Christine McCrea and Romantovich Take One win The American Gold Cup Qualifier
Six entries went clear and headed to the jump-off. McCrea had the winning time with 40.830 seconds aboard Romantovich Take One owned by Candy Tribble. "He's really fast," McCrea said. "He's always been really fast."
She added that the course was challenging for the qualifier to Sunday's $200,000 American Gold Cup. She found the naturally hilly landscape added an extra level of difficulty to the course designed by Steve Stephens.
"The course was tricky because I think the terrain here adds a lot of spice," she said. "You know, if you don't ride on a terrain like this very often, you can really struggle with the hill, either working for you or against you."
"And I think it was abnormal for a regular Grand Prix horse to canter up the hill, and then around the back and then down the hill and then you come to the skinny and they were just flying down the hill out of balance," McCrea added. "So, the course designer did a very good job and it was up to us to try to keep the jumps up.
McCrea, who won The American Gold Cup in 2006, said she is happy to be back on the grounds of the Old Salem Farm. "I am thrilled to be back here," she said. "I grew up riding here."
She said the improvements made to the property make it a first-class horse show facility. "This place is gorgeous," she exclaimed. " They've done a fabulous job. The footing's great. I think this show is going to bring a lot of people back in the springtime. I am planning now to come back here in May. Normally I would go to Kentucky and I really want to support my local shows. So, I'm really impressed with this facility."
Another rider with history showing at Old Salem was the second-place finisher in the Gold Cup Qualifying class, 2012 U.S. Olympian Reed Kessler. Kessler rode her own Mika to a time that was just .28 seconds behind McCrea and believed the extra stride she took between jumps one and two put her behind.
"And then, you know, Chris is so fast and Romantovich is so fast and I don't know, maybe she beat me into the double," Kessler said. "But I'd say definitely one to two I was one stride behind her."
"It's been all about clean rounds," she said of the qualifier. She added that her horse is learning to stay calm and careful while turning on the speed.
She also expressed her delight to be back in North Salem. She grew up just a few minutes from the show grounds and said she showed ponies from one ring while her mother showed Pavarotti in another.
"I'm thrilled to be home," she said. "It's been the biggest year of my life. I've never had a year like this. Everything's happened so fast, week to week, the biggest shows, everything's difficult. It's just amazing to be back somewhere I've been before and really comfortable and back in America."
The third-place in the American Gold Cup Qualifier was Peter Leone riding Lincourt Gino owned by Monica Carrera. Leone and Gino were a mere 1.040 seconds behind McCrea.
The other three riders with clear rounds to earn places in the jump-off included Beezie Madden riding Cortes C, Charlie Jayne riding Chill RZ, and Candice King riding Combina.
In other show jumping action at Old Salem Farm, Michael Morrissey won the Adequan 5-Year-Old Jumper Qualifier aboard Jazzy Belle owned by Imperial Show Stables. Mattias Tromp came in with the second time riding Condor owned by Bayaert Farm and Marshall Field VI rode to third place on Twist de Quidam owned by Mary Chapot.
In the 6-Year-Old Jumper Qualifier class, also sponsored by Adequan, Candice King and Prestige owned by Welwyn Farm brought home the blue. "I just tried to go in first and lead the way and put some pressure on," King said. "The mare felt great out on the footing so I just really tried to ride the mare and the track and I got lucky and it came all together for me. I'm thrilled."
Georgina Bloomberg and South Street owned by Gotham Enterprizes rode away with the red in the 6-Year-Old Jumper Qualifier class and King was once again in the ribbons with a yellow aboard Nina VDL owned by Esperanza Inc.
Margie Engle and Handyman owned by Betsy Green & Gladewinds Farm and Peter Lutz and Kenyon owned by Orchard Farm came out on top in the Adequan 7-and 8-Year-old Jumper Qualifier respectively.
American Gold Cup action continues Saturday with the $35,000 Double H Farm Jumper Classic and the famed $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI4* on Sunday afternoon.
Show manager Michael Morrissey couldn't be happier with the event. "It's been going great," he said. "The turnout: it's an all-star cast. We wanted everybody to come here and have a good experience and go away thinking this was the climax of the season for them."
The official prize list for this year's event is available online at www.stadiumjumping.com and www.theamericangoldcup.com. You can see live streaming or check on your favorite horse and rider's ribbon counts at ShowNet.biz.
Class 101, $50,000 AMERICAN GOLD CUP QUALIFIER - 50 STARTERS
1 233 ROMANNTOVICH TAKE ONE - CHRISTINE MCCREA - 0 0/40.830
2 162 MIKA - REED KESSLER - 0 0/41.110
3 267 LINCOURT GINO - PETER LEONE - 0 0/41.870
4 116 CORTES C - BEEZIE MADDEN - 0 - 0/44.010
5 485 CHILL RZ - CHARLIE JAYNE - 0 - 4/45.020
6 473 COMBINA - CANDICE KING - 0 - 8/49.700
7 118 VANILLA - BEEZIE MADDEN - 1 - 88.960
8 20 TALOUBET - PAULO SANTANA, FILHO - 4 - 83.190
9 400 BARONEZ - KIRSTEN COE - 4 - 83.660
10 462 MTM TIMON - TRACY FENNEY - 4 - 85.400
11 411 NOPUS DU GUE JOUBERT - HILLARY SIMPSON - 4 - 85.580
12 8 VOYEUR - KENT FARRINGTON - 4 - 85.680
13 121 WRIGLEY - CALLIE SCHOTT - 4 - 86.290
14 392 OREADE DES DAMES - LINDA LANGMEIER - 4 - 86.340
15 58 UNEX OMELLI - TIMOTHY GREDLEY - 4 - 86.400
16 469 MERLIN - JEFFERY WELLES - 4 - 86.981
17 18 HH CAROTINO - QUENTIN JUDGE - 4 - 87.200
18 52 VALDIATTO - CARA RAETHER - 4 - 87.640
19 3 LEAP OF JOY - CHARLES JACOBS - 4 - 87.710
20 149 SIRI - SHANE SWEETNAM - 4 - 87.830
Class 113, $5000 7 & 8 Year Old Table II, 2(b) Show Tracked Entries
1 322 KENYON - PETER LUTZ - 0 0/37.044
3 298 ESCAPE - JIMMY TORANO - 0 - 0/37.132
4 15 HH ROSINE DE BEAUFOUR - QUENTIN JUDGE - 0 - 0/37.427
5 484 LA FLEUR - JIMMY TORANO - 0 - 0/38.399
6 37 COULEUR LADY - BLAIR WILLMER - 0 - 0/40.794
7 311 FEELING - LESLIE HOWARD - 0 - 4/34.961
8 420 LADONNA - SARAH SEGAL - 0 - 4/36.181
Class 112, $3500 6 Year Old Table II, 2(b) Show Tracked Entries
1 496 PRESTIGE - CANDICE KING - 0-0/34.071
2 66 SOUTH STREET - GEORGINA BLOOMBERG - 0-0/35.603
3 129 NINA VDL - CANDICE KING - 0-0 36.702
4 379 SCOUT DE LA CENSE - MARIO DESLAURIERS - 0-0/37.423
5 382 BARISME VDL - ZACHARY LIBES - 0-0/37.884
6 30 WIN FORLIFE 111 - CHRISTINE MCCREA - 0-4/35.337
7 98 NIVA - MCLAIN WARD - 0-4/35.720
8 416 MARQUIS - PAUL HALPERN - 0-8/37.006
Class 111, $2500 5 Year Old Table II, 2(b)
1 26 JAZZY BELLE - MICHAEL MORRISSEY - 0-0/37.500
2 329 CONDOR - MATTIAS TROMP - 0-0/40.300
3 357 TWIST DE QUIDAM - MARSHALL FIELD VI - 0-4/36.709
4 32 PENN - SARAH SEGAL - 0-4/41.822
5 92 HARLEKIJN V'T NACHTEGALEHOF - DANIELLE GOLDSTEIN