Ronan McGuigan and his Capall Zidane won Sunday’s $50,000 HITS Grand Prix (ESI Photography)
McGuigan and his Capall Zidane, one of only three to reach the jump-off, finished with a time of 40.102, eight-tenths of a second ahead of Judge’s time of 40.994. U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward, on Azibantos, finished third, with four faults and a time of 42 seconds, even. Amanda Flint on Balotan would have joined them in the short course after a clear first round, except for a time fault that kept her from a chance to jump for the blue.
“Obviously, I’m very happy with the whole thing. It was a nice course from (designer) Alan Wade,” said McGuigan, who also took first place in Wednesday’s $10,000 Brook Ledge Open Welcome. “I thought it was a good track for the $50,000 class,” he said, adding that he expects the courses will get tougher as the weeks go on. “I was happy that my horse jumped great,” he said.
McGuigan was the first to go clear in Round 1, “In the first round, there was skinny oxer in the middle of the triple took a lot of people out,” he said. “For me, that was the careful jump.”
He continued, “In the jump-off, it was Quentin (Judge) and Mclain (Ward), so I knew it was going to be quite fast.” As the first to go on the shortened course, McGuigan said he needed to set a fast pace without any faults, galloping between obstacles one to three, and then to the last fence. “I had to make the time up somewhere,” he said. “I just tried to be as fast as I could, and conservative on the turns – but really gallop hard. I knew I had to set a fast time with Quentin, and with Mclain in the class you always worry. Quintin also jumped clear, but fortunately didn’t get my time.”
Judge’s horse, HH Fyloe, is owned by Double H Farm. Ward’s Azibantos is owned by Group C LLC, and Flint’s Balotan is owned by The Coverboy Group. McGuigan said of his two major wins at HITS-on-the-Hudson I, “It was a great week - hopefully we'll replicate it.
$50,000 HITS Grand Prix - HITS-on-the-Hudson I
Place Horse Owner Rider Prize Round 1 Faults JO Faults JO Time
1 Capall Zidane Ronan McGuigan Ronan McGuigan $15,000 0 0 40.102
2 HH Fyloe Double H Farm Quentin Judge $11,000 0 0 40.994
3 Azibantos Group C LLC McLain Ward $6,500 0 4 42.000
4 Balotan The Coverboy Group Amanda Flint $4,000 1 * *
5 My Pleasure My Pleasure LLC Peter Leone $3,000 4 * *
6 Qui Vive Des Songes Z Mr & Mrs Ralph Caristo Heather Caristo-Williams $2,500 4 * *
7 H.H. Ashley Double H Farm McLain Ward $2,000 4 * *
8 Freak Out Mr & Mrs Ralph Caristo Heather Caristo-Williams $1,500 4 * *
9 Gentille Van Spieveld GJ Stable Leslie Howard $1,500 4 * *
10 Superbad The Coverboy Group Amanda Flint $1,000 4 * *
11 HH Best Buy Double H Farm McLain Ward $1,000 4 * *
12 VDL Wittinger Amanda Flint Amanda Flint $1,000 4 * *
Elizabeth Stewart and KT Eber Win The $10,000 Marshall & Sterling Tuffrider/Equine Couture Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic
Elizabeth Stewart and KT Eber topped field of 31 riders and a 13-horse jump off to emerge victorious in the $10,000 Marshall & Sterling Tuffrider/Equine Couture Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic on Saturday at HITS-on-the-Hudson.
During the fast-paced jump-off, the lead changed hands three times, with Stewart going ninth and ultimately resetting the Great American Time to Beat with a clear time of 35.177 that would hold until the very end.
Going first in the jump-off was Alexandra Barnes on her Why Not Me, riding swift and clear to master tight turns and set the Great American Time to Beat at 37.699 seconds, which seemed at first that it might hold, particularly after the next two riders had rails.
Indeed Barnes’ time held until the fourth rider, Katherine Anne Brewer, on Pulsatilla W, owned by Martha King, completed the next clear jump-off round in a time even quicker than Barnes – an expeditious 35.494 seconds. Four of the next five riders had faults as well, and only one went double-clear, but in a time slower than Brewer.
Then, Stewart entered the ring. “I actually wasn’t sure how fast everyone had gone, and I just did what my trainer told me to do and hit the number of strides,” she said. Going fast and clean, she bested Barnes’ time,to finish the course a quarter-second faster.
“When in doubt, he’s fast across the ground,” said Stewart, of her 18 hands gelding Belgian Warmblood. “He does anything I ask,” said Stewart, as she walked KT Eber after the awards presentation a victory lap around the course.
But Barnes was a good sport about placing third. “It’s terribly cliché – it feels great to do well but really, it just feels great to be on my horse. Having her do well is wonderful.”
$10,000 M&S Tuffrider/Equine Couture Child/Adult Jumper Classic
Place Horse Owner Rider Prize Round 1 Faults JO Faults JO Time
1 KT Eber Elizabeth Stewart Elizabeth Stewart $2,800 0 0 35.177
2 Pulsatilla W Martha King Katherine Anne Brewer $1,800 0 0 35.434
3 Why Not Me Alexandra Barnes Alexandra Barnes $1,250 0 0 37.699
4 M And M Redfield Farm Sultana Abbar $900 0 0 37.741
5 Davvero GLN Rebecca Weissbard Rebecca Weissbard $800 0 4 33.149
6 Speedy Chicolina Round Hill Holdings LLC Megan Winkhaus $700 0 4 33.576
7 Fiery Jenny Fischer Katherine Anne Brewer $600 0 4 34.665
8 Aburhal Katie Carson Katie Carson $400 0 4 34.970
9 Follow My Heart Julianne Marklin Julianne Marklin $375 0 4 37.417
10 Wasco Rachel S Miller Rachel S Miller $375 0 4 39.052
11 Belithius Christine Reilly Christine Reilly * 0 4 40.409
12 Grisset Alissa Kinsey Alissa Kinsey * 0 4 45.992
McKayla Langmeier and Highland Van't Heike Win Saturday's $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic, presented by Vetera® XP Vaccines
McKayla Langmeier and Highland Van't Heike emerged in the $10,000 Junior/A-O Jumper 1.45 Meter Classic, held in the Grand Prix ring on Sunday, after a faultless ride and a swift jump off time of 39.212, besting the second-place finisher Karen Polle on her Bottom Line, by less than half a second.
In the four-horse jump-off, Danielle Torano and Herault, owned by Jimmy & Danielle Torano, rounded out third with a double-clear ride and a time of 40.521 seconds, followed by Danny Mahon Chopper 5, owned by KW Mahon Inc., who picked up four faults in the jump-off and finished the course in 42.171 seconds.
The $10,000 Junior/A-O Jumper 1.45 Meter Classic held each week at HITS Saugerties is a qualifier for the Vetera® XP Vaccines $250,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix at the HITS Championship on September 5-6 in Saugerties.
$10,000 Jr/A-O Jumper High Classic
Place Horse Owner Rider Prize Round 1 Faults JO Faults JO Time
1 Highland Van 't Heike Linda Langmeier McKayla Langmeier $2,800 0 0 39.212
2 Bottom Line Karen Polle Karen Polle $1,800 0 0 39.669
3 Herault Jimmy & Danielle Torano Danielle Torano $1,250 0 0 40.521
4 Chopper 5 KW Mahon Inc. Danny Mahon $900 0 4 42.171
5 Nevada Caitlin Creel Caitlin Creel $800 1 * *
6 Full Monty Kadley Holdings LLC Addison Gierkink $700 1 * *
7 Phenix Royal Joseph & Mary Tyree Catherine Tyree $600 4 * *
8 Q Two Katie Gray Katie Gray $400 4 * *
9 Velin du Houssoit Siekmann Equestrian LLC Camilla Siekmann $375 5 * *
10 Cessna 13 KR Horse Sales, LLC Kyle Regenye $375 5 * *