By: Rebecca Walton
Beginners luck or youthful indiscretion can be used when a young person takes home a major victory, but none of those correctly describe Kelli Cruciotti. Hard working, determined - those are the best adjectives to describe the 17-year-old athlete who won her first grand prix with Chamonix H during Thursday night's prestigious $100,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon.
Kelli Cruciotti and Chamonix H (The Book LLC)
"I can't believe it. This is actually my second grand prix with her," expressed Cruciotti at the end of the night. "She's unbelievable. She's the best horse I could learn to do this on. It hasn't sunk in at all."
In front of a packed house, Cruciotti navigated a seven-horse jump-off to claim the first major win of her budding career and to be the youngest rider to ever win the historic event. Course designer Michel Vaillancourt narrowed down a field of 28 entries, which included Olympians such as McLain Ward, Peter Leone and Beat Mandli, to just seven riders for the tiebreaker. A triple combination caused problems for a number of competitors in the first round, but for two of the youngest riders in the class, as well as one of the youngest horses, it never caused an issue.
The first rider to return for the short course was hometown hero Callan Solem of Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, with Horseshoe Trail Farm's VDL Wizard. The pair set the pace to beat with a clear round in 41.534 seconds. Aaron Vale soon one-upped them with Equi-Sport LLC's E.S. Finou 4 with a faultless round in 40.606 seconds.
Devin Ryan entered the Dixon Oval next with one of the youngest horses of the night: the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Cooper. They took over the top spot when they made it around the course in 40.058 seconds. The duo did not top the leader board for long though when Cruciotti and Chamonix H galloped into the ring. With tight turns to each obstacle, the pair became the ones to beat with a blazing time of 38.678 seconds.
"Going in to the jump off Peter [Wylde] said go medium and nice," noted Cruciotti. "Luckily, everything just kind of showed up off the turn. I turned back really tight to the double, and she really came through for me. I came out and Peter was like, 'that was a nice medium!'"
Kaitlin Campbell's effort to beat Cruciotti was thwarted when she tried to catch the time on Rocky W but had a rail in the combination for four faults in 39. 892 seconds. Another young rider, 18-year-old Michael Hughes, was up next with Christina Fried's MacArthur. They proved that there is no shortage of young talent when they raced through the timers in 39.498 seconds to take over second place. Alison Robitaille was the last to compete with Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone's Cassinja, and while they took home the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award at the end of the night, a rail in the combination would have them earning sixth place.
When Cruciotti returned to the returned to the center of the Dixon Oval to accept the Celeste McNeal Harper Perpetual Trophy, it was with a mixture of joy and shock. The young rider, who graduated high school last week, is not new to the sport, having earned multiple top placings in the hunters and equitation, but she only competed in her first grand prix two weeks ago during the Kentucky Spring Classic, and she had no expectations of leading Thursday night's victory gallop.
"I think my goal was just to have a nice round, just a nice maybe four fault round," smiled Cruciotti. "I didn't really have any expectations. When I made the jump-off, I didn't have much to lose. It's amazing to win at a show like this. It's just unbelievable. I'm lucky to be here."
Cruciotti and Chamonix H worked hard this winter developing their partnership and gaining experience during the Winter Equestrian Festival. They took home the top prize in the $25,000 Artisan Farms Under 25 Grand Prix during the second week of the circuit, represented the United States as part of the winning Junior Nations Cup Team, and closed out the circuit with a third place finish in the $50,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix Finale.
"I think [the U25 classes] are a nice medium step," said Cruciotti. "It's higher than the junior jumpers, but it's not quite as big as the open classes. You get to really do a lot of different things there: the lights, the grass. I think that really helps in this kind of situation."
Another product of the U25 and junior programs in the United States is second place finisher Michael Hughes, who became a professional just this year after aging out of the junior divisions.
"It's amazing," said Hughes. "The last time I had MacArthur here he was a bit spooky. So this time we got him a little bit quieter, and he was so much better. I did him under the lights in Florida. I have to watch; he gets a little bit of bit spooky with the shadows."
It was not just young riders that were successful during the evening's highlight event though. Devin Ryan's 8-year-old mount Cooper proved what the Young Jumper Championships do for the development of a horse.
"He won the 7-year-old classes in here last year," explained Ryan. "I've brought him here since he was a 5-year-old. The atmosphere, the ring and the crowd - it's never bothered him. Any ring he's stepped into he's always been really brave and game and wanting to go. I just started moving him up the levels this year into the grand prix. The only reason I planned on doing him tonight and actually not my older horse is because I know his mentality for it and the crowd and everything. It doesn't faze him. I didn't feel I was over facing him."
Earlier in the day, the Young Jumpers competed in the Dixon Oval beginning with the 5 Year Olds, where Taylor Flury and Catanisa Saflo Z took home the blue ribbon for the second day in a row. In the 6-Year-Old Young Jumpers, Jaime Auletto piloted Ecamorka win, and in the 7 & 8-Year-Old Laura Chapot had the fastest clear jump-off effort with BEC Hugo.
The young riders and young horses that highlighted the $100,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon will have two more opportunities to compete this week on Friday and Saturday night. For more information about the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair and complete results please visit www.DevonHorseShow.org.
RESULTS: Class 245, $100,000 SAPPHIRE GRAND PRIX OF DEVON
1 236 CHAMONIX H KELLI CRUCIOTTI 0 75.318 0 38.678
2 1399 MACARTHUR MICHAEL HUGHES 0 76.454 0 39.498
3 1019 COOPER DEVIN RYAN 0 77.319 0 40.058
4 1565 E.S. FINOU 4 AARON VALE 0 77.090 0 40.606
5 1129 VDL WIZARD CALLAN SOLEM 0 75.791 0 41.534
6 1569 CASSINJA ALISON ROBITAILLE 0 75.843 4 39.269
7 167 ROCKY W KAITLIN CAMPBELL 0 76.315 4 39.892
8 1346 BEEZIE HAYLEY BARNHILL 1 78.869
RESULTS: Class 262, $750 FIVE YEAR OLD YOUNG JUMPER - YJC
1 424 CATANIA SAFLO Z TAYLOR FLURY 0 0 68.841
2 423 CARRASCA Z TAYLOR FLURY 0 0 0 71.690
3 1014 FAME DEVIN RYAN 0 0 0 71.923
4 1366 CORNETTO DEVIN RYAN 0 0 0 72.377
5 1016 ROYAL SALUUT KELLY ARVIDSON 4 0 4 71.046
6 425 COSMEA Z ALISON FLURY 4 0 4 73.322
7 1006 FELIX JOELLE REDMOND 8 0 8 68.947
8 1015 LASINDER HPF DEVIN RYAN 8 0 8 72.34
RESULTS: Class 264, $750 SIX YEAR OLD YOUNG JUMPER - YJC
1 1130 ECAMORKA JAIME AULETTO 0 29.912
2 1013 E-BOY W DEVIN RYAN 0 30.245
3 1550 EXPLOSIVE BRIAN FEIGUS 0 31.054
4 950 CHIARA MIA KATHERINE DINAN 0 31.108
5 1017 ELISCO DE BEAUFOUR DEVIN RYAN 0 75.669 0 31.809
6 1022 EDDIE BLUE DEVIN RYAN 0 72.230 0 32.524
7 1471 EDORADO JAMES FAIRCLOUGH 0 72.365 0 33.330
8 1532 Chacco too KEVIN BABINGTON 0 35.753
RESULTS: Class 266, $1500 SEVEN/EIGHT YEAR OLD YOUNG JUMPER - YJC
1 173 BEC HUGO LAURA CHAPOT 0 0 0 68.850 0 29.475
2 272 RIO CACHET HAYLEY WATERS 0 0 0 72.800 0 32.025
3 948 DIBATSJA KATHERINE DINAN 0 0 0 72.915 0 32.751
4 268 NEMESIS 11 SETH VALLHONRAT 0 0 0 72.925 0 33.579
5 1020 DIDAM DEVIN RYAN 0 0 0 73.250 4 29.983
6 949 ANGELINA 317 KATHERINE DINAN 0 1 1 74.297
7 1266 CONBALOU SETH VALLHONRAT 0 1 1 74.304
8 1560 DIDO SARAH MIDDLETON 4 0 4 68.133
Maggie Jayne Has All the Answers in $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby
By: Emily Riden
Maggie Jayne and The Answer trotted into the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby as the tenth in the order, took over the lead and never relinquished it, riding to the win Thursday afternoon at the Devon Horse Show.
Maggie Jayne and The Answer (Emily Riden/Phelps Media Group)
Jayne and the 8-year-old gelding earned scores of 90 and 87 from the two judging panels, which, coupled with four high option points, gave them a first round score of 185. Thirty-two combinations followed Jayne and The Answer in the first round, including last year's winners, Kelley Farmer and Mindful, and 2013 winners Tori Colvin and Inclusive, but none were able to touch the leading score.
Second in the first round went to Sandy Ferrell and Meralex Farm Inc.'s El Primero with a total from the two judges of 180.5 points, while Jennifer Alfano and Helen Lenahan's Miss Lucy rounded out the top three with 180 points.
The top 12 combinations returned for the technical handy round, designed by Alan Lohman, which included numerous options for riders to display their horses' handiness. Liza Boyd perhaps did that nearly as well as anyone. Finishing in the eleventh place position after the first round, Boyd and Sterling were the second to return for the handy round, and Boyd took a risky turn that paid off big time.
"I had nothing to lose," Boyd said. "I was actually the only one that did the inside turn to the oxer. I made that decision when I walked the course, I just knew. I knew I had to go for it. We all go for it. If you are sitting in 11th and you know you have a horse that can do it, you go for it."
Boyd and Sterling, owned by Pony Lane Farm, landed from the oxer set as the sixth fence and made an extremely tight turn to the oxer set as fence seven.
Boyd continued, "It seemed nearly impossible, but that horse is amazing. I don't know how he did it. He made it, and it honestly seemed easy. I don't think I would have even tried it on Brunello. A couple weeks ago in Tryon he was second in the Derby behind Mindful, and he did all the turns that Mindful did there, so he kind of proved to me that he could do it. I took a shot, and it worked out."
The move shot Boyd from 11th to the third place position where she would remain through to the end. No on else in the class attempted such a move, instead all elected more conservative displays of handiness, with positions staying much the same from the first round through the second round.
Ferrell and El Primero fell from second to sixth leaving the door open for Alfano who returned with Miss Lucy to deliver scores of 87 and 86 plus four high option points for a second round total of 196 and an overall score of 376. Jayne and The Answer were the last to return, with a combined score of 191 necessary to remain in the lead and take the win.
With a seamless trip delivered and three of the high option fences tackled, Jayne and Pony Lane Farm's The Answer finished on scores of 86.5 and 85.5 for a second round total of 195 and a grand total of 380, clinching the victory.
"The horse has just been coming along so nicely," Jayne said of The Answer. "It's a nice notch on his belt to prove that he can do this. It's great for his resume because it's Devon. I got a new stock tie because we are at Devon! My other shadbelly lost a button, so the shipper left yesterday, and it came overnight in the trailer, because it's Devon. It's very important, and I couldn't be more thrilled for the Thatchers and for the horse - it all came together."
Jayne took over the ride on The Answer from her sister, Haylie Jayne Rolfe, who is expecting her first child in November. The Answer typically competes in the Second Year Green Hunters with Jayne and in the Amateur-Owner Hunters with Kelsey Thatcher.
"I started at the end of Florida, and I've done one show since Florida. Then we came here," Jayne said. "He's a blast, tries really hard and always tries to jump clean. I am having a lot of fun."
Jayne continued, "[Haylie] was watching on the computer, and she texted me. She's hysterical. She's like 'it's the hormones!' She's really cute and supportive."
The Derby on Thursday is one of only a handful that The Answer has done thus far, but competing in the derby at Devon was the perfect fit for him.
"That's the great part about this derby, you get to show out here during the week," Jayne said. "The horses get so comfortable. It's very inviting."
Finishing in second were derby veterans Jennifer Alfano and Miss Lucy who finished on an overall score of 376. After colic surgery two years ago and surgery on a keratoma in her hind foot last year, Miss Lucy is back in the show ring and in top form.
"She was awesome. It's so great to have her back in the ring and going again," Alfano said. "She's a really special horse to me. Having her back really means a lot. There is not a jump you wouldn't point her at. You don't ever have to really give that a second thought with her."
The $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby marked the conclusion of the professional hunters at the Devon Horse Show, but competition resumes on Friday with the Amateur-Owner Hunters beginning at 8:55 a.m.
Nancy Ehle Goes From Horse Show Mom to Devon Blue Ribbon Winner
By: Mary Adelaide Brakenridge
Nancy Ehle has spent many years attending horse shows, but for much of that time, she has stayed on the sidelines to cheer on her daughter, Allyson Ehle. On Thursday at the Devon Horse Show, however, it was Nancy Ehle who took her turn in the spotlight, earning a blue ribbon in the Three Gaited Show Pleasure - Adult class.
Nancy Ehle and Trust In Love (Phelps Media Group)
"My daughter's been riding for 15 years, and I was the horse show mom for most of that," Ehle said. "I started seriously riding six years ago, on my 50th birthday, and it's been wonderful. My daughter showed last night, and she shows again tomorrow. We get to hang out at all these shows. It's a great thing for moms and daughters."
Ehle rode Trust In Love, an American Saddlebred mare, to the victory at Devon. She feels the mare is a perfect partner for her as she continues to gain experience in the show ring.
"She's just a gem," Ehle said. "She's the happiest mare. She's very pleasant and just gives her all 100 percent of the time. She works hard, and she takes care of me."
A resident of Orefield, Pennsylvania, Ehle sees the Devon Horse Show as a highlight of the year. She has plenty of friends and family in the area who come out to watch and cheer her on.
"This is my favorite show," she said. "[The atmosphere] is a little overwhelming, with the people so close, but I just love it. People get excited. They don't even know what our breed is because they're hunt seat people, but they get excited and cheer. It's such a high."
Thursday marked the second day of competition for American Saddlebreds, Hackney ponies and Friesians at the 2015 Devon Horse Show. Coaching continued as well, with Misdee Wrigley Miller notching another victory in the division driving her own Miller Park Drag. She returned later in the afternoon to win the Three Gaited Amateur class with Hillcroft Farm's Moonbeams and Dreams.