Theo, Wilhelm and Ryan Genn. The family took home first, second, sixth and seventh in today's Grand Prix (Emily Riden)
Hector Loyola designed the course to test the twenty-four competing horse and rider combinations. The course used every inch of the Grand Prix Ring, weaving from one side to the other and down to the very end. A triple combination to the half wall-half plank Chicago Equestrian jump at the end of the course seemed to be the true test for most horses. Passing all the tests with flying colors to earn the victory was Ryan Genn of Lebanon, OH aboard Umberto.
Brother Theo Genn was the first of eight to attempt the jump off on Paradox, owned by Thomas Bruinsma of Ada, MI. The youngest Genn set the bar high with a clear round and a time of 45.259 seconds.
Next to take on the jump off track were Lisa Goldman and Centurion B, known for their speedy jump-offs. The pair pulled a rail at the WeatherTech jump, ending up with 4 faults and a time of 45.366 seconds.
Fourteen-year-old Giavanna Rinaldi of Wayne, IL, in her first Grand Prix attempt, pulled the plank at the Chicago Equestrian jump but put in a good time of 44.706 seconds on GPS Brilliant Disguise. The pair placed third in their first Welcome Stake earlier in the week.
Putting in a fast time of 44.342 seconds was Athena and Kelsey Thatcher of Bluffdale, UT, but they unfortunately pulled a rail on the out of the combination for four faults.
Taking another turn was Theo Genn on his second mount, Palim Palim owned by Nancy Gooding of Larkspur, CO. Taking his time in hopes of adding another clean round to the list, Genn had a slower time of 48.562 seconds, but he pulled a rail as he angled the second to last jump.
Happy Z with Wilhelm Genn is a Chicago favorite with long record of wins. Returning for the jump-off Wihelm Genn now had a chance to take over the lead from son, Theo and Paradox. Wilhelm Genn set another fast time with 44.354 seconds, but he had two rails for eight faults.
It was then back to Ryan Genn, who would not be outdone with his mount Umberto, owned by North Star of East Aurora, NY. Ryan managed to one-up brother Theo with the only other clear round and a faster time of 44.065 seconds.
"Theo's horse doesn't like to turn left, and my horse turns amazingly so I just flew around. My horse is like a little motorcycle so I knew I had him in the left hand turns," said Ryan Genn.
In usual fashion as the last one to jump off, Lisa Goldman and Zacantos Z put in a very quick round for the fastest time of the class in 43.945 seconds, but they pulled a plank at the Chicago Equestrian jump. The round landed her in the third place slot, and she also took sixth on Centurion B.
The Genn family proudly took home first, second, sixth and seventh place, but the win Saturday was more than that for the group. The boys' grandfather passed away just a few days ago, and the three decided they wanted to try to win one for the grandpa they were so close to - and they did.
The family has a program for getting multiple horses organized and ready for their posted order of go. Having enough staff is key so the next horses can be brought down, and each rider has a jump setter so they can warm up at their own pace.
"It's a lot of fun to compete against each other," Ryan said. "We're really competitive, but it doesn't get to the point where someone gets mad. I definitely wanted to beat Theo when I went in there, but I would have been just as happy if he would've come right behind me and beat me. We want each other to do their best."
"We're all on the same team," remarked Wilhelm. "We're happy for each other but individually we all like to win. We're a pretty competitive family."
The boys are eager to learn and improve and are hard workers.
"When you lose that you lose your edge. I'm very proud of them," said Wilhelm, "especially today."