Harrisburg, Pa. – The juniors displayed excellent riding in Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Prix des States Team National Championship on Friday evening. Eight teams competed in the modified Nations Cup competition, with four teams finishing the first round on zero faults. Six teams returned for the second round, and the pressure was on for the athletes to deliver for their teams. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Kim Land, Zone 4 maintained their composure to clinch the team gold medal on a final score of zero faults.
(Andrew Ryback Photography)
Three teams finished on four faults after the two rounds: Zone 1/6, Zone 2, and Zone 7. A tie-breaker involving the times of the best three team members’ results from the second round being added together was used to determine the remaining positions. Zone 7 claimed the team silver medal with a time of 211.626 seconds, while Zone 2 earned the team bronze medal with a time of 215.819 seconds.
The Zone 4 junior team has been on a roll in 2021. The same combination of team members won the junior team gold medal at the FEI North American Youth Championships back in August: Reid Arani; Ansgar Holtgers, Jr.; Zayna Rizvi; and Hailey Royce. Zone 4 delivered another stellar performance for the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Prix des States Team National Championship.
“This team has come together beautifully,” said Chef d’Equipe Kim Land. “It is one of my jobs to try to create synergy amongst the kids. Though, this group has really created synergy amongst themselves. They made my job very easy, and they are well-trained and well-prepared so they came ready to win.”
In the first round, Rizvi (Wellington, Fla.) and Excellent, Peacock Ridge LLC’s 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding, led off for Zone 4 and delivered a clear round. Royce (Wellington, Fla.) and Sonic Boom, Double Clear LLC’s 2012 Belgian Warmblood gelding, and Arani (Wellington, Fla.) and Hocus Pocus de Muze, Evergate Stables LLC’s 2007 Belgian Warmblood gelding, followed suit and went clear. Holtgers, Jr. (Wellington, Fla.) and Elina, Gut Einhaus, LLC’s 2009 KPWN mare, had unlucky rail for four faults, but Zone 4 stayed on zero faults for their team score.
With four teams on zero faults heading into the second round, the competition intensified for team medals. Rizvi and Excellent put in their second clear round of the night as the pathfinders for Zone 4. Royce and Sonic Boom ran into some trouble in their second round, totaling 12 faults. Arani and Hocus Pocus de Muze kept the team on track for a medal with another clear round. To keep Zone 4’s gold-medal hopes alive, Holtgers, Jr. and Elina had to be clean and fast.
“I thought, ‘Okay, now I have to go clear and put some pressure on and go quick enough because it is a timed class. But once I entered the ring, it is just another class. I have to jump clear, that is the first thing, that is the most important thing, then just go a little quicker and it worked out,” explained Holtgers, Jr. He and Elina remained focused under pressure to deliver the necessary clear round to win the team gold medal for Zone 4.
“This is a really important event to all of us,” said Rizvi. “We have been working toward this all year, and it was really cool to go out there and be on top of all these amazing riders. It really means a lot to all of us.”
“The Prix des States event is amazing,” added Royce. “I think having a team is an amazing opportunity for young juniors to be able to come together and compete and I think it is so cool that we can step up. This is part of our progress toward bigger classes.”
Arani is in her last year as a junior, so the gold medal was meaningful. “Last year was my first Prix des States, but it definitely wasn’t a normal year. It wasn’t here,” said Arani of location change from the Pennsylvania National Horse Show to the Tryon International Equestrian Center due to the pandemic. “So it being my last junior year, I had put a lot of pressure on myself but this team has bonded along the course of the year and I think it really paid off.”
In the individual standings, Taylor Kraft and Volt du Thot hold the top spot on the leaderboard. On Thursday, Kraft (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and the 2009 Selle Français gelding owned by Karina Rocha Mello won the Individual Championship Phase I, the $5,000 Welcome Speed Class, with a clear round in time 61.725 seconds. Kraft, who is competing as an individual for Zone 4, piloted Volt du Thot to another win with a double-clear performance on Friday evening for the Individual Championship Phase II. Kraft and Volt du Thot head into the final phase on zero faults.
Hannah Hoch (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.) and Shariva, her 2011 Hanoverian mare, of the Zone 1/6 team are in second on one fault. Carlee McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) and MTM Unexpected, her 2011 Warmblood gelding of the Zone 7 team sit in third on 1.5 faults. Saturday’s Phase III, the $10,000 Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship, will decide the individual medalists.
Find out more about the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships.
The USEF Network livestream brought to you by Hollow Brook Wealth Management continues Saturday with the final phase of the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship. The live stream will tentatively begin at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Thank you to Pinsnickety for providing custom pins for each participant in the Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships.
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