Course designer Bernardo Cabral of Lisbon, Portugal designed a first round track that proved to be one of the more difficult courses of the summer series, providing for some exciting show jumping. The course bested the entire starting field of 37 competitors, which included a slew of Olympians from around the world.
“I was looking for at least three or four clear,” said Cabral, who was still pleased with the outcome. “As it turns out, nobody was able to make it clear around the first time but there were rails just about everywhere on the field. Not a single spot in particular gave anyone trouble. I thought it was a proper course for a $100,000 class as far as difficulty goes and I think any of the four fault riders could easily have won today.”
Ward, who failed to go clear in the first round aboard two separate mounts, praised Cabral for his course.
“I thought Bernardo’s course was excellent. Actually, it was pretty phenomenal,” he said with a smile. “I think we’ve had an epidemic in American show jumping to drop the level of difficulty and not raise the standards to what they should be. We jumped for $100,000 today and I thought the course was very accommodating of that. This is the level we should be competing at.”
Many came close to clear rounds, but upon completion of the first round, eight riders with four faults apiece returned for a jump-off to determine the winner. Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, Florida aboard Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables’ Sweetheart, who dominated at HITS-on-the-Hudson last week, returned first in the jump-off. They finished with 12 jumping faults in 46.314 seconds to set the pace.
Kate Levy of Wellington, Florida aboard Vent Du Nord, owned by Kate Levy, LLC, entered the ring next and set the Great American Time to Beat at 46.955 seconds and take the lead. They would ultimately finish in second place.
Richard Moloney of Wellington, Florida aboard Ahorn Van de Zuothoeve, owned by Equinimity, LLC was next to return. Moloney had found success in the ring at HITS-on-the-Hudson V, capturing second place in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and he was eager to repeat the performance. He picked up four faults at the last fence of the jump-off and posted a time of 48.786 seconds to eventually finish in fifth place.
Ward and Antares F made their return to the jump-off fourth and claimed the first clear round in 43.797 seconds, three seconds faster than Levy, to take the lead and eventually, the victory.
“[Antares F] is a great horse,” said Ward. “He’s so fast and I just wanted to put up a challenging time since I knew there were a few really fast ones coming up behind me in the order. You always take a risk of having a rail when you’re going that fast, but I knew this horse was capable of doing it and the plan worked.”
Ward was the inaugural winner of the Pfizer Million last year aboard his two-time Olympic Gold Medal mare Sapphire and will look to defend his title in a few short weeks. He is now eligible for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and sits fourth on the top 40 with a total $46,500 in prize money. He made his way onto the top five in the Eligible Rider Rankings with his own leading horse,Oh' D Eole, but Ward hinted on Sunday that Antares F would be his mount for September’s Pfizer Million.
“More than likely, I will be riding [Antares F]” he said. “You never know with horses, but right now that is looking like the plan.”
Ward’s former student, 25 year old professional David Tromp of North Salem, New York aboard Casey, owned by Beyaert Farm, Inc. took the reins next in the jump-off. The team ended up with 12 jumping faults in 50.828 seconds, which earned them a seventh place ribbon.
Another young and rising star, 19 year old Taylor McMurtry of Barrington Hills, Illinois joined the elite group of jump-off riders aboard her own Just An Illusion. McMurtry, who trains under the watchful eye of Grand Prix veteran Aaron Vale, came close to winning the class in the first round. She left every rail intact, but a foot in the water jump resulted in four faults. McMurtry finished the jump-off with 12 faults in 55.061 seconds to finish eighth.
“It was just a foot in the water!” McMurtry chuckled with a sigh. “I’m so glad with how we did though. This horse has done so much for me and continues to amaze me every time. A lot of my idols were in this class, so it’s just an honor to do so well amongst them.”
Two rounds remained as Marie Hecart aboard Myself De Breve, owned by Haras De La Roque, looked to capture the win after just falling short of a clear in the first round. The last to show over the first course, Hecart approached the last line of fences with no faults. A rail down at the triple-bar, however, ensured a jump-off and prompted an emotional reaction from the crowd. Hecart finished the jump-off with four faults in 47.438 seconds, which eventually finished fourth.
Last to face the jump-off course was one of the “fast ones” Ward anticipated. Margie Engle of Wellington, Florida aboard Ashland Farms’ Lord Spezi got the crowd on their feet for the final trip, as the former U.S. Olympian, vied for another moment of glory in the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium. Engle put forth the effort, but finished with four faults in 45.155 seconds, to claim the third place ribbon.
“It doesn’t get much more exciting than it did today,” said Engle, who was happy with her finish. “This was a great class and this is how exciting show jumping should be.”
More world-class show jumping is ahead as the road to the Pfizer Million travels back to HITS Culpeper for two consecutive weeks and includes two more Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix qualifiers. Competition returns to Saugerties August 31 as HITS-on-the-Hudson offers the last two chances to qualify before the $30,000 Wild Card class, scheduled for September 9. The winner of that class, if not already qualified for the Pfizer Million, will receive a Wild Card berth and automatically compete for the richest purse in show jumping history.
HITS, Inc. produces high-quality, international-level hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS has been producing shows since 1982 and is now a nationwide company with world-class circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia. In 2010, HITS took the industry to new heights when it hosted the first-ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. HITS will once again offer the most innovative weekend in show jumping history in 2011 when it hosts the second annual Pfizer Million and the inaugural Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, September 10-11, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York.