Andre Thieme on course with his own Aragon Rouet at the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix (ESI Photography).
During the qualifying season in Ocala, Florida, Thieme and his own Aragon Rouet earned over $36,000 in prize money and boasted a historic win in Sunday’s class over seasoned American riders like McLain Ward, Todd Minikus and Margie Engle. Thieme and Aragon Rouet proved that they deserve to be considered one of the best as they were one of two to advance to the jump-off and the only pair to go double clear. Thieme posted a time of 90.74 seconds in the first round to sneak under the time allowed of 91 seconds and bested the 56 time allowed in the jump-off with a final time of 48.14 seconds.
“I wouldn’t have made the trip and spent the money to get here if I didn’t think I had a chance,” said Thieme.“I didn’t think I was going to win, but I was hoping for a top-five finish.”
He and his horse arrived in Saugerties a week ago and the wait didn’t relieve any of the pressure, according to Thieme.
“The course was big,” said Thieme.“I got on [Aragon Rouet] when we were 20 horses away and just walked to relax and prepare.”
Forty-five unique horse-and-rider-combinations challenged Olympic course designer Steve Stephens‘ first-round track. The buzz circulating the HITS Saugerties show grounds was all about size. Stephens reached for the stars with this year’s course, building some of the biggest jumps riders and horses will see short of the Olympics. Crowds gathered on the berms of the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix stadium to watch as Stephens unveiled brand new jumps from his trailer and began building Friday night.
“This was big as anything,” said Charlie Jayne of the course. “I was in the Super League for the past two months and this is one of the biggest courses I have walked this year.”
Jayne, who finished second in last year’s Pfizer Million returned with The London Group’s Athena and finished in the ribbons at 17th.
Thieme went head-to-head with reigning Pfizer Million champion, Ward to try and steal the historic victory. Ward finished the first round course with four faults after clipping the top rail on the second fence of the 12ab combination with a final first-round time of 85.63. He ended the day in fourth aboard Grant Road Partners LLC’s Antares F.
“I worried too much about the back rail of the [11ab] combination and opted for the five strides,” said Ward. “We saw two great riders in the jump-off and I appreciate a good winner.
The first to go clear and the only competition for Thieme in the jump-off was Duncan McFarlane of New Zealand. The crowd waited twenty trips for a clear round and it was McFarlane who finally delivered in the irons of Simone Coxe’s Mr. Whoopy. He was first in the jump-off, but saw trouble at the repeat of 12a and took down the front rail of the 8th jump-off fence to finish with eight faults and a time of 89.27 seconds
"I excited to go clear, but I knew I wasn't going to be the only one," said McFarlane. "The course could be ridden and there were a lot of great riders behind me."
Stephens coupled height with technicality in his course, presenting riders with 13 obstacles, including three double combinations and a wide water jump.
“It was important to me that this was not a normal class,” said Stevens. “I wanted it to be a hard class – last year I thought I had too many four faulters and a miss for me would have been to have too many clear.”
Stephens’ plan came to fruition as only five riders posted four-fault rounds.
“This is the Super Bowl of show jumping,” said Stevens. “I tried to build tests for all horses and stride lengths and if they made a little error, they were going to have a rail down.”
The course was unanimously daunting, but riders agreed that the purse was equally intimidating.
“To be successful, you have to put the money out of your head and concentrate on the jumps,” said Ward.
Rounding out the top four was HITS veteran Minikus aboard his own Pavarotti. He kept the crowd hopeful of a guaranteed jump-off until the back rail of the b fence at the 11ab combination fell. His first round time was 87.23 seconds. Despite the blue ribbon slipping from his grasp, Minikus was positive about the future of the Pfizer Million.
“This class helps to promote show jumping in America and we need to do more of this and continue to create this atmosphere,” said Minikus. “It’s an awesome event and I hope it continues to grow.”
HITS took steps this year to promote show jumping in the mainstream media by partnering with HRTV and A Good Show to deliver live streaming and expert commentating to a global audience. During the event, the live webcast attracted over 131,000 visits from 56 countries. A staggering 82% of those views came from the United States.
"The quality and attention of HITS coverage for the richest day in U.S. Equestrian Sports and use of the latest technologies and distribution opportunities, has paid off beyond our wildest expectations," said David Kiviat, Director/Producer with A Good Show.
Stuart Miekle, Marketing Director, Equine Division at Pfizer Animal Health was present to congratulate all Pfizer Million participants on their performances during a historic moment in elite show jumping. He presented Thieme with winning honors before the top 20 finishers took one last gallop around the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix Stadium.
“Our goal is to connect horses and people,” said Miekle. “This accomplishes that with show jumping at its finest. We would love to see it back on prime time TV and Pfizer will be back next year if HITS will have us.”
HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri was quick to express his eagerness about next year’s event.
“In the 24 hours following the class I’ve been contacted by several riders from all over the world, as well as former Olympians and World Champions, who have shown interest in using Thermal and Saugerties as their means to qualify for this class next year,” he said. “This type of response speaks volumes to what we are trying to accomplish with this class and we are excited to continue with this for 2012.
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.