit and didn’t back up in time,” he said. “I was fortunate that I rode another horse earlier for Sarah Tredennick, so I got a good feel how the course rode. Through the triple usually he’s a little too bold through the vertical/vertical but he backed up and jumped it really well today.”

“I really think that thinking about time allowed made the difference for me,” said second-place finisher, Hope. “It is always one of the things I have to think about. My horse and I are a really good team. He knows what I like and he tries really hard for me. I think it had a lot to do with knowing your horse and what works well for you.”

“For instance, the outside line: some people did seven to six. I did six to five,” she explained. That’s something that works out well for my horse. My horse is very careful and pretty much if I stay out of his way, he does whatever he can to get his legs out of the way and it usually works.”

Hope, who trains with Diane Carney at Telluride Farm, is a junior at Lafayette College and has had Total Touch for four years. She doesn’t ride when she is away at school. She meets Carney at shows and just gets right back in the ring. She stays fit by going to the gym and running. During the school year Carney rides him and Richard Rinehart helps out.

“Going into the first round Diane wanted me to focus on the first three jumps – the five to the four and also the oxer at the in-gate, to get him turned and focused on the jump,” said Hope. For the second round we just wanted to be double clean and let the chips fall where they may. We have the Grand Prix this week also the High Junior Amateur Classic to look forward to, so we wanted to have a good class early in the week to set us up for the rest of the week. I think my horse is ready.”

“The course was fantastic and the class was competent,” said Carney. “There were 31 that could hit the center of the target. We were grateful to be part of the jump-off. Caitie and her horse, Total Touch, do a super job. They’re a match. We know the drill – our warm-up is the same every time. I say when she goes in the ring, ‘Focus on your straightness, focus on the time allowed, and let him jump clean,’ something that George (Morris) tells us to do all the time. I am very proud of them to be second in today’s class.”

This is Hope’s first time showing at the Colorado Horse Park.

“I really like it,” Hope said. “We’re here this week and next week and most likely, back in the future. I think the footing is great – my horse… it’s like a bouncing board for him so he really likes it.”

“I think the Colorado Horse Park is a special place to horse show,” said Carney. “I grew up in Colorado and certainly there wasn’t a place like this in the ‘70s. It is really a pleasure to be here. I haven’t been back to Colorado to show for about 20 years. The footing is great the maintenance of everything is fantastic.”