Wellington, Fla. – Jan. 8, 2020 – Double H Farm opened its Wellington facility to the local community on Friday, Jan. 3, to host a clinic to benefit JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes research. Taught by Double H Farm’s head trainer Quentin Judge, the clinic featured various horse-and-rider pairs, each of whom were able to benefit from the international athlete’s experience while also contributing to the cause thanks to their participation. Additionally, proceeds from a raffle and silent auction were also donated to further add to the day’s generosity. The organizers of the day and Double H Farm’s close friends and vets, Dr. Leah Patipa and Dr. Axel Beccar Varela, orchestrated the day to support an organization that is close to their heart as their son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes one year ago at only three years old.
“My son was diagnosed almost one year ago, January 22, 2019, with type 1 diabetes,” Dr. Patipa explained. “Obviously my area of connection is in the horse world, but I wanted to figure out what I could do on my own to try and raise money towards research for a cure. Money shouldn’t be an inhibiting factor in having access to new technology. Two or three months ago, I called Quentin and asked him what he thought about doing a clinic to raise money for JDRF, and he said, ‘That’s a great idea, let’s do it.'”
Founded in 1970, JDRF is a non-profit organization focused on gaining funding for type 1 diabetes research in an effort to help eradicate the disease. This funding allows JDRF to not only conduct research, but also help advocate for government advancement for their research and new therapies. To date, JDRF has funded more than $2 billion in research projects. With these efforts, JDRF is working to help improve the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes, with a mission centered on finding a way to cure, prevent and treat the disease and its complications. By accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat type 1 diabetes and its complications, JDRF is improving lives today and tomorrow.
Dr. Patipa added, “I was very impressed with the event and we raised a ton of money in just a few hours. Everyone thought that Quentin was an amazing clinician and I received compliment after compliment. All of the vendors donated a percentage of their proceeds to JDRF as well, and we also hosted an online auction. We want to make it an annual event and make it even better next year! I cannot thank everyone enough that came together in support of the clinic, especially Quentin and Cayce. My son is only four years old, and I hope that in his lifetime they have some advancements that make his life as normal as possible.”
Judge’s clinic was divided into two different sessions based on height preferences. The morning session jumped .90m-1.0m in height, while the afternoon session jumped 1.10m-1.20m in height. For both groups, Judge catered to each horse and rider’s individual needs. Concepts like connecting with the horse for better control as well as the importance of straightness and rhythm were emphasized to each pair. With a keen eye for each horse-and-rider pair’s personal strength and weaknesses, Judge was able to provide useful advice and feedback to each rider to help better their skill sets. Emphasizing that the mastery of foundations is key to success, Judge implemented cavaletti, trot pole, and crossrail exercises before advancing to jump courses that challenged the participants to incorporate everything they had practiced.
“I have to thank everyone that contributed to our successful clinic, whether they rode, audited, or worked it. The day was a huge success and we had such a great time for a wonderful cause,” commented Judge. “JDRF is an organization that means a lot to my family, so we were proud to be able to help raise funds in our own way to further their mission and support their important work. I hope that the riders gained a lot from their experience and I looked forward to seeing each of them continue to progress in their abilities!”
For more information about JDRF, visit www.jdrf.org.
Samuel Parot Victorious in $34,000 ATCO Energy Solutions Cup; Andres Rodriguez Wins $34,000 PwC Cup
Calgary, AB, Canada – July 1, 2015 – The 2015 ‘North American’ Tournament CSI 5* at Spruce Meadows featured an impressive line-up of show jumping on Wednesday. USA’s Quentin Judge and HH Whisky Royale began the day with a win in the $50,000 Aon Cup 1.55m, Chile’s Samuel Parot and Couscous van Orti jumped to victory in the $34,000 ATCO Energy Solutions Cup 1.50m, and Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguez and Fifty Fifty 111 were victorious in the $34,000 PwC Cup 1.50m.
Continuing through Sunday, July 5, the ‘North American’ Tournament boasts $1.3 million in prize money across 14 FEI events throughout the week. Highlights include the $400,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Saturday and the $210,000 Cenovus Energy Classic Derby on Sunday.
Spain’s Santiago Varela is the course designer in the International Ring for ‘North American’ competition. Varela began Wednesday morning with 55 entries in the $50,000 Aon Cup 1.55m and a win for Quentin Judge aboard Double H Farm’s HH Whisky Royale, a ten-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Wonderful van’t Beugelhof x Kannan). The pair topped a ten-horse jump-off with the fastest of four double clear rounds.
Reed Kessler (USA) was the first rider to clear the short course, finishing in a time of 42.36 seconds riding Kessler Show Stables’ Cylana to eventually place third. Meagan Nusz (USA) jumped the fourth place round with Amalaya Investments’ SRI Aladdin in 42.85 seconds. Judge then jumped into the lead aboard HH Whisky Royale in 41.41 seconds. Last to go, Hardin Towell (USA) took the second place prize with his time of 41.69 seconds riding Jennifer Gates’ Emilie de Diamant AS.
Wednesday’s win marks the second time that Judge has won the first competition in a CSI 5* tournament this summer. He also topped the first 1.55m competition of June’s ‘National’ Tournament aboard HH Copin van de Broy.
“I have been really lucky to win the first classes at these two tournaments,” Judge noted. “My horses really like this ring, so I just try to make a good plan for each week and put the right horses in the right competitions.”
Wednesday’s win also marks a significant moment in Judge’s partnership with HH Whisky Royale, who he has been riding for several years.
“This is definitely his biggest win,” Judge remarked. “This is only his third 1.55m. He was really good the first week here, finishing clear and with four faults in two 1.55m competitions. Now after two weeks off, he came right in and jumped this. It is really special for us because this is a horse that we have had a long time. He is a horse that maybe some people did not believe in when he was young because he was so big and so gawky, but he has really come a long way.”
Speaking of Whisky Royale’s powerful jumping style, Judge noted, “He is a huge horse and he has such a big stride. He kicks really hard over the jumps and it definitely took me a while to get used to that, but he gives you a very good feeling as a rider because you know you will pretty much never have a back rail down.”
HH Whisky Royale will jump again in Thursday’s $85,000 Progress Energy Cup 1.55m as Judge looks to continue his success throughout the ‘North American’ Tournament.
Parot Earns First Win at Spruce Meadows
Continuing Wednesday’s competition at Spruce Meadows, the $34,000 ATCO Energy Solutions Cup saw 38 entries compete over a 1.50m speed track set by course designer Santiago Varela. In his first trip ever to Spruce Meadows, Chile’s Samuel Parot jumped to victory aboard his own Couscous van Orti, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Nabab de Reve x Cash).
Samuel Parot and Couscous van Orti
The course saw twelve clear rounds in total, and the times got faster and faster. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) jumped an early clear round in 66.10 seconds with Sweet Oak Farm’s Easy Contact Humlan to eventually place third. Several rounds later, Conor Swail (IRL) upped the pace in 65.62 seconds with Ilan Ferder’s Viva Colombia to ultimately finish second. Richard Spooner (USA) was fast and clear with Show Jumping Syndication Intl’s Cristallo in 66.39 seconds to jump into fourth. Quentin Judge and Double H Farm’s HH Quator had a great round in 68.51 seconds to take fifth place. Parot immediately followed, speeding through the timers in 63.92 seconds for the win aboard Couscous van Orti.
“This is the first time I have come to Spruce Meadows and my first victory here,” Parot smiled after his win. “The first week (of the Summer Series) I had third place, fourth place, fifth place, and then I broke my clavicle on the last day of the first week. The second week I tried to jump, but it was not possible, the pain was too much. I waited two weeks and began again last week. It still hurt a little bit last week, but this week it was better.”
“It is super to win here. This is an unbelievable place – the people, the organization. I think Spruce Meadows and Aachen are the most important shows in the world and a win here is important,” Parot continued. “Here, you have the top riders in the world. A win is a win, but here it is very important.”
Parot is based in Wellington, FL for six months of the year and normally spends the rest of the year competing in Europe, but with the Pan American Games coming up in Toronto in July, he chose to make his first trip to Calgary. Parot has been named to the team that will compete for Chile in the Games, and Couscous is a horse that he bought as a possible mount just one month ago. Belgium’s Pieter Devos previously rode the gelding to great success and Parot looks forward to getting to know his new mount further in the coming weeks.
Rodriguez Races to Win PwC Cup
The final competition on Wednesday was the $34,000 PwC Cup 1.50m with a speedy win for Andres Rodriguez (VAN) and Arao Enterprises LLC’s Fifty Fifty 111. Juan Pablo Gaspar Albanez (MEX) and Felipe Gaspar’s Puertas So What were first to go and laid down a blazing fast time of 66.215 seconds that held on through 33 competitors for second place. Halfway through the order, Rodriguez and Fifty Fifty 111 stole the show with their winning time of 66.096 seconds.
Andres Rodriguez and Fifty Fifty 111
Rodriguez and the ten-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Action Breaker x Major de la Cour) also won on opening day of week one’s ‘National’ Tournament and the rider was thrilled with his horse’s consistency.
“It is amazing (to win again),” Rodriguez smiled. “This is the first day of one of the biggest competitions of the summer and it is amazing to win the same competition that I won four weeks ago. This is the third time the mare has been out this summer, and she has won two competitions and she also got a good ribbon in the derby, so it feels great.”
“She is getting a bit more accurate,” Rodriguez said of Fifty’s development this summer. “To have a horse that can come in the ring and win two out of three times, it is a great horse.”
“There were a lot of great horses in that competition today,” Rodriguez continued. “We had HH Carlos Z, we had Rosana du Park, some amazing horses and riders. When Juan Pablo Gaspar went in the beginning, I thought that he had won the class. We needed to take some risks to try to get his time. Then after I saw McLain (Ward) and Eric (Lamaze) going after Juan Pablo, and not being able to catch him, I knew we had to go all in. I missed one distance to the coin jump. I was thinking of doing eight strides, but I landed on the outside, so I did nine strides. Then I was trying towards the end to get the time back. I got a little bit of a flying distance to the one oxer at the end. That was a big risk, but I think that is where I got the time.”
“I knew coming in that if someone beat Juan Pablo, it was not going to be by much,” Rodriguez said of his narrow margin of victory. “He did not leave much in the ring. He did all of the distances the right way and he was in the right rhythm. It is very impressive for a kid to come here and just lay something down like that. For him to go first, not really knowing how the class was going to turn up, and put in a round like that was really good.”
Santiago Varela set some excellent tracks on Wednesday that were not only great for the horses and riders, but also great for the crowds that turned up to watch the competition while celebrating Canada Day.
“The courses today were really good,” Rodriguez acknowledged. “I thought the 1.55m was an amazing course. There were some big jumps, but everything rode very smooth, and I think both 1.50m courses were very good. I think the crowd liked it. The rounds were fast, and people were really trying. That is what a course designer is always trying to get: they want to entertain the crowd and get a good competition, and I think he achieved that today.”
The ‘North American’ Tournament continues on Thursday featuring the $85,000 Progress Energy Cup 1.55m, $34,000 Sun Life Financial ‘Reach for the Sun’ 1.50m, and the $34,000 Suncast Cup 1.50m.
For a complete tournament schedule and full results, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.
Calgary, AB, Canada – June 3, 2015 – Spruce Meadows kicked off its ‘National’ Tournament CSI 5*, presented by Rolex, on Wednesday with a full day of show jumping at the world-renowned venue in Calgary. The first day of competition saw wins for Quentin Judge (USA) and HH Copin van de Broy in the $34,000 Roadtrek Motorhomes Cup 1.55m, Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Rosana du Park in the $34,000 Back On Track 1.50m, and Andres Rodriguez (VEN) with Fifty Fifty 111 in the $34,000 Bantrel Cup 1.50m.
The ‘National’ Tournament is the first in five weeks of competition during this year’s Summer Series at Spruce Meadows. Riders will vie for nearly $1.2 million in prize money throughout the week, with competition concluding on Sunday, June 7. The highlight event will be the $400,000 RBC Grand Prix, presented by Rolex, on Saturday, June 6. Other features include the $85,000 ATB Financial Cup on Thursday, the $60,000 TransCanada Parcours de Chasse on Saturday, and the $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup 1.50m Derby on Sunday.
The course designer in the International Ring for the ‘National’ Tournament is Uliano Vezzani of Italy. Vezanni began Wednesday’s competition with the $34,000 Roadtrek Motorhomes Cup 1.55m and a win for Quentin Judge aboard Double H Farm’s HH Copin van de Broy. Judge and the 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Darco x Brownboy) topped a 15-horse jump-off out of 65 original starters. They completed the fastest of eight double clear efforts in 37.77 seconds.
Eric Lamaze and Artisan Farms LLC’s Powerplay set the pace to beat in 38.59 seconds, eventually ending second. Rich Fellers (USA) and Harry and Molly Chapman’s Flexible landed in third place with their time of 39.24 seconds.
“I was surprised we won to be honest because I saw Eric go and I thought he was pretty fast,” Judge remarked. “My original plan was not to try to win. I wanted to be in the top four or five to get qualified for Saturday’s grand prix, but McLain Ward who trains me said, ‘Go,’ so I did. My horse felt really good and really schooled all the way around.”
Egypt’s Sameh el Dahan completed the fastest jump-off round in 37.71 seconds just before Judge entered the ring, but a rail at the last fence put the rider in ninth place overall. Judge was able to watch his round, however, and knew what he had to do.
“I saw Sameh go and I saw that he was really fast to the last line, but I am a little superstitious, so I did not watch him do the last jump,” Judge admitted. “I knew Eric did eight strides from jump one to two. I saw everyone else do nine and I knew that my horse has a similar stride as Powerplay and could also do eight. From there I just tried to be quick to the Roadtrek oxer and back to the coins oxer and the last line. Then I just let him gallop to the last jump. I knew if I was neat enough I could really trust him to the last jump and it worked out.”
Judge started riding HH Copin van de Broy, just before Spruce Meadows last summer and felt good heading into this first competition knowing they already had experience in the International Ring together.
“I feel like our partnership has come a long way,” he acknowledged. “We got along pretty well from the beginning, but Spruce Meadows last year was really my first big international show with him, so I know him the best at this venue. The horse obviously likes it here, so I know that day one I can ask him to go and do his job.”
With a win under his belt, Judge has his sights set on Saturday’s grand prix and also looks forward to defending his title in the $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby, which he won last year aboard HH Dark de la Hart.
“This win gives me a big confidence boost,” Judge noted. “We all come here to Spruce Meadows trying to be guns loaded and ready to be competitive going into the first week. It gives me confidence that the plan I made coming up to this was right and my horses are ready to go. Having one win earlier in the week takes a little of the weight off my shoulders to be able to concentrate on the weekend.”
Lamaze Starts Out Strong
The next competition of the day was the $34,000 Back On Track 1.50m, which was held in a one round speed format. Thirteen out of 31 entries cleared the course, and Eric Lamaze completed the fastest clear round in 61.06 seconds for the win aboard Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stable’s Rosana du Park.
Just fractions of a second separated the top three, with Conor Swail (IRL) and Ariel and Susan Grange’s Grafton stopping the clock in 61.13 seconds to finish in reserve, and McLain Ward (USA) with Double H Farm’s HH Carlos Z finishing third in 61.60 seconds.
Eric Lamaze and Rosana du Park
Following his win, along with a second place finish in the first competition of the day, Lamaze commented on the great afternoon that kicked off the ‘National’ Tournament.
“The first day is always an important day,” he stated. “I love doing well here. It is fun. It doesn’t matter if the stands are full or empty; it is still a five-star. You get ranking points and you get good prize money, so I love competing.”
Lamaze and Rosana du Park had a fantastic winter jumping at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, with multiple wins. The ten-year-old Selle Francais mare (by Kannan) then placed on the Longines Global Champions Tour in Miami and continued on to good results competing in Antwerp and Rome.
“She is super. She is going to be a great horse,” Lamaze noted. “She can do a grand prix and she can do a speed competition. I love those horses. She can do both.”
Although the mare has been jumping very well, Lamaze was careful to put her in the right level to get things started on the grass field this week.
“She is usually very timid here on the grass, so that is why I chose that competition today,” Lamaze explained. “Last year it was too much for her almost; even the 1.45m and 1.50m felt too much. Carly Anthony rode her for me last year and then I took her over a little bit toward the end, but she felt very timid. She was still a fairly green horse that was very careful then. She was really holding herself up, but this year she feels really different. She really handled it beautifully. It is just a year later, more mileage, more everything, so I am very happy.”
Rodriguez Earns First International Ring Victory
International competition concluded on Wednesday with the $34,000 Bantrel Cup, held over a 1.50m speed track, with 46 starters and eight clear rounds. Tenth in the order, Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguez and Arao Enterprises LLC’s Fifty Fifty 111 sped to the lead in 63.92 seconds and held on to the end for their first win in Spruce Meadow’s International Ring.
Conor Swail was the runner up in 64.31 seconds with Susan Grange’s Simba de la Roque. Brazil’s Rodrigo Lambre was first to go and placed third overall with his time of 66.25 seconds riding Mario Onate’s Charielle.
Andres Rodriguez and Fifty Fifty 111
Rodriguez has owned Fifty Fifty 111, a ten-year-old Belgian Warmblood (Action Breaker x Major de la Cour), since the mare was five years old. He purchased the horse from Eric Lamaze and brought her up through the levels. ‘Fifty’ has continued to develop and Rodriguez started the season with the goal of competing her in the derbies at Spruce Meadows this summer. With a win on the field to start the Series, he looks forward to Sunday’s first derby competition.
“I really wanted to win a competition in the big ring this year. We brought ten horses and I brought a few good horses that I thought could do it. To win on the first day is an amazing feeling,” the rider said of his victory. “We have been training for the derby. It is actually going to be my first derby in my career, but we have practiced everything and the way she jumped today, if she keeps jumping like that Sunday might be a great day.”
“She just keeps developing and she keeps surprising me, so why not?” Rodriguez continued. “From that generation of horses born in 2005, I had six horses, and when they were seven we cut down to four. She was not the most talented of all of them, but the one thing she had was that she always wanted to do everything right. There were more talented horses in the pack, but she was always trying to produce clear rounds and she ended up being the best by far.”
Fifty Fifty 111 will now rest up for the derby on Sunday while Rodriguez competes his other top mounts. For the summer overall, his main goal is preparation for the Pan American Games that will qualify teams for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
“You can feel the Pan American ambience in Spruce Meadows right now. Everybody is trying to put their teams together here,” Rodriguez noted. “I think for the first time really the Venezuelan team is working together. We are all on the same page and we are all really trying. We agreed that the best plan was for all of us to go to Spruce Meadows together as a team to try to get our horses comfortable. We knew we were going to have good footing and good courses. It is the best training we can get before we go there. It is very important for us because Venezuela has never jumped as a team in an Olympic Games. For any athlete, the Olympics are as high as you can get, so we are really trying to make that happen.”
Also showing on Wednesday, Leslie Howard (USA) earned the first international win of the week in the All Canada Ring this morning. Howard guided her own and Peter Howard’s Lennox Lewis 2 to victory in the $8,000 Thompson Family Cup 1.45m, a one round speed course set by USA’s Anthony D’Ambrosio. Mexico’s Antonio Maurer finished second aboard Everado Coronado’s Portena. Brazil’s Rodrigo Lambre and Mario Onate’s Melbourne placed third.
The Spruce Meadows ‘National’ Tournament, presented by Rolex, continues on Thursday featuring the $34,000 ATCO Pipelines Cup 1.50m, the $34,000 Westmoreland Coal Cup 1.50m, and the $85,000 ATB Financial Cup 1.55m.
For a complete tournament schedule and full results, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.
Based in Calgary, Canada, Spruce Meadows is the creation of the Southern family who built a Show Jumping complex at the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. It was in 1976 that the first Spruce Tournaments were held, with annual spectator attendances reaching over 50,000 by the end of the decade. Today, Spruce Meadows boasts one of the greatest outdoor equestrian venues in the world and offers an incredible experience for riders and fans alike. Spruce Meadows focuses on the organization and hosting of show jumping tournaments of unmatched quality for junior, amateur and professional athletes in a manner that reflects basic family values in a clean, green and welcoming environment that celebrates the horse and encourages the breeding and training of quality sport horses and the teaching and development of athletes. For more information on Spruce Meadows, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.
Daniel Deusser and Cornet d’Amour at the 2014 CHIO Aachen. Photo copyright World of Show Jumping.
Wellington, FL – July 25, 2014 – The horses and riders of Double H Farm have had great success in the last few months competing on different continents around the world. Quentin Judge (USA) and McLain Ward (USA) had great wins at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB, Canada, while Daniel Deusser (GER) continued a fantastic summer in Europe, specifically excelling at the CHIO in Aachen, Germany. Ward also recently had a great win in Saugerties, NY.
Owned and operated by the Harrison family, Double H Farm has locations in Wellington, FL and Ridgefield, CT. With riders Quentin Judge, Cayce Harrison, McLain Ward, and Daniel Deusser, the horses of Double H Farm show at the best competitions around the world, and have made owner Hunter Harrison incredibly proud in 2014.
“The sport of show jumping can be extremely rewarding for an owner, and when great horses come together with great riders, the results speak for themselves,” Harrison stated. “I congratulate all of the horses and riders at Double H Farm on an amazing season so far. I am very proud of everyone, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the year plays out.”
Continuing a phenomenal year as the reigning 2014 Longines FEI World Cup Champion and back-to-back German Champion (2013-2014), Daniel Deusser traveled to the world-renowned CHIO Aachen to compete in July. Deusser and Double H Farm and Stephex Stable’s Cornet d’Amour, an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding (Cornet Obolensky x Damiani), finished fourth in the prestigious €1,000,000 Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen. Deusser was then presented with the award for best performing rider of Aachen, taking home the prize of the Federal Minister of the Interior.
Along with Deusser’s success, Double H Farm congratulates Lauren Hough (USA) on her fifth place finish in the Grand Prix of Aachen riding Ohlala as well as her clear round contribution in the Nations Cup. The incredible little mare is by Double H Farm’s great stallion Orlando.
McLain Ward and HH Cannavaro. Photo copyright Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
While Deusser enjoys success in Europe, McLain Ward has had a great summer showing many of Double H Farm’s talented horses in North America after returning to his partnership with Hunter Harrison this year. Most recently, Ward guided the 14-year-old Hanoverian mare HH Ashley (Acorado x Chasseur) to an exciting victory at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. The pair made some very impressive turns in the jump-off to win the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix presented by Zoetis. Ward also finish third in the class with HH Fleur.
Ward and HH Carlos Z proved to be a fantastic pair right from the start this winter in Wellington, FL, and fans have not been disappointed. The duo was on fire in Calgary, winning three big classes and finishing second in three more. HH Cannavaro also had his time in the winner’s circle and had great success.
Ward kicked things off during the National Tournament with back to back wins on the same day. First, HH Carlos Z won the $33,500 Back On Track Cup 1.45m. Later, HH Cannavaro won the $33,500 Bantrel Cup 1.50m. ‘Carlos’ followed that up with a second place finish later in the week in the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics 1.45m.
During the North American Tournament, Ward and HH Carlos Z finished second in the $85,000 Progress Energy Cup 1.55m, then jumped to victory later in the week in the $85,000 TD Cup 1.50m winning round competition.
The pair concluded a wonderful summer in Calgary with the Pan American Tournament, where they won the $33,500 Ashcor Technologies Cup 1.55m, then finished second in the following day’s $83,000 Investors Group Cup 1.50m.
“I’m just thrilled with the way this horse is going,” Ward said of the 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Chellano Z x Voltaire). “Carlos has always been a horse thought of as the utmost in quality. We were really, I think in the end, very lucky to be able to purchase him in the beginning of this year. I think with a little luck, the next few years are going to be really a lot of fun with this horse because I think he is going to do this week in and week out.”
HH Cannavaro proved his talent this summer as well. He followed up his win in week one by jumping with Ward in the $125,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ presented by Scotiabank during the Continental Tournament, where they finished second with team USA. The stallion also finished eighth in the $210,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup during the North American Tournament.
Ward has only ridden HH Cannavaro, a 10-year-old Holsteiner stallion by Caplan x Caretino, since March, but they have connected quickly. They won the $100,000 Empire State Grand Prix at Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show in May, and Ward has been teaching the talented horse to be faster in jump-offs.
“He’s a big jumper, and he really likes to take his time,” Ward pointed out. “Just like Sapphire years ago, they have to learn to be a quicker horse. But he really allows you to ride him. He’s older than when I had Sapphire at first; she did the [Olympic] Games at nine. I got him as a 10-year-old. He had a lot of experience and was ready to be pushed a little bit. We’re thrilled with what he’s doing now.”
Ward was happy to be back at Spruce Meadows with a top string of horses under the renewed partnership with Double H Farm. “Spruce Meadows is an incredible event, and the prize money is fantastic. We’re really excited about all our horses, and being back together with Hunter Harrison is very exciting for us,” he confirmed. “He really provides us with some great stock. The results always show. When you have the best horses, it helps.”
Quentin Judge and HH Copin van de Broy. Photo copyright Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Along with his own success, Ward was ringside for several great top finishes with Quentin Judge throughout the summer. Judge is riding better than ever and had a summer that he will never forget.
The highlight of Judge’s summer was his biggest individual win ever in the National Tournament’s $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby with HH Dark de la Hart, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Kashmir van Schuttershof x Nonstop). The pair also went on to finish second in the North American Tournament’s $210,000 Cenovous Energy Classic Derby a few weeks later. Both derbies are an incredible test of endurance and stamina for horse and rider.
During the CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby, Judge and HH Dark de la Hart won the competition with the fastest double clear round in a jump-off against Angel Karolyi (VEN) and Indiana 127. That day, they had each completed the first round course with the best scores of eight faults to result in the tie-breaking round.
In a remarkable turn of events, Judge and Dark ended up in the same two-horse jump-off against Karolyi and Indiana a few weeks later in the Cenovous Energy Classic Derby. The two riders completed rarely seen clear rounds over the difficult derby track to advance to their second head-to-head jump-off. In the 29-year history of the derby competition at Spruce Meadows, Karolyi and Judge were only the 18th and 19th riders to ever go clear over the course out of 615 entries overall.
In the jump-off, the two riders returned in the same order as week one of the Summer Series. This time, Karolyi and Indiana jumped double clear over the short course while Judge and Dark had eight faults. The pair settled for second, but were still enormously thrilled with their success and two incredible derby finishes.
Judge had been working on Dark’s fitness this year and felt his horse was more than ready for the derby the first week out. With the second great finish, the pair solidified their derby talent.
“He’s really fit right now. I had a really good feeling about it for the last couple of weeks,” Judge said after week one. “I had never done a derby on him, but he’s playful and he’s brave, and he really seems like he enjoys what he does. We’re lucky enough at home on our farm to have a slide bank, double liverpools, all those things. I tried to school him out there a couple of weeks ago, and he was pulling me down to everything. I thought if I was looking for a good derby horse, this might be the one.”
HH Dark de la Hart has been “unbelievable” for Judge. The pair won the $35,000 Husky Energy Cup 1.50m in the Meadows on the Green at last year’s ‘Continental’ Tournament, and they have been on two winning Nations Cup teams for the United States. The CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby was Judge’s first International Ring win at Spruce Meadows.
“For sure, it’s my biggest victory. That horse is really special to me,” Judge said.
In addition to their derby talent, Judge and HH Dark de la Hart showed their skill with a fourth place finish in the $35,000 PwC Cup 1.50m during this year’s North American Tournament. They also finished seventh in the $85,000 Husky Energy Classic 1.50m during the Continental Tournament.
Judge had a great summer competing with his other horses for Double H Farm as well, including his newest mount, HH Copin van de Broy. The 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Darco x Brownboy) had lots of experience jumping with Germany’s Marcus Ehning, and things went even better than hoped as he and Judge got to know each other.
The pair finished third in the prestigious $210,000 ATCO Power Queen Elizabeth II Cup during the North American Tournament with just four faults in a big jump-off. They also had a fourth place finish in the $400,000 Pan American Cup presented by Rolex on the final day of the summer series, once again qualifying for a difficult jump-off, and jumping double clear. They began the summer with a ninth place finish in the $400,000 RBC Financial Grand Prix presented by Rolex, and improved with each round from there.
Judge rode HH Donnatella to a fourth place finish in the $33,500 Duncan Ross Cup 1.50m during the Canada One Tournament. They also placed seventh in the $85,000 TD Cup 1.50m during the North American Tournament. He and HH Whiskey Royale had a great sixth place finish in the $50,000 LaFarge Cup 1.50m during the North American. Judge and HH Casallo also finished fourth in the $8,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup 1.45m during the Continental Tournament.
The horses and riders of Double H Farm look forward to continuing a wonderful 2014 season around the world. For more information, please visit www.doublehfarm.org.
Conor Swail and Martha Louise Win $85,000 Enbridge Cup
Calgary, AB, Canada – July 6, 2014 – The ‘North American’ Tournament CSI 5* at Spruce Meadows concluded on Sunday with an extraordinary showdown in the $210,000 Cenovus Energy Classic Derby. It was déjà vu from the ‘National’ Tournament in June, as Angel Karolyi of Venezuela and Quentin Judge of the USA battled it out in an exciting derby jump-off. Judge took the win four weeks ago and was hoping to repeat his victory with HH Dark de la Hart, but this time, Karolyi and Indiana 127 took the win. Will Simpson (USA) and Geledimar placed third.
Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) designed the derby course seven years ago with a demanding 19 numbered obstacles and 25 jumping efforts. It is an incredible test of endurance and stamina for both horse and rider, including double liverpools, a table bank, a 26-foot, steep derby bank, and the Devil’s Dyke. The course is the same for every derby competition.
On Sunday, Palacios saw 27 entries with the two impressive clear rounds of Angel Karolyi and Quentin Judge. Two more finished on four faults each. During the first derby of the summer, Karolyi and Judge jumped off following eight faults each over the main course. On Sunday, they both mastered the track.
In the 29-year history of this derby competition at Spruce Meadows, Karolyi and Judge were only the 18th and 19th riders to ever go clear over the course out of 615 entries overall. In the jump-off, the two riders returned in the same order as week one of the Summer Series. Karolyi and Hollow Creek Farm’s Indiana 127 jumped double clear over the short course in 38.13 seconds. Judge and Double H Farm’s HH Dark de la Hart had eight faults in 39.31 seconds to finish second.
Will Simpson (USA) and Monarch International’s Geledimar had just four faults over the first round course in the fastest time of 136.32 seconds to finish third. Richard Spooner (USA) and Show Jumping Syndication International’s Cristallo had four faults in 136.75 seconds to place fourth.
Course designer Leopoldo Palacios was happy with the result in Sunday’s competition and was also impressed with the exceptional efforts of the top horses and riders.
“I am very happy,” Palacios smiled. “I had 30 riders, and it is becoming popular. There were very good rounds, not only these three (Karolyi, Judge and Simpson). At the beginning I was worried, but at the end, I say it was good. It was safe for the horses, and they were jumping nice.”
Winner Angel Karolyi has been riding Indiana 127 for a year and a half and has had increasingly good results with the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Indoctro x Voltaire). Sunday’s victory was his first International Ring win at Spruce Meadows and a significant moment in his career.
“I’m glad I finally got my win in an important class like this one,” Karolyi acknowledged. “It’s a very special win for me. Not only probably the biggest win in my career, but also a horse that I really believed in. He finally is showing me this year that I was right in believing in him. This horse impressed me at the beginning of the circuit. I was second to Quentin, and he produced a beautiful round. I was not surprised that he went clear again. Obviously his horse is a very good derby horse as well. This time I’m just glad to be the winner.”
Speaking about Indiana, Karolyi added, “He’s very relaxed, very honest, and easy to keep the same pace around the whole course and not stress too much. By the end of the course he still has enough energy to keep jumping the jumps properly.”
Karolyi chose a little bit of a different tactic going into the jump-off this time around, explaining that he had planned to take more risk.
“This time I said, ‘Okay, last time I went a little bit on the safe side, a clear round,’ and now I said, ‘Okay, I got second for sure. I’m going all out, and if it works out, it works out.’ In the ‘National’ Tournament I went a bit safe and clear and he was faster. This time I thought, ‘If I lose, it’s not because I went too slow.’”
Not much changed in preparation for this week’s competition other than keeping Indiana 127 in top physical condition, but Karolyi now had experience to his advantage.
“I think more than helping him, it helped me,” the rider stated. “It helped me to ride the Devil’s Dyke properly. Last time I didn’t ride enough through it; he looked a little bit and I had ‘c’ down. It wasn’t really his fault. Both rails last time were my fault. I had an early draw; I went first in the derby. Watching a few rounds definitely helps. For the horse, it was the same. For me, it did help having one round already.”
Quentin Judge and HH Dark de la Hart
Judge and HH Dark de la Hart, an 11-year-old Belgian Sport Horse by Kasmir van Schuttershof x Nonstop, also had the experience of their win under their belt.
“Last time when I did the derby at the ‘National’, I didn’t really have any expectations,” Judge stated. “I wanted to do well at the beginning of the week and thought, ‘If the derby goes well, great. If it doesn’t, it’s okay.’ Now when I knew I had a good derby horse, I showed him in one class this week and tried to keep him fresh and his energy up and aim him for this class.”
“I knew he had gone fast,” Judge said of the jump-off. “Before I went in, McLain Ward watched Angel’s jump-off and he said that he went fast and was quick. He said, ‘Your horse is faster naturally, but he really went fast.’ I knew I could really trust my horse those first three or four jumps, and he’s really good turning back on verticals. The ‘b’ of the double got a little bit far away, the back rail, and I think I was a little deflated for the last jump and had it down also, but the horse was perfect.”
Third place finisher Will Simpson knew that he had a good derby horse in Geledimar as well. The mare had shown in the derby three years ago as a nine-year-old and was very competitive even then.
“She’s just been on fire. The whole team at Monarch has been great,” Simpson stated. “It was just such a beautiful day out there, so I thought, ‘Well, we’ll just go for a nice ride.’ The horse went along with me. I was just happy I wasn’t in the jump-off with those two guys. They’re fighters.”
“It’s a spectacular event. It should be preserved,” Simpson said of the derby. “The course designers are usually my enemy, but I have to take my hat off to them. They have done a great job with setting the course for the field of horses. It was very, very tough today, but there were a lot of great horses in there. The result was just spot on.”
Conor Swail and Martha Louise Win $85,000 Enbridge Cup
The $85,000 Enbridge Cup 1.50m competition was held first in the International Ring on Sunday with a win for Conor Swail (IRL) and Susan and Ariel Grange’s 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare, Martha Louise (Maloubet de Pleville x Wolfgang). Thirty-four entries jumped the first round course set by Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) with 10 returning for the jump-off. Six went clear over the short course, where Swail and Martha Louise were last to go in 40.04 seconds for the win.
Daniel Bluman (COL) finished second in 41.88 seconds with Ricardo and Alberto Simhon’s Apardi. Sameh el Dahan (EGY) took third place honors in 41.93 seconds aboard Sumas Zorro, owned by Dahan and Joanne Sloan-Allen.
Conor Swail and Martha Louise
“I think I was in a nice position there, last to go,” Swail said after his win. “I know at this stage, Martha with her form, that she is normally not far away. She is quick enough to win if I can ride her correctly and give her a good chance to jump the jumps, and thankfully today, that is how it worked out for me.”
“She loves it here, that’s for sure,” Swail stated. “She wins a lot everywhere, but especially here. She just keeps getting better and better. This is her second year, but it’s two wins, and I don’t know how many placings already. She is such a good girl.”
Martha Louise is just 10 years old, but shows the skill and maturity of a much more experienced horse. Swail knows that he can always count on her and even stepped her up a bit this week while his top horse was not showing.
“I did her in a few bigger classes the start of the week because Lansdowne hasn’t been out. He is just going to be coming back after this tournament, and she was going to have to maybe jump next week,” Swail explained. “I was sacrificing maybe winning or being competitive in the 1.50m classes, but I thought, ‘Okay, we’ll try to make a plan for next week and teach her how to jump a few of those bigger jumps and see how we get on next week with her as well.’ I’m glad it worked out nicely that we gave her the two big classes and this was the one that I was trying to win, and it worked out like that. I like when a plan comes together.”
“I have a lot of confidence in her,” Swail added. “When you are going in with her, unless you make a mistake, she won’t normally. That is our job to ride our horses correctly, and if we have quality as good as her, then that is nice that when you do all the right things. She always does.”
“She is unreal. You see her walking around in the parade, and you would think she was just out for a stroll there,” Swail said of Martha’s cool demeanor. “Funny enough, she does get quite nervous. She is a little funny in that if she hits a jump, it makes her really nervous and the reaction is kind of to get quicker. For me today, I thought she was fabulous in the first round. She was high and loose. This is her third class (this week), and she always relaxes into it a little bit and obviously that’s a good thing. The more jumping, the better for her a little bit.”
Commenting on the competition, Swail noted, “The first round was tough. It was a big track and quite long. There was a good few questions. There weren’t so many clean. The jump-off also was tricky. I think I got a little lucky for sure going into the double (combination). She gave that a good rub. It’s nice to be able to get a little rub and get away with it and have a good day. It was good and fast. To win at Spruce Meadows, you have to be going very, very fast, and I am lucky that she is very capable of doing that.”
Martha Louise will step up to show in next week’s grand prix, and Swail looks forward to giving her some good experience and seeing what she can do. “It will be pretty cool. It’s experience, but knowing Martha, she won’t be too far away,” he smiled.
Spruce Meadows’ Summer Series concludes next week with the ‘Pan American’ Tournament CSI 5* running July 10-13. The week features the $400,000 Pan American Cup presented by Rolex on Sunday, July 13. For more information and full results, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.
Sameh El Dahan Smokes Competition in $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup
Calgary, AB, Canada – June 8, 2014 – The Spruce Meadows ‘National’ Tournament, presented by ROLEX, came to an exciting conclusion today with the $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup 1.50m Derby. Quentin Judge (USA) and HH Dark de la Hart, owned by Double H Farm, sped to victory in the class over Angel Karolyi (VEN) and Indiana 127 and Richard Spooner (USA) riding Cristallo. In the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup, Sameh El Dahan (EGY) and Sumas Zorro were far and ahead the rest of the field for the win.
It was an incredible final day of the ‘National’ Tournament, with a record official attendance for Sunday at the ‘National’ at 38,962. The total tournament attendance was 87,082.
The Spruce Meadows Summer Series continues with the ‘Continental’ CSIO 5* Tournament on June 12-15, featuring the $125,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ presented by Scotiabank on Friday, June 13, and the $210,000 CP Grand Prix on Sunday, June 15. The $85,000 Husky Energy Classic 1.50m will be featured on Thursday, June 12, and the $85,000 Talisman Energy Cup 1.50m will be the highlight on Saturday, June 14.
There were 15 entries in the $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby. The course, which was designed by Leopoldo Palacios seven years ago, is the same each year. The test of endurance and stamina asks questions at a variety of jumps, including double liverpools, the table bank, the derby bank, and the Devil’s Dyke. There are 19 numbered obstacles and 25 jumping efforts on course.
Palacios said, “I designed this course seven years ago. I (have) only had three cleans. I think it was good; I don’t see real bad pictures. Every rider has the chance to do it. I had faults almost everywhere, and I am very happy for this. The riders were wonderful today and gave the best effort. I congratulate the winners today.”
Riding out of the number one spot in the order, Karolyi and Indiana 127, owned by Hollow Creek Farm, set a respectable mark to beat with eight faults in 155.82 seconds.
Karolyi recounted, “Today, I thought he jumped a beautiful first round. I underestimated the Devil’s Dyke. I rode in a little soft, thinking I would have a big gallop towards the end. I just didn’t make it to ‘c’ and had that down. Then I lost my concentration and basically rode terrible at the last one and had the last jump down. I was glad that I had another chance to ride it, and I did better.”
Many rails fell as competitor after competitor failed to match Karolyi’s finish, until Judge and HH Dark de la Hart entered the ring.
The pair finished three seconds faster, and with eight faults, they both waited to see what the rest of the class would produce. Neither imagined that a jump-off would be in their future, but when the last two in the ring, Spooner and Cristallo and Shane Sweetnam (IRL) on Fineman, both had eight jumping faults and one time fault, Karolyi and Judge knew they would have to return to the ring.
Spooner had a plan going into the derby and stuck with it after having an early rail. He slowed down in order to hopefully finish on four jumping faults and no more than three time faults for the win, but it did not go according to plan. “I made the decision then that I was going to cough up some time, because with three time faults I would still win. When I had the rail, I bought myself an extra 12 seconds,” he explained. “He just accelerated out (of the grob). Rarely is it deep on the way out. For him, it was deep because he has no fear with that grob. Other than that, we would have had a better day, but I’m still happy with the day we had. It didn’t work out, but I think mathematically I did the right thing.”
Going first in the jump-off, Karolyi was neat in 49.70 seconds and most importantly, kept all the jumps up. Judge followed, and he rode with speed through the first part of the course in order to have time to prepare for the “Canada flag planks” jump, which he had down in the first round. With that left standing, all it took was seven strides galloping to the final oxer, which they cleared. With a time of 45.73 seconds, Judge captured his first win in the International Ring at Spruce Meadows.
Judge recalled, “I’m lucky enough I got some really good advice from McLain Ward and his team before I went in. He said it’s not crazy fast, and I didn’t need to take too many risks. But I knew I had to take time to the Canada planks (that) I had down in the first round. It’s a hard jump anyway, and I really had it down in the first round. I thought if I could go as fast as I can up until that point, I could take some time. I heard the announcer say I was two seconds up. I almost did six (strides) coming home because I wanted to get through it!”
Angel Karolyi and Indiana 127
Karolyi has been paired with Indiana 127 for a year and a half, and since the horse had some time off, he has been working on Indiana’s fitness. “He’s actually in the best physical condition I’ve ever had him in. I had plenty of horse left,” he noted.
Karolyi felt that Indiana 127, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro, would have no trouble with the derby elements on course. “He’s a nice, bold jumper. He doesn’t really look at anything,” he said. “He did the Parcours de Chasse yesterday. He jumped everything very well, and we were fifth in that. I was quite comfortable going in.”
Although Cristallo, a Holsteiner gelding by Caretino x Cicero, is 16 years old, Spooner said that he still has energy to spare. “My shoulders are sore,” he joked. “I picked the wrong bit. I thought I’d put the soft bit in, it’s a long course, he’s so old, and I realized as I was walking up to the ring that it was a big mistake. He was just ravenous. He was ready to go. He’s a freak of nature. Rarely do you have a horse that has that type of endurance. He didn’t even break a sweat out there. I think the mistake I made is that I didn’t do him in the grand prix as well yesterday. He was too fresh.”
Judge has been working on “Dark’s” fitness and felt he was more than ready for this derby. “He bucked about 20 times coming out of the ring (after) the jump off, so I think I did (have lots of horse left). He’s really fit right now,” he said. “I had a really good feeling about it for the last couple of weeks. I’ve never done a derby on him, but he’s playful and he’s brave, and he really seems like he enjoys what he does. We’re lucky enough at home on our farm to have a slide bank, double liverpools, all those things. I tried to school him out there a couple of weeks ago, and he was pulling me down to everything. I thought if I was looking for a good derby horse, this might be the one.”
HH Dark de la Hart, an 11-year-old Belgian Sport Horse by Kasmir van Schuttershof x Nonstop, has been “unbelievable” for Judge. The pair won the $35,000 Husky Energy Cup 1.50m in the Meadows on the Green at last year’s ‘Continental’ Tournament, and they have been on two winning Nations Cup teams for the United States. This was Judge’s first International Ring win at Spruce Meadows.
“For sure, it’s my biggest victory. That horse is really special to me,” Judge said.
Sameh El Dahan and Sumas Zorro
El Dahan and Sumas Zorro Win by Four Seconds
Setting a blistering pace in the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup 1.45m, Egypt’s Sameh El Dahan and Sumas Zorro, a 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare by Ard VDL Douglas owned by Joanne Sloan Allen, led the victory gallop for his first win in the International Ring. They stopped the timers in 68.557 seconds, more than four seconds faster than second place finishers, McLain Ward (USA) and HH Carlos Z (72.604 seconds). Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Picolo were third in a time of 74.295 seconds.
So how did El Dahan win by four seconds? “I really don’t know,” El Dahan laughed. “My mare is really careful, and she has a big stride. She was very neat everywhere. It was the turnbacks mainly. She was very neat to turn back and from there, I can really head to the fences because she’s very, very careful. I can just keep galloping at them. She just minds them, so it’s easy then. You drive to the fence, and she does her job. I think that’s how I won it.”
Coming to the end of the course, El Dahan wasn’t aware of how fast he was going. “I heard the commentator on the way, four fences before coming home. He said ‘five seconds,’ but I couldn’t hear if I was up or down on the clock, so I just kept coming. I thought I was slower than what it was,” he said.
El Dahan went early in the class and had to wait and see if his time could be beat, but as each competitor’s time ticked past 68 seconds, he nervously waited and hoped. “It was a long wait for me, especially at the end of the class (with) McLain Ward, Shane Sweetnam, Conor Swail. They’re all very fast riders. It was a long wait watching from out there,” he admitted.
But as the last rider completed the class and El Dahan realized he won, nervousness switched to excitement for his first five-star win and gratitude for his special horse. El Dahan has ridden Sumas Zorro for more than three years since he joined Sycamore Stables in Northern Ireland. After growing up in Cairo and competing in Europe during the summers, El Dahan made the full-time move to Europe to fulfill his goals in the sport. Business partner Joanne Sloan-Allen and El Dahan found a number of horses that they have been bringing along.
Of Sumas Zorro, he described, “I know her inside and out. She’s like my little baby. She trusts me as well; we have a really nice relationship. She’s careful, scopey, a fighter, easy to ride. She’s just a dream horse. When you sit on her, you know you’re on a superstar.”
Sumas Zorro was meant to jump in yesterday’s grand prix, but El Dahan changed her plan. “The first day she didn’t jump as good as she normally does. I think the trip took a lot out of her. We decided to give her a couple of days off, didn’t jump her in the grand prix, and I jumped my other mare,” he explained. “She was fresh for today, and I think it paid off really well. Next week I’ll move her up again to the grand prix level.”
This is El Dahan’s first trip to Spruce Meadows; he and Sloan-Allen brought four horses, two of which are showing in the national classes. This International Ring victory went to the top of his list of accomplishments. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been wanting to come to this show for years,” he said. “I’ve been watching it on TV, and I’ve always said I’d love to ride here. It’s such a big ring and such a big crowd. With the competition that is here, the field of riders and horses, I’ve never had such a big win. It’s been like a dream come true.”
Shockwave and Vivian Yowan Are Best in EnTrust Capital Small Junior Hunters 16-17
Wellington, FL – January 26, 2014 – Week three of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Fidelity Investments, concluded at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Sunday with a win for Quentin Judge (USA) and Double H Farm’s HH Dark de la Hart in the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic.
FTI WEF will continue with its fourth week of competition, sponsored by Ariat, on Wednesday, January 29, through February 2. The FTI WEF, held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money.
Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge set the course for Sunday’s 1.50m with 53 entries and 13 clear rounds to advance to the jump-off with seven double clears. Quentin Judge and HH Dark de la Hart completed the fastest clear round over the short course in 38.21 seconds for the win.
Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Spruce Meadows’ Quiz finished second in 38.84 seconds. Tim Gredley (GBR) and Unex Competition Yards’ Unex Omega Star placed third in 39.09 seconds, and fourth place honors went to Tiffany Foster (CAN) and Artisan Farms LLC’s Melody des Hayettes Z in 39.67 seconds.
HH Dark de la Hart is an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Kashmir van Schuttershof x Nonstop that Double H Farm purchased last winter. Judge has had many top finishes with the horse, including a win in the $35,000 Husky Energy Cup 1.50m at Spruce Meadows this summer. The pair was also a part of the winning U.S. Team in the eighth leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Division 2 series in Bratislava, Slovakia, in August.
Commenting on their partnership, Judge noted, “I have had him for a little bit over a year, and he was my main horse last year. This year we have a few new horses to kind of share the work load with him, so I was able to drop him down to do the 1.50m and some smaller classes. He is so fast, and he has been great.”
“It took me a little bit of time to figure him out because he is not a huge horse, and I am a tall rider,” Judge detailed. “I used to put a little bit too much pressure with my leg on him, and he would get a little angry and antsy. Now I try to sit still and keep him relaxed, keep him straight, and just try to have good position and he does the rest.”
Judge spoke about Sunday’s course and the skills that helped his horse earn the top time. “I thought the course was great,” he stated. “It was not huge, but it was technical. In general it was a nice course and the time allowed was tight, but not killer, so that suited everyone well, and it suited my horse really well. The jump-off was great because it gave me a chance to gallop, and my horse is really good at jumping on angles. I can really slice into the double and slice an oxer and he sights the jumps really early and jumps them clear, so it was good for me.”
One of HH Dark de la Hart’s charming qualities is the fact that he shows a lot of character on course. On the way to Sunday’s winning round, he was his usual enthusiastic self.
“He has a lot of personality,” Judge noted. “He is very quiet and very chill at home, but when he gets in the ring he is very fast and he loves to buck. He loves to put on a little bit of a show. If he jumps a hard jump, he always lands and bucks afterwards. Now I know that it is coming, it just means that he is trying hard and jumping well, so it’s a good feeling.”
HH Dark de la Hart will now have a few weeks off as Judge focuses on some of Double H Farm’s new horses and up-and-coming young talents, and will continue in the 1.50m classes.
The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival will host its fourth week of competition, sponsored by Ariat, from Wednesday, January 29, to Sunday, February 2. The week will feature the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4 on Thursday, the $34,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Friday afternoon, the $10,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Team Event presented by The Dutta Corp. in Association with Guido Klatte at The Stadium at PBIEC on Friday night, the FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments on Saturday night, and the $50,000 Ariat Grand Prix CSI 2* on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC on Sunday afternoon.
Shockwave and Vivian Yowan Are Best in EnTrust Capital Small Junior Hunters 16-17
Sixteen-year-old Vivian Yowan and her 13-year-old Warmblood gelding Shockwave were division champions of the EnTrust Capital Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division at FTI WEF on Sunday morning. The pair won both over fences rounds on the first day of competition for the division before placing third under saddle and first and third in the final over fences rounds. Yowan also received the Champion Owner/Rider Award for her win with Shockwave.
The reserve champion for the division was Bravado, owned and ridden by Kelsie Brittan. Brittan also took home Reserve Champion Owner/Rider honors. The pair were second in three over fences classes and won the under saddle class.
Shockwave used to be a familiar face in the junior jumper divisions, but Yowan believes the big bay gelding is transitioning smoothly into life as a hunter.
“He’s only been doing the junior hunters for a year. He’s definitely figured it out now that he’s supposed to be doing the hunters, so he’s gotten pretty good at it. I think he likes his job better now,” Yowan explained.
Yowan, of Lexington, KY, made the switch with Shockwave to the hunters with the help of trainer Kelly Goguen of Boggs Hill Farm, also based in Lexington. The hardest task was simply getting Shockwave to take it easy, especially in combinations or long lines.
“At first, he got quick down the lines or in the doubles because he was so used to being ridden at the jumps in the jumper ring. We were just trying to get him to really relax,” Yowan detailed.
While the pair had to practice a lot of jumps at first, Yowan said now she simply jumps a few jumps at home and can be set for competition. The raw talent that brought him to the hunter ring in the first place has actually proved useful for hunter divisions.
“It doesn’t matter what the course is, he’s always straight-forward. He obviously has the scope, so you feel comfortable doing anything out there. Especially the handy rounds!” Yowan smiled.
She continued, “He has such a big stride that if you’re a little long or a little [slow] in the lines, he can cover it up. He goes slow around the course, but he has so much stride that it makes it really smooth. He jumps really well.”
Yowan and Shockwave’s victory concluded hunter competition for the third week of the FTI WEF.
FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 4,000 employees located in 24 countries, FTI Consulting professionals work closely with clients to anticipate, illuminate and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management, strategic communications and restructuring. The company generated $1.58 billion in revenues during fiscal year 2012. For more information, visit www.fticonsulting.com.
About the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival
The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 8 through March 30. The FTI WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $7 million in prize money will be awarded.
Lexington, KY – May 23, 2011 – As the Kentucky Spring Classic hosted another night of show jumping, the incredible duo of Kent Farrington and Uceko continued their complete domination of the last two weeks by securing the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix victory. Tonight’s event was sponsored by Audi of Lexington and honored Mary Rena Murphy, a horsewoman whose dedication to equestrian sport was unmatched. Once again, speed proved to be the determining factor during the thirteen horse jump-off, and that is something Farrington and Uceko are proving to master. The duo was a full two seconds ahead of second place finishers Ali Wolff and Lanoo, while Christian Heineking and River of Dreams took home third for the second time this week.
“During the first round, there were more clear than I expected,” admitted Farrington. “The outside line started with a wall and then an awkward distance to an oxer-oxer combination, and then a very steady distance to a liverpool. I thought that would catch more horses than it did. I think the footing here is excellent, and these horses have been here for two weeks now, so I think they are really comfortable in the ring. I think that’s why there were more clear rounds than Richard expected. It’s under the lights, so they are a bit impressed, and I think the horses were just really going well on the ground.”
For the final test, Jeffery had riders start over a single oxer to the liverpool and make a bending line to a single oxer. They then made a sharp roll back to a vertical-oxer double combination and galloped across the ring to a wide oxer. Finally, riders made another sharp turn to a tall vertical before they galloped towards the timers over the last oxer. Of the thirteen qualifiers, seven were able to make it a perfect night and finish without any faults added to their score.
Wellington, FL – April 19, 2011 – The Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) Spring Circuit continued last week with week 5 on April 13-17. ESP was very pleased to see that exhibitor numbers at the show increased 25% from 2010. The horse show offered a full schedule of hunter/jumper competition, with three classes featured: the $10,000 Pennfield Feeds Open Jumper Welcome Stake, the $7,500 Reist Industries High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Stake at The Stadium, and the $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix.
The winner of the $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix was Norman Dello Joio (USA) on Notre Star de la Nutria, owned by La Nutria and Thelma Ramero Cloud. They beat out 40 entries in the class for the USEF Ranking Class victory with double clear rounds and a jump-off time of 45.960 seconds. Second place went to Traffic Boy, ridden by Shane Sweetnam (IRL) for Spy Coast Farm LLC. They were also clear in 46.637 seconds. The last double clear ride was by Aaron Vale (USA), who piloted Texola for himself and Joan Kalman. They stopped the timers in 47.378 seconds for third place.
