The stories are amazing. Even those who weren’t in Gladstone, N.J., for the 1993 World Pair Driving Championship have heard what a spectacular competition it was, with a record 23 countries participating at Hamilton Farm, home of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.
Although there had been other good combined driving events at Gladstone before and after the championship, nothing else held there ever could match the championship, where the marathon segment was watched by 15,000 spectators. That was a unique experience.
But as time went on, the importance of the driving event in the Pine Meadow section of the property diminished. That’s what happens when supporters move, retire or pass away.
The Gladstone Equestrian Association, founded by the late Finn Caspersen and now headed by James C. Brady III, has sought to rejuvenate competition at the site. Over the weekend, its horse driving trial and combined test (dressage and cones without the marathon) drew 40 entries, the maximum it could handle logistically.
“We’re super-excited because for the first time in probably 10 years, we were completely sold out,” said Christine Siracusa, a volunteer and sponsorship coordinator.
The ground was soaked by torrential rain during the week, so some drivers opted to scratch the marathon and compete in the combined test instead due to mud.
But others, from those driving mini horses (also known as VSEs — very small equines) to pairs of horses, opted to forge ahead in the best sporting tradition.
A small but mighty volunteer base, several of whom had been lending a hand to Gladstone driving events even before the Pair Championship took place, did yeoman work to make the 2025 competition happen.
“Mother nature was not our friend this week. We ended up having three course changes, but our course designer (Bruce Jones) and officials were amazing,” said Christine Siracusa, a coordinator of volunteers and sponsorship.
“The weather couldn’t have been any better” on Saturday and Sunday.
Having some time to dry out, the marathon course “was not as mucky as we thought it would be,” she pointed out.
“I was at the finish line and saw everyone smiling. They were excited, they kept on thanking us for putting on a fabulous event and hopefully, they’ll keep coming back and supporting this event.”
John Layton, the GEA Gladstone Driving president, was thrilled by the number of entries and has big plans for next year. He hopes to reopen and re-do the former George’s Gorge marathon obstacle, fixing it up and renaming it the Gulch of the Northeast. John also wants to see a tailgating destination near there for optimum viewing of the action..
Amie Bauman, who handles the same duties as Christine for the GEA, is a driving professional from Pennsylvania who teaches and trains, as well as competing.
She guided Lois Kennedy’s 5-year-sold VSE stallion, Sundance, to victory in the VSE Single Preliminary, with 113.77 penalties, the best score in any of the Preliminary divisions.
“He’s a natural at it. He has so much talent. He just loves it,” she said of the bold little stallion, who handled the marathon obstacles with energy.
Amie has been coming to the driving event since 1983, the days of fellowship when local legends Bill Orth, George Hoffman, Joe Urso, Norm Sutton and George Millar — all gone now — were competing.
Looking to the future of the event, she said, “It absolutely has to keep going. It’s such a historic piece of property and we don’t really have many driving events in the North anymore.”
She works with the GEA and helps keep up the property for the event.
In that regard, she cited the assistance of Paul Miller Land Rover in fixing roads and cutting down some trees; the USET Foundation and its facility manager Maureen Pethick, who “have been incredible,” hiring a company to fix the roads and helping wherever needed, and the Hamilton Farm Golf Club, which also cut down trees and loaned equipment to the volunteers readying Pine Meadow for the competition.
Amie added, “I just need to give a shout out to the Gladstone Equestrian Association and all the people that are on it, and also all of the volunteers who help. Without them, none of this would happen.”
Shelly Temple, president of the ground jury, believes it’s important for the GEA driving trials to continue.
“The history of this place is incredible. We’ve all competed here every year. The obstacles are still very workable. I think it’s a great show. You have a lot of dedicated people who want to keep it going, a good group to bring it forward and they’re getting sponsors, so I think there’s a lot of potential. There’s a lot possible here. There were new competitors, I didn’t know a lot of them; a lot of young people were here, which I love.”
But she added, “more people need to step up and help this crowd that has kept it going. It’s very important for our sport.”
Competitors’ horses were able to stay in the historic USET stable, elegant with its tile floors and polished brass.
“That’s a great benefit to showing here,” mentioned Shelly, a 2007 team bronze medalist in the World Pony Driving Championships.
Another judge, Lisa Singer, was equally as enthusiastic.
She was National Pairs Champion nine times and a member of the U.S. team at eight World Pair Championships. Lisa no longer drives competitively, but teaches, trains, runs shows, gives clinics and designs courses.
Looking at the roster of competitors on her clipboard, she said, “What was neat was that I only knew three people on this list. There’s a lot of new people, a lot of young people coming. That’s awesome.”
Click here for Horse Trial results. Click here for Combined Test results.
Centenary University’s Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association team did it again.
For 35 years, the team has won the organization’s High Point Hunt Seat Equestrian Championship, which is determined by the total number of points teams accumulated throughout the season. The record had largely gone unnoticed until equestrian historian Steve Maxwell contacted team coach Michael Dowling last month.“Steve is very familiar with our team and our program,” said Michael, who co-coaches the University’s IHSA team with Heather Clark.
“He reached out to share his research showing that we had won the championship for 35 consecutive years, and how very impressed he is with our team and our program. Steve knows his stuff — he attends zones and nationals almost every year — and his data is very accurate.”
The IHSA team competes in approximately eight horse shows per season to accrue points for the Highpoint Hunt Seat team score, while riders also earn points to advance individually to zones and nationals. This year, Centenary was the Zone 3 champion, with Caroline Mancini winning USHJA/High-Point Hunter Seat Rider. The team took third at IHSA National Championships May 2-4 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina, placing behind Purdue University and Sacred Heart University.
“What makes this special is that Purdue and Sacred Heart are both D1 schools with significant resources,” noted Centenary President Dr. Dale Caldwell.
“Incredibly, small D3 Centenary beat national athletic powerhouses Stanford University and the University of Southern California. This is a testament to the dedication of Centenary’s riders, coaches, and equestrian faculty. Their hard work has made Centenary one of the nation’s best competitive and academic equestrian programs in the nation.”
In addition to the IHSA team, Centenary hosts an International Dressage Association squad, and just completed the inaugural season of a new NCEA team, which competes through the NCAA. In addition, the University’s Equine Studies Department offers academic major, minor, and certificate programs that involve students in daily operations at the Centenary University Equestrian Center in Long Valley.
“At a larger university, students may have a riding lesson a couple of times a week,” Michael said. “But at Centenary, our students spend most of their downtime at the Equestrian Center, helping to care for and rehab the horses. Here, they become comfortable riding unfamiliar horses — which they often must do in competition — so they’re very prepared. Our students also have a lot of exposure to additional riding opportunities and trainers that may not be available at other universities.”
Heather Clark cited the professional experience of the University’s faculty and coaches as a contributing factor to the program’s extraordinary long-term success: “We’re all very invested in cultivating our students and helping them to reach their goals. Professionally, we’re active members of the equine field. For instance, Michael and I both have our own training facilities and our resident veterinarian, Jesslyn Bryk-Lucy, DVM, has her own practice. Other faculty are stewards and judges. We have such deep faculty expertise and are all committed to developing Centenary riders, competitively and academically.”
“Cultivating young professionals is really what Centenary is all about,” agreed Kelly Munz, chair of the Equine Studies Department, noting that undergraduates routinely encounter between 20 and 30 working alumni at horse shows around the country.
“While we welcome successful junior riders, we’re just as interested in developing the talents and passions of riders of all abilities. When we traveled to nationals in May, we transported between 14 and 18 of our horses to the competition. It’s a major effort that will provide amazing professional experience, not just for our competing riders, but also for those students who will be caring for and schooling the horses. This is very much a team effort.”
It was a great day for the Irish at the $135,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix on Sunday in New York.
But it wasn’t the luck of the Irish that had riders from the Emerald Isle finishing first through fourth in the class, according to course designer Alan Wade — who also happens to be Irish.
“I think they just rode better on the day,” he said of winner Jordan Coyle, runner-up Darragh Kenny (who was third as well) and Philip McGuane, in the class presented by the Kincade Group/UBS Financial Service Inc.
“Nationalities don’t come into it. They were three good riders and they’re very hard to beat when they go double clear. They’re riding some nice horses, too,” Alan pointed out.
Jordan was second to go in the 11-horse jump-off, culled from a first-round group of 34 entries from seven countries, but neither his countrymen (or anyone else) could match his slick time of 34.67 seconds on the 10-year-old Dutchbred mare, Keep Me With You NC. Darragh was closest but still far away with Amsterdam (36.33) and just a little slower on Zero K (36.80), while Philip McGuane clinched fourth on Orphea HQ (37.28).
Jordan suggested that Darragh hadn’t proceeded at top speed in his round against the clock with Amsterdam.
“I don’t think he gave it 110 percent, like we normally do, but he was also with a very good horse. He’s probably thinking of very good days to come, too,” Jordan said.
After the victory gallop, Jordan reminisced about his ties to Old Salem, where he had worked at the beginning of his career and lived in a bedroom above the barn. It’s a real Cinderfella story. But let him tell you about it: click on this video clip.
Announcer Peter Doubleday offered a tribute before the class to the late announcer Mike Moran, who died earlier this year. It was pointed out that Mike, who also had Irish roots, would have been thrilled with the results.
Alan, who was assisted by Paul Jewell in laying out the route around Old Salem’s massive arena, noted that since it was transformed from a grass ring to an all-weather surface, “the ground is excellent.”
That was proven when torrential rain on Friday led to cancellation of classes, but by Saturday, the footing was perfect again. The last time I visited Old Salem, the arena had a grass surface, which was more problematical in heavy rain.
Scott Hakim, the president of Old Salem, explained his thoughts about the transformation of the arena in this video clip.
The grand prix course had what I call a dog leg, a line that went off to the side on an area that juts out, because the ring is a unique shape.
“It’s different,” Alan agreed, explaining it couldn’t be a more conventional shape because the giant oak tree on one side had to have its roots preserved. Hence the detour.
Fabulous buffets are a VIP tent trademark at Old Salem.
It was a great day not only for the Irish, but also for everyone else who came to watch the action at the spectacular facility nestled in the heart of Westchester County’s stunning horse country.
The weather couldn’t have been better, with sparkling sunshine and a perfect temperature of 72 degrees.
The flowering trees and people watching from the grassy hillside along the ring made a lovely picture.
Admission is free, which is an enormous plus in terms of bringing in more people to appreciate horse sport.
Old Salem means a lot to many people, because so many riders still in the area started their careers there.
Katie Dinan, the highest-placed U.S. rider at the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals last month, recalled her earliest memory of Old Salem as we chatted outside the arena during a break in the grand prix.
“I must have been about six, and I did my first walk-trot here. And I never trotted, I couldn’t get my pony to trot, it was really a walk class for me. That was my big debut; I wasn’t successful, but I still loved it,” Katie smiled, as she told me about it.
She added, “It’s a regular stop on our calendar, probably since 2001. The show is great; the ring now is great. They’ve stepped up every year, FEI level. It’s just a pleasure to be here. It’s really nice that we can compete at such a high caliber that close to home. There are so many great horses and riders in this area.”
Scott Hakim also grew up riding at Old Salem, and naturally the place is close to his heart. Click on this video clip to find out more.
Since it was founded in 1964, Old Salem has had quite a history, along with several different names. Former owners of the 120 acres included actor Paul Newman and his wife, actress Joanne Woodward.
With so much open land in the New York metropolitan area falling prey to development, it’s wonderful see a place like Old Salem not only persisting, but also excelling; bringing top riders to a facility worthy of them and their horses, while welcoming the community to enjoy equestrian sport.
Olympic dressage and World Championships team medalist Steffen Peters is offering a two-day clinic June 7 and 8 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
Auditors can enjoy the rare opportunity to learn from the former World Cup champion for a fee of $60 per day. One of the USA’s most decorated competitors and a mainstay of its team for nearly three decades, Steffen is known for his supportive teaching style as he offers instruction on the ways for horse and rider to improve their performance.
Lidiya Frumova, who is organizing the sessions, noted that Steffen does only a few audited clinics annually. So the amateur trainer noted proudly how happy she is that he agreed to come from the other side of the country for the occasion.
There is a waiting list for participants, who are eager to ride in front of Steffen. However, as Lidiya noted, just being able to audit the clinic with the California-based rider is a valuable learning opportunity. Steffen will work for an hour with each rider, who range from First Level to Grand Prix.
Vendors will be on site with wares including boots, saddles and apparel.
What do you call a horse who has never toppled a rail in the show jumping phase of eventing?
You call it Lordships Graffalo, who won his second Badminton (the first was in 2023) on Sunday with a clear trip over the painted poles to move up from second to first and set a record. No other horse has won Badminton twice with a year’s gap in between.
Ros did it without her trainer and friend Caroline Moore, who died of cancer in March. That made the winning moment doubly emotional.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo in triumph. (Photo courtesy Badminton Horse Trials)
The leader after dressage and cross-country, 2024 Kentucky 5-star winner Cooley Rosalent, had a single rail down to drop her to second place. Her rider, Oliver Townend, has been second five times in the British 5-star. He had a close call in the morning when she was held in the horse inspection, but then permitted to compete. His other horse, Ballaghmor Class, also was held but did not return for re-inspection.
Third went to Ireland’s Austin O’Connor on the 2024 Maryland 5-star winner, Colorado Blue.
World Champion Yasmin Ingham, fourteenth after cross-country, withdrew Rehy DJ before the final horse inspection.
The U.S. can claim the top riders on both the FEI show jumping and eventing ranking lists.
Kent Farrington just took the first place ranking on the Longines show jumping roster, succeeding Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, who held the spot for a record number of months, since August 2022. It is Kent’s second time as number one; he also was in that position in 2017.
Henrik is now third, behind Great Britain’s 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist, Ben Maher. McLain Ward is the second-highest ranking American, in eighth place.
A few days ago, Boyd Martin was named number one for eventing. While he is the most visible U.S. eventer with a huge social media presence, Boyd Martin was only number two on the FEI world ranking list. That is, until Thursday. With the new month, he becomes the first American to make the top spot on that roster since Kim Severson did it 21 years ago.
Boyd, with three horses in the top 10 of last weekend’s 5-star Defender Kentucky event, called his elevation, “a huge honor and privilege to be named the number one rider in the world in eventing. It’s a goal I’ve been chasing for decades now. Many of my idols, who are champions in the sport and riders I’ve always tried to emulate, have accomplished this honor at some point in their careers.”
Boyd added, “It’s really a humbling moment, and even though it’s my name on the list, I would not have been able to do it without the incredible horses and owners, as well as my dedicated team working day in and out in the stable. Lastly, to share this with my wife and kids, who have been with me on this journey every single day from the very beginning, is really special.”
While Boyd’s promotion is good news for U.S. eventing, the bad news is that you have to go down to number 30 to find the next-highest ranked U.S. rider, Jennie Branningan. Since one person does not make a team, U.S. eventers have some hard work ahead of them. But now they have some inspiration.
The Para Dressage ranks also include a number one standing for the U.S., in Fiona Howard and Kate Shoemaker is number four as the country continues to excel and show the world how it’s done in that discipline.
In Grand Prix dressage, however, the U.S. wasn’t even in the top 10. The country had only one rider in the top 20, Adrienne Lyle, who is nineteenth. Next-highest is Anna Marek, twenty-seventh. Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour continues to lead the standings, with World Cup champ Lottie Fry of Great Britain moving up to second, passing Germany’s Isabell Werth.
Since the 1960s, there have been a few different versions of the Essex Horse Trials, though its name has always meant something in the world of three-day eventing.
It started as a local event in New Jersey, growing to become one of the country’s best competitions at U.S. Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, then taking a long nap after its 1998 edition when construction of a golf course put a dent in the land available for cross-country.
After a decision was made to revive Essex with new energy, it reappeared in 2018 at Moorland Farm in Far Hills, home of October’s popular Far Hills Race Meeting.. A few years later, Essex divided its time over two days, between the USET Foundation for dressage and show jumping and the impressive terrain of Moorland for cross-country.
On June 1, it will be a one-day event, with every phase at Moorland. As organizer Marilyn Payne points out, once the action gets under way, spectators can view each segment of the competition just by taking a short walk between the arenas and the course at any time.
“It will be a three-ring circus,” she chuckled.
Prime spots by the water jump are available for tailgating. Make arrangements at essexhorsetrials.net.
Marilyn rode in the first Essex 57 years ago, and ever since hasn’t missed being part of the event in some capacity, whether it’s as a competitor, trainer or official. When the two-day format became too difficult for both participants and organizers, it appeared the event might once again fade into the mists of history.
But Marilyn wasn’t going to let that happen and stepped up with the one-day concept.
Although some of the country’s best eventers have competed at Essex since its founding in 1968, the emphasis in the new iteration involves helping build the base of the sport.
Marilyn pointed out that Essex is “a stepping stone for people. They use it as part of their program. You need an event here; you don’t want a gap. It’s convenient because you can come and go in the same day. I’m so excited to be able to offer it to all these younger riders and horses to get started. There aren’t enough places to do that.”
The upper ranks of eventing have to build on the lower levels, but the opportunities to establish a base of competitors too often are lacking in an era when open land is more valuable for development than for equestrian purposes.
“We’re losing events a lot of times just because good land is being developed,” Marilyn pointed out.
Consider that the only two riders representing the U.S. in the top 10 at the Defender Kentucky 5-star last weekend, Boyd Martin and James Alliston, started eventing in Australia and England respectively. So it’s significant that Essex is adding a starter division for people and horses seeking an introduction to a discipline that might seem intimidating at the higher levels, but is very welcoming when the test is simpler.
“We have fox hunters, trail riders and show jumpers coming; it’s exciting for them to try it and see what it’s all about,” said Marilyn.
“Once you get hooked, you get hooked. It’s so much fun.”
Since the event, which has Preliminary as its highest level, will be limited to 150 entries, Marilyn urges people to register early to make sure they don’t get shut out. Courses will be designed by Morgan Rowsell, who builds cross-country routes all over the country.
Fundraising for the starter division’s cross-country fences is ongoing, and those who wish to contribute can contact Marilyn directly at applewoodfarm@comcast.net or go to the website at essexhorsetrials.net. Anyone interested in volunteering for a host of different jobs, whether as fence judge, ring steward or other positions should get in touch with Marilyn or apply on the website.
“They don’t have to know how to do anything; we will teach them,” said Marilyn about new volunteers.
Presenting sponsors for Essex are Pure Insurance, which is returning to support the competition, and Land Rover of Parsippany, a full-service dealer of luxury brands that is expanding its involvement. Other sponsors include Kienlen Lattmann Sotheby’s International Realty, Hunt’s End Farm, Hewitt Home Heating, Purina Animal Nutrition in conjunction with Somerset Grain & Feed and Sergeantsville Grain & Feed, and Corcoran Sawyer Smith real estate.
Dr. Greg Staller’s Running ‘S’ Equine Veterinary Services sponsors a riders’ tent that is also open to horse owners and grooms, so they have a place to take a break and help themselves to food.
Those who compete at Essex, Marilyn pointed out, “are going to be treated like big-time riders, even though they’re just starting out.”
Essex gives back beyond the equestrian scene, benefitting the Life Camp in Pottersville, which provides an enriching summer day camp experience for 300 youths daily for six weeks during July and August. Campers between the ages of 6 and 13 come from the greater Newark public school system, as well as from Newark Charter School Programs. A group of the children attend the horse trials and have a ball with a picnic by the water jump. There’s even a pony available for petting, offering most of the youngsters their first equine contact.
Lana duPont Wright, who made history as the first female eventer to ride in the Olympics, died at her home in Chesapeake City, Md., last week. She was 85.
Olympic eventing, which had been contested by U.S. military teams through 1948, was still limited to male participants until 1964. That was when Lana, who grew up in a foxhunting family, became part of the U.S. silver medal squad at the Tokyo Games. Demonstrating her grit and determination, she continued on the demanding cross-country course despite having two falls. (In those days, you were allowed to remount and continue after hitting the ground.)
“It was quite an honor to have been part of such a successful team,” she recounted, “particularly since it opened the avenues for many other woman participants in the Olympic three-day event thereafter.”
Lana duPont Wright in her eventing days.
When Lana switched disciplines, she went on to earn another historic medal as part of the 1991 U.S. pairs driving team, the first to take gold at a world championships.But her riding career wasn’t over. She competed in endurance and rode in the Pan American Endurance Championships. The endurance aspect was one Lana was passionate about in both eventing and driving, so it was a natural progression. She also continued foxhunting, which was the sport that gave her the basics of her career in her youth.
In 2012, she was inducted into the U.S. Eventing Association Hall of Fame. Three years later, she received the U. S. Equestrian Federation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Lana shared her love of horses and knowledge with young riders through the U.S. Pony Club. She also served as co-president of the Fair Hill International board (along with the late Trish Gilbert) in Maryland for decades.
She is survived by her daughter Lucy Dunne (Michael) of Vermont and her grandchildren Wright Morris,, Beale Dunne and Ridgely Dunne. She was predeceased by her parents, Richard and Allaire duPont; her brother, Richard duPont Jr, her husband, Dr. William Wright and daughter Beale Morris.
A celebration of Lana’s life will be held Thursday, May 1 at 11 a.m. at St. Augustine Church, 310 and Mitton Road, Chesapeake City, MD. The burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Fair Hill International Inc., and sent in care of R.T. Foard Funeral Home, P.A., P.O. Box 248 Rising Sun, MD 21911.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport has fired CEO Ju’Riese Colón in the wake of an investigation by U.S. Sen Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) into the organization’s hiring of an investigator who subsequently was charged with rape.
The CEO, who was let go on Tuesday, assumed her role in 2019 to run the center created to combat sex abuse in Olympic sports. SafeSport became the target of criticism on several fronts, including delays in processing its caseload and what some of the accused called a lack of due process in the way its business was handled.
The tipping point came after former Allentown, Pa., vice squad officer Jason Krasley was hired by SafeSport in 2021, but fired in November 2023 when it was revealed he had been arrested for allegedly stealing money from a drug bust. Two weeks later, Krasley was arrested on charges involving rape, sex trafficking and other crimes. The Center went on to make changes in its hiring process.
The Center was founded eight years ago, when the Olympic movement was faced with abuse issues in several sports The most headlines were generated by the scandal at USA Gymnastics, where team doctor Larry Nassar eventually wound up in prison after being accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of female athletes under the guise of medical treatment.
Steve Silvey, an attorney who represents Athletes for Equity in Sport, commented about the SafeSport leadership change, “It gives little satisfaction to see the titular head of an organization fired as some sort of public sacrifice. Similar to firing a coach for a dysfunctional team’s performance. We have commented for many years that the entire SafeSport organization is an abject failure for all concerned: victims, the sporting community, the NGBs (National Governing Bodies) and the USOPC (U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.)
He added, “SafeSport is lost, it may be too late to fix it and it is probably irretrievable. However, if the organization is genuinely interested in getting on track with the intended mission and finding its way to a proper path, then it is a good start but a complete spring cleaning and total reset is required.
“The Board needs to be reset, and the rest of any dysfunctional existing leadership should follow out the door. Now is both the time and opportunity for a major correction. Otherwise — it just smacks of a coach being sacrificed as strategic posturing and the root problems remain unaddressed. It also does nothing to correct the lives damaged or even destroyed by the root dysfunction. I suppose we’ll see, but we’re not holding our breath either.”
The U.S. Equestrian Federation requires competing members 18 and older to complete SafeSport training on line, along with officials and show managers. USEF has a 24-page document outlining SafeSport policy on its website.
SafeSport board chairperson April Holmes will lead board members in a management committee while they search for a new CEO.
Boyd Martin stood second with Commando 3 going into the show jumping finale at the Defender Kentucky 5-star three-day event on Sunday. The highest-ranked American in the competition knew he had just two chances — slim and none — of defeating the leader, Olympic champion Michael Jung on fischerChipmunk.
After a fault-free effort in the Rolex Arena, all Boyd could do was watch the leader’s ride and wait. His only hope, he recounted with his typical wry sense of humor, was that Michael either “had too much bourbon” at a club on Saturday night or “maybe he goes off course.”
But other than that, “I was just hoping for second place,” Boyd said. And that’s where he wound up, with 32.8 penalties, as the U.S. national 5-star champion for the third time in his career. He also was sixth with his Olympic mount, Federman B (40.6) and seventh on Luke 140 (44.7).
Following Saturday’s cross-country at the Kentucky Horse Park, where Michi picked up just 2.4 time penalties and Boyd logged 6.8, the gap between them widened from 7.4 penalties following dressage to 11.8. That meant Michi could knock down two fences in show jumping and collect time penalties before his lead was gone.
So when the German rider had a rail at the vertical obstacle that was just the third of 13 jumps on the Steve Stephens-designed course, the crowd of 11,000 gasped.
Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk on their way to victory. (U.S. Eventing Association photo)
As usual, however, Michi stayed cool.
Recounting his trip around the course, he said, “I start the round a little bit with a nice forward rhythm. I had a pole down very early; I said `okay…we had a long way, many jumps to do.’ I tried to give him a bit more balance.
“He’s jumping great. I tried to do seven strides into the last combination to get him a bit more on the hind leg and slow down a little bit, because it’s a big horse and just (on) the way to the entrance at the end of the course, he’s sometimes a little bit too much forward. It went well.”
That means he picked up the $123,000 winner’s share of the prize money.
Expressing his appreciation for the Kentucky Horse Park, Michi said, “I always had a lot of luck here. Without luck, you win nothing.”
His total was 25 penalties, nearly five more than when he set a record winning the event in 2022, but he still was a wire-to-wire winner, as they say at the racetrack.
In his first appearance at the park in 2015 before he became a legend, Michi won the world championship. Since then, he has collected three Olympic individual gold medals, most recently in Paris last year. His victory this weekend set a record as his fifth in the 5-star event. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who presented the trophy, told Michi, “If you win this one more time, you have to move to Kentucky.”
That might be okay with the champion.
“This place is amazing, so many big fields. I really like this place,” he said.
Finishing third with a clean trip on Et Hop du Matz (34.2 penalties) was Great Britain’s Harry Meade, who also was fourth with Graffenacht (39.6) after toppling a rail and collecting 0.4 time penalties. On cross-country, he was the lone rider to make the tight optimum time, doing it not just once, but on both his horses.
Harry Meade and Et Hop du Matz. (Amy Dragoo photo)
That means he was the only rider to finish on his dressage score. He had moved up with Et Hop du Matz from being seventeenth in the first phase on 34.2 penalties. He was thrilled with his results and his experience in the Blue Grass.
Events such as Kentucky offer “a motivation for these big moments,” said Harry.
“There’s very few places like this that make the hairs on your neck stand up and this is one of them,” he noted.
Three great riders: Boyd Martin, Michael Jung and Harry Meade.
Michi never fails to graciously mention his gratitude to Chipmunk’s sponsor, the fischer group, and his family, with his parents and wife on hand to support him, as well as thanking his team that keeps everything running.
And even at age 17, Chipmunk is running just fine. While Michi doesn’t plan on taking him to Britain’s Badminton 5-star in 10 days time (said with a smile), he notes the horse “is looking super-strong…better and better and better.”
Chipmunk has a good share of thoroughbred blood from Heraldik, his dam sire, which is a big help in keeping him fit.
The big question is whether he can do the world championships at home in Aachen, Germany, next year.
“At the moment,” said Michi, “he has a really great feeling. You can feel that the horse is really motivated (in) what he’s doing.”
How long can he go?
“ Hopefully, a few more years,” the rider maintained.
Boyd called Michi “an inspiration to my riding,” noting he has even tried to copy him.
“I’ve never seen a rider who is so good in all three phases,” he pointed out.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. (U.S. Eventing Association photo)
For his part, Boyd appreciates the “freakishly talented animals” he rides, saying he was (understandably) “very, very pleased” with his three mounts.
Boyd’s wife, Silva Martin, and their sons supported their main man from the ringside kiss-and-cry stand.
He had questioned whether Commando (known as Connor at the barn) had the “guts and the heart to get through an epic competition like this.
“After going through this event, i think he could be a career-changing horse. He’s beautifully bred with plenty of thoroughbred and he’s strong in all phases. So I think this is just the beginning.”
Boyd added, however, that the Holsteiner “hasn’t been the easiest horse to ride”
At the same time, “He’s got amazing quality; I knew right from the get-go he was a special horse. It’s taken me a fair bit of time to get there, but he’s arrived now.”
In the Cosequin 4-star Short that runs concurrently with the 5-star, Will Coleman won for the second year in a row. Riding Off the Record, he, like Michi, was a wire-to-wire victor.
A rail down in the show jumping made his 33-penalty score perilously close to Phillip Dutton’s runner-up, Possante, on 33.9, but close doesn’t count.
Will Coleman collected his second trophy in a row in the 4-star Short.
“I did hear the rail fall,” recalled Will, “and I said, ‘`Now I really have to think about my clock.’ I hustled a little bit.”
Timmy, as the16-year-old Irishbred gelding by Arkansas is called at home, was up to the task.
“The truth is, the horse has gotten this far in the sport with grit and determination and just try. He showed all those things to come home with no more penalties and keep us out in front. I’m just happy for the horse that I didn’t let him down,” said Will.
He mentioned how much he appreciated the course designed by Steve Stephens.”It’s important that every day matters at a three-day event. The show jumping designer has a lot to do with finishing off on a good note.
“I thought he set a really great test.”
Will didn’t have the best year in 2024, missing out on the Olympics when his horses had some issues. So he relished the way things went in Kentucky and was so relaxed he even took a nap before the show jumping.
Will got support from the enthusiastic fans at the Rolex Arena.
“I thought it was an exciting day. I really just enjoyed the whole weekend,” he said with a smile.
Meanwhile, in Saturday night’s $400,000 Split Rock Jumping Tour Kentucky International grand prix, first-to-go Kent Farrington issued a challenge none of the others in the nine-horse jump-off could match.
The world number two-ranked rider and his ever-improving Greya set an unmatchable mark of 42.930 seconds that forced a few of his rivals to make risky turns that paid off in refusals. Second place went to Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam on James Kann Cruz in 45 seconds, followed by whiz kid Mimi Gochman in 46.060 on Inclen BH.
Kent, a U.S. Olympic medalist who also was the alternate in Paris last year, said of his mare, “She’s incredibly fast, super careful and a fighter. She’s a real winner in her heart and an incredible horse.” He believes that her assets make her “the quintessential modern show jumper.”
The grand prix was a 5-star for the first time at the park.
