David Beisel and Call Me Hannes (Phelps Media Group)
Portuguese course designer Bernardo C. Cabral built a twisty and windy course that produced six clears in the first round with no stand-out trouble spots on the course and downed rails distributed evenly around the course. For each of the six clean rounds, the announcer sounded the boat horn and the audience enthusiastically cheered the accomplishment of each successful horse and rider pair.
Lisa Goldman, from Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, was the first to return and attempt Cabral's short track aboard her own Rocs to Riches, an 8-year-old, chestnut Oldenburg mare. The boat horn sounded as the pair accomplished the clear round and set the standard and the time to beat at 39.681 seconds.
"My goal with the mare was just to go double clean," said Goldman. "She was a little tired and this was a big track for her, so double clean but a little slower was good."
Next on course for the jump-off, Beisel and Call Me Hannes stepped on the gas and outran Goldman's time significantly, breaking the beam at 36.238 seconds. For such a large horse, Call Me Hannes has a huge stride and is surprisingly handy and fast in the turns. The duo moved to the top of the leaderboard.
"I thought while walking the course that the jump-off probably suited Call Me Hannes a little better, versus Friday's class," said Beisel. "Friday's class had a little bit more tricky stuff, and this was a little more galloping. Hannes has a bigger stride in the open field, so I let him rip."
A renowned horseman with over 100 grand prix wins under his belt, Wilhelm Genn was next on course with the Eduardo Leon's formidable Bugatti, the winner of the Week II $50,000 Grand Prix of Michigan. This pair also left all the rails in place and finished with a time of 37.328 seconds, putting them in second place.
Goldman returned for her second trip on Mary Goldman's Centurion B, winner of the Week III Welcome Stake, and it appeared as if they may surpass Beisel and Call Me Hannes with their speedy execution of the course, but the pair knocked a rail of the final fence. Though they had the faster time of 35.178 seconds, they incurred four faults, putting them in fourth.
Beisel followed with Ammeretto, and the pair had two rails and stopped the clock at 36.607 seconds, eventually taking sixth place. Last to go was Javier Berganza Anderhub, from Lexington, Kentucky, and Armani 224, owned by Keystone, LLC. Berganza Anderhub piloted the elegant bay Oldenberg gelding around the short track and had a single rail finishing in a time of 38.763 seconds to land him in fifth place.
Beisel and Call Me Hannes maintained their lead to win the feature event of Week IV and close out the four-week circuit with another blue ribbon to add to their considerable collection. Owner Phyllis Harlow was thrilled with her horse's achievement.
"We bought him in December of 2013, she said. "He's always been with David. He did his first Grand Prix a year ago today."
Next on Beisel's schedule is Kentucky and he has made plans for the American Gold Cup in September, another event produced by Stadium Jumping, the management of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival.
"I've loved this horse show, said Goldman. "The new management has been great this year, and they really figured out the footing. It's been better this year than the past 10 years I've been here."
The 7-Year Old Young Jumper Championship Qualifier
In Sunday morning's Young Jumper Championship Qualifier for the 7 Year Olds, it was Beisel who brought up the rear as the last to enter the ring, and also the one who rode right up the ranks into first place aboard Equine Holdings, LLC's Donnaludine. Beisel bested the group of four entries that proceeded to the jump-off, one of which was another entry of his own. When it came down to the wire, Beisel promptly piloted Donnaludine to a 37.294 second ride, and secured second with Patrice Schreiber's Vigilante who cleared the jump-off in 37.890 seconds. Beisel and Donnaludine ultimately earned the championship title of the division, an exciting win for the pair who only competed in their first jumper class together this time last year at Flintfields Horse Park.
"Donnaludine did her first show as a jumper a year ago," Beisel said. "She was doing the Baby Green Hunters before that, but she always jumped too high for the hunter judges to like her. That's when we figured we would try her out in the jumper ring and she has come along beautifully. She won ribbons all the way from here to Florida, and everywhere in between."
Beisel's second place ride, Patrice Schreiber's Vigilante, is another horse that he has only been working with for about a year. Beisel described Schreiber's Irish Sport Horse gelding as "super careful and fast," which was made apparent during Sunday's rides. Beisel said that he will be aiming for the Young Jumper Finals in Kentucky for the 7-year-olds in September with both of the determined horses.
Wilhelm Genn was another competitor who navigated both courses without fault, but when the timer clocked him aboard Taylor Ried's Deita at 38.859 seconds, they were awarded third place. Theo Genn fell 5.705 seconds behind his father's third place ride, slipping into the fourth place position atop his father's gelding, Van Gogh.
"It always helps to get a feel for the course," said Wilhelm Genn. "Its like when the football players go out on the field and get a feel for it before they play. For me its the same way. When I get in the ring I like to canter around a bit and get a feel for the ring and the corners and see how the footing feels when you
turn."
The inaugural 2015 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival at Flintfields Horse Park came to a close today. In 2016 the event is planned for July 6-31. Three additional weeks are pending USEF approval.
For more information or to view schedules, please visit www.stadiumjumping.com or www.greatlakesequestrianfestival.com.