Lexington, Ky. - It was a race to the finish today during the Amalaya Investments $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship, presented by the Nusz Family, at the National Horse Show. Thirty-one of the East Coast's most talented horse and rider combinations competed in the series finale, but it was Chicago's Catherine Tyree and Don't Go who proved that they have what it takes to go to the top. They shattered Tori Colvin's time by over two seconds to seal their win in a blazing time of 30.478 seconds. Colvin however secured her second consecutive East Coast Junior Series Overall Championship.
Tyree and her own Don't Go, a 12-year-old stallion, put forth their best effort through the entire Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, only narrowly missing the Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic Series overall victory by 81 points, just behind Laura Linback and Attention Please.
Tyree said of her mount, "I call him my war horse. He is so reliable. He is game for anything. I can do a small ring like Washington or a big ring like the Hamptons. He is so good to me. I always know he is going to be there for me. His character is what makes him so great."
Thirteen riders qualified for the shortened course, designed by internationally renowned course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. In the jump-off, only seven of the original 16 jumping efforts remained in the Alltech Arena, allowing ample opportunity for the riders to open their strides and tackle the long distances to the obstacles.
Colvin set the pace early in the order with Don Juan, using his foot speed to her advantage over the course to break the beam in 32.052 seconds. Her speed went unmatched until Tyree entered the ring aboard Don't Go.
Tyree had already tested the track as the second rider to go in the jump off with her first qualified mount, Wetter. The opportunity gave her an advantage as she executed her plan both efficiently and effectively aboard Don't Go on her second try. His large stride covered the ground with ease, leaving out strides to trip the timers in an astonishing 30.478 seconds.
"Don't Go is such a game horse," Tyree said. "Once I picked up the gallop to the first jump and went off the nine strides to the oxer, I was able to do only five strides turning back to the next oxer. That was where I was able to get the time. He has such a big stride, is so careful and has such a fighting attitude. I knew that if I gave it a good shot, he would give his all for me."
Haley Gassel gave a valiant effort with Quite Dark 2, owned by Westwind Equine Training Center, but was shy of the victory by 4/10ths of a second. Gassel has ridden Quite Dark 2 for almost two years, and she showed the confidence she has in their partnership as she sliced the turns and raced to the final oxer.
"He is very sweet in the barn, and in the ring he is very confident," Gassel said. "You put him anywhere and he will jump. If you ride him correctly, he will always go clean. He is just a great horse in general. He has a huge stride. I always tell people that he has to have an 18-foot stride. He covers the ground incredibly, it gets so long, but it is not a loose long. It is still tight and adjustable."
Gassel concluded the Amalaya Investments $20,000 SJHF Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Championship in second place, while Colvin finished third. Colvin was presented with the overall series award as the highest scoring junior for her second consecutive year.
"I call him my donkey in the barn," Colvin laughed as she talked of her mount Don Juan. "When we gallop around he doesn't even canter, but when you point him at a jump, he is like a dirt bike. He revs up because he has to in order to make it over the jump. His mom was a pony, so he is really small, and he has the pony attitude, too."
Colvin concluded the series with 955 points, a full 250 points ahead of fellow contenders. She proved unstoppable from her wins during the Winter Equestrian Festival, and her lead became insurmountable after the Lake Placid Horse Shows.
Colvin continued, "You have to be consistent throughout the year in order to win the series, and I think that for the juniors to be able to have that opportunity gives us a great chance and experience."