Michael Morrissey and La Lopez 3 were the only horse and rider to jump double clear to take the win in the 1.40m Jumpers at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)

Traverse City, Mich. - Jumper competition continued in the Grand Prix Ring at Flintfields Horse Park on day two of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) with the 1.40m Jumpers highlighting the day's events. Michael Morrissey pulled off the win on La Lopez 3 as the last of 20 to challenge the Olaf Petersen-designed course, and was the only pair to produce a faultless effort in the jump-off.

"I wasn't supposed to be the last one in, but we pulled a shoe in the schooling area," said Morrissey. "It worked out. I was a little worried; it's a new horse. I didn't know how she was going to respond to that but she handled it really well.

"I didn't even realize going in that no one else had gone clear," continued Morrissey. "I went in and rode our plan and went as fast as I could go on her. There were a few places where I could have been craftier, but not knowing her, I wanted a solid 1.40m on her."

The 2016 GLEF is Morrissey and the 10-year-old Westphalian mare's second horse show together, and the pair is already demonstrating their strong potential together with Thursday's victory. They tackled two rounds of technical tracks to finish double clear in 42.836 seconds.

"Olaf has been spot on all week; he's built some really nice courses," said Morrissey. "When you have a nice course designer like him it's a pleasure to ride out here and we've been really lucky with good weather - the footing is great today. I think he's done a really good job all week."

Finishing in second as the fastest of the 4-faulters was David Beisel and his own Alastar in a speedy time of 38.673 seconds. David Jennings and his own S & L Puppy Love collected 8 faults in the jump-off, garnering them third place honors in 39.340 seconds.

Morrissey and La Lopez 3 are still new to each other, but Morrissey has high hopes for the talented mare for the duration of GLEF.

"I had played with the idea of jumping her in the welcome stake tomorrow, but I opted for this 1.40m instead since I don't know her that well," said Morrissey. "I think our plan will be to jump the two big grand prix coming up."

Morrissey, whose father and brother work as the competition director and co-manager of GLEF, is thrilled with the show's turn out thus far.

"My brother, father and Tom [Blankenship] are doing a really good job," said Morrissey. "I'm here more as an exhibitor, but they certainly hear plenty of ideas from me. I'm here just enjoying the show like all the other riders are!"

Prior to the 1.40m Jumpers was the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, where the main focus of the class again was to simply jump clear over the short course.

Seventeen-year-old Emma Sargent of Bayside Farm and Donald Cheska's Winchester raced past 21 other horses and riders to take home the blue ribbon, after producing the only double clear round in 38.415 seconds.

"I've had [Winchester] for about two years now and we imported her from Holland," said Sargent. "I just moved into the highs and she's been super. We're two peas in a pod. I've never been that close with a horse. It's amazing; it's a great feeling.

"Walking the first two lines, you could either do a leave out or an add, and I usually do the add because she's so sensitive and very quiet," continued Sargent. "I try to keep her contained so a lot of it was just very slow and calm. All of the lines had to be calm and you had to keep your cool. I think it worked out for us because she jumps her best when she's a little more put together."

Kaely Tomeu and Allison Sweetnam's Capitol took second place honors with a 4 fault finish in the jump-off in 40.027 seconds, while Lacey Gilbertson and Allison Sweetnam's Bijzonder rounded out the top three with 4 faults in 41.579 seconds.

Of her jump-off round, which secured her win with the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Sargent said, "In the first and last line I did a leave out. I originally walked a nine but I did an eight. I just cantered right down to it and it was perfect."

Originally from Chicago, Sargent has been coming to show at the Flintfields Horse Park for six years. She was also in attendance at the inaugural GLEF event in 2015. Sargent will continue to compete throughout Week One of the 2016 GLEF including in the $25,000 Amalaya Investments Welcome Stake on Friday and in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City on Sunday.

"The area is beautiful, and it's such a relaxing horse show," said Sargent. "You get done around 4 p.m. and you can just go hang out and be with all of your friends. It's peaceful."

Earlier in the day, the 1.35m Jumpers saw 17 horses and riders compete for the top spot. Belgium's Filip De Wandel and Eliza Lehrman's Innocent Nina nabbed the blue ribbon with a double clear round in 64.513 seconds. One second behind was Michael Tokaruk and his own Baton Rouge, who jumped double clear to finish in 65.709 seconds. Cara Cheska and her own Blizzerd rounded out the top three, crossing the finish line in 68.321 seconds.

GLEF will continue to welcome riders and thrill spectators over the next four weeks throughout the first series of competition, which runs July 6-31. Feature jumper events for Week One in the Grand Prix Ring include the $25,000 Amalaya Investments Welcome Stake on Friday, the $5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic on Saturday and the highlight event of the week on Sunday: the $50,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City, presented by North Face Farm.

Some may say that the secret to winning is all about timing and luck, but others, like Caroline Weeden, attribute success to their amazing string of horses. Weeden has already earned two championship ribbons in only the second day of competition during Week One of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival.

Weeden piloted Piper Benjamin's horse Corvine to earn the championship title in Thursday's portion of the Regular Conformation Hunter division. During the first half of the class, Weeden rode to a first and a second place ribbon. On Thursday, Benjamin and her mother proudly watched ringside as Weeden navigated Corvine to a first, second and third place, winning the championship for the class.

"He was great today," Weeden said of Corvine. "We got him as a 6-year-old from Louise Serio and from day one he's been perfect. The really unique part to this horse is the fact that Piper's mom also rides him at home and has just started back riding him a little bit and this is the horse she rides. He really is a family horse. As talented as he is, his brain is that good too."

Benjamin will compete Corvine in the Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions this week as well as in the USHJA International Hunter Derby held during Week Four of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. She has been riding under Weeden's tutelage for nine years, earning impressive honors throughout her riding career such as placing in the top 25 at Derby Finals as the highest placing amateur rider.

"I'm not nervous at all when I'm riding him, and I trust him completely," Benjamin said of Corvine. "My mom gets on him and does poles and stuff like that. He's just kind of a horse for everyone!" She laughed, "My dad even likes him, and he doesn't really know which horse is which so Corvine is very special for us."

The reserve championship in the Regular Conformation Hunter division went to Maggie Jayne aboard Bugsy Malone, owned by Alex Jayne. Jayne's winnings totaled two firsts, a second and two fourth place ribbons.

Weeden's winning streak continued on another trusted mount, Poetry, for the second portion of the First Year Green Working Hunter division. The pair earned a first place over fences in Wednesday's portion of the class, and came back strong on Thursday to take home a second, third and fourth.

Of Poetry, Weeden said, "Poetry is a First Year horse, we bought him from Terry Brown last year as a Pre-Green horse. He's super talented and he's really coming into his own this year. We've sort of taken our time with him and just gone horse show by horse show, but now he's becoming quite the solid competitor!"

Weeden continued, "Right now he just shows with me in the First Years, and maybe next year he'll start doing some stuff with his owners but at the moment he just does the First Years. They allow me the time to make him up and get him going. He's a super horse!"

Maggie Jayne came back to earn another reserve championship ribbon in the First Year Green Working Hunter, this time riding Color Pearlz. Throughout both days of the class, Jayne and Color Pearlz earned two first place ribbons.

In the Green Conformation Hunter division, Tim Goguen returned on the second day to secure two firsts and two seconds under his belt with his horses, Category and Splendid, respectively. Goguen maintained his lead aboard his newer gelding, Category, earning a third and fourth to claim the championship win.

After the first half of the class, Greg Crolick was situated just behind Goguen with third and fourth place finishes on his two horses, Encore CBF and Outshine. Crolick and Outshine bested the rest of the Green Conformation Hunter competitors on Thursday, earning a first and two seconds during the second portion of the class to earn the reserve champion ribbon.

Competition in the R.L. Polk Main Hunter Ring at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival continues Friday, July 8, beginning at 8 a.m. The R.L. Polk Main Hunter Ring will also present the Glory Day Farms, LLC $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby on Sunday, July 10.

The second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, held July 13-17, has completely sold out of stabling space with limited spots remaining for Week Three, July 20-24. Act now to reserve stabling spots for August, and do not miss out on the chance to compete during the all-new FEI Great Lakes Equestrian Festival series in August.

Series Two kicks off on August 10 and runs through August 28 featuring three weeks of hunter and jumper competition with a FEI CSI2* rating Week Five and Six and a FEI CSI3* rating during Week Seven culminating in the $100,000 Grand Traverse Grand Prix on Sunday, August 28.

The Great Lakes Equestrian Festival is set on 88 beautiful acres and showcases five world-class competition rings in addition to spacious schooling rings. The property features don't stop there as the park offers convenient on-site campgrounds and weekly nights of entertainment for a truly unique attendee experience.

For more information, please visit www.greatlakesequestrianfestival.com.

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