Traverse City, MI – July 24, 2011 – Even mother nature took a break to catch this afternoon’s exciting Grand Prix at Horse Shows by the Bay, holding off on a rain shower until just after winner Wilhelm Genn’s victory gallop. The $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes was held today in beautiful Traverse City, MI, the third Open Jumper Grand Prix to take place at Flintfields Horse Park this month. Genn and his own gray mare, Marlo, triumphed in an extremely competitive class filled with crystal-clear rounds and lightning-fast times. Also making their mark were Charles Jacobs upon Leap of Joy, who came in second, and last week’s winner Blythe Marano on Urban, who came in third this time. Thanks to a VIP sponsor luncheon generously provided by Craig Rosenberg of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, the many fans at today’s event were able to relax and refresh while watching the amazing horsemanship on display in the ring below.

Prior to the first horse on today’s course, Betsy VanDyke Foster of Maple City, MI returned with another engaging dressage demonstration. The mounted sheriffs of Leelanau County were also in the Grand Prix ring this afternoon, graciously serving as the event’s color guard. After the sizable crowd stood for the national anthem, the class kicked off with an early clear round by David Beisel on Always Cullohill, owned by Harlow Invesment Enterprises LLC. The duo earned enthusiastic applause as they finished their turn in the ring, as today’s course featured several intimidating elements. A jump resembling the Mackinac Bridge was tricky for several horses, while a combination starting with a triple bar also proved insurmountable for some.

These obstacles failed to thwart last week’s winner Blythe Marano, though, who repeated her success with two clear rounds on Urban and Askaban, both owned by Riverview Farm LLC. Charles Jacobs also avoided faults on two different horses in the first round. Leap of Joy, owned by Deeridge Farms, and Flaming Star, owned by CMJ Sporthorse LLC, both blazed into the jump-off with Jacobs at the helm. The suspenseful second round saw 10 out of 31 riders return for a shot at the top prize, with Genn, like Marano and Jacobs, also making it to the jump-off on two different horses. Incurring just a few faults on his own Happy Z, Genn ultimately triumphed on Marlo. The pair fired up the crowd with an excellent time of 36.9 seconds, never missing a beat but always missing the rails. The first rider in the jump-off, Beisel on Always Cullohill, also elicited applause with a clear round and a time of 39.433 seconds. Following Beisel was a cool and steady Marano, who flew past the timers on Urban in just 38.163 seconds. Charles Jacobs and Flaming Star were the last to tackle the second round, and produced an astounding time of 34.244 seconds with just one fault.

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