by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 21, 2026
The Global Champions Tour show jumping held in Liberty State Park, with the sparkling New York City skyline as a backdrop, was a huge hit last September.
It attracted an enthusiastic group of spectators, many of whom had never seen the sport before. After the final class, organizers were optimistic about bringing the competition back in 2026. But the venue is not on this year’s GCT schedule, which includes a Cairo, Egypt, location for the first time. Miami Beach, a regular stop that wasn’t held in 2025 because of scheduling issues, is back on the calendar and will be the tour’s only U.S. competition.
The absence of the New Jersey location is disappointing. Many of those attending hoped to return to a spot in the grandstand in 2026, while others who saw coverage wanted to attend in person. But they may be able to do that next year.
Jessica Springsteen was among the big-name riders who competed at Liberty State Park last year, with the Statue of Liberty in the background
“The inaugural event was a great success, and we remain very much committed to returning in the future. We continue to maintain a close and positive dialogue with the Liberty State Park authorities and are currently looking ahead to 2027,” Colm McKay, GCT’s technical director, told me on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately,” he explained, “the reason the event will not take place this year is due to the FIFA (soccer) World Cup, with Liberty State Park being designated as a major fan zone. While the tournament (at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.) itself will conclude later in the summer, there remain significant uncertainties around ground conditions and venue availability following such large-scale use. Without the necessary guarantees, it was not possible for us to proceed this year.”
However, he added, “Looking ahead, we have some exciting new ideas planned for our return, building on the strong foundation established at the first edition. In the meantime, our focus turns to delivering an outstanding event in Miami Beach this April, which continues to be a very popular destination with athletes, owners, and fans alike.”
Stay tuned…
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 24, 2026
Patience and persistence paid off for Marcus Orlob with the temperamental Jane on Saturday, as they scored a personal best in the 5-star Grand Prix Special at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla.
Exposing the mare to different showgrounds and circumstances has smoothed Jane’s nerves and tendency to spook, with a composed performance marked at 75.979 percent.
“I was really happy that she behaved and controlled her nerves (in Thursday’s Grand Prix where she was second), and again today she had a good performance,” said Marcus of his 2024 Olympic mount.
Marcus Orlob and Jane. (Photo ©Centre Line Media)
“I always talk about how she needs to relax, and finally, I think we’re getting there, and we can start to show what we can do. I started the test today a little conservative. Then, as it went on, she started to breathe and I let her go a bit more and the passage was really nice.”
The U.S. rider wants to see the mare, owned by Alice Tarjan “more relaxed in the one-tempis, but the pirouettes were super. At the end, she stood there while people clapped. I was very proud that she didn’t explode.”
As he noted, “I’m slowly finding her buttons, and she’s trusting me. It’s starting to turn into a relationship. All the traveling and the desensitizing is paying off; it just took time.”
Marcus wasn’t alone in achieving that personal best. Three other riders in the class did the same.
Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu’s second-placed mount Jaccardo (who, like Jane, is by Desperado) earned 74.575 percent. It was the first Special for the horse, who was just 1 percent away from the Canadian record in this test, set by Belinda Trussell and Anton in 2016. Geñay Vaughan came from California to ride Gino to a score of 71.68 percent for third place.
Fourth place Kevin Kohmann’s 69.915 percent also was a PB with Dünensee.
Click here for 5-star Grand Prix Special results
The winner of both the 5-star Grand Prix and the Friday night Freestyle was Susan Pape of Great Britain on Harmony’s Giulilanta. She scored a personal best in each class, earning a mark of 73.630 and 81.745 percent respectively with her 15-year-old mare.
Click here for 5-star Grand Prix Freestyle results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 24, 2026
Although seven-figure purchase prices for horses are all too common these days in both racing and showing, Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Florida illustrates that it’s still possible to buy a winner for a price that doesn’t break the bank. And I find that encouraging.
Skippy Longstocking and White Abarrio after the finish of the Pegasus World Cup.
My two favorite racehorses, stablemates Skippy Longstocking and White Abarrio, finished 1-2 in the $3 million Grade I race. Both are seven-year-olds; I really appreciate that they have been able to keep racing and gain a legion of fans in the process. When racehorses retire at age three, it doesn’t help build a following for the sport.
Me with White Abarrio at Monmouth Park when he was a 3-year-old running in the Haskell.
White Abarrio is by an unfashionable sire, Race Day (Tapit), who stands at stud in the Republic of Korea for $5,000. As a yearling, White Abarrio, who is out of an Into Mischief mare, sold for a mere $7,000 as a yearling. He went for $40,000 as a two-year-old. Since then, the handsome gray winner of the Pegasus last year, has earned approximately $6.8 million.
Skippy, by Exaggerator out of a War Chant mare, sold for $15,000 as a yearling and $37,000 as a two-year-old. He has earned nearly $5,461,000.
The Pegasus was Skippy’s first Grade I victory. I hope we’ll be seeing him (and White Abarrio) back on the track again this year.They are an inspiration for people of limited means dreaming of having a horse who can win big. Racing needs its dreamers, as do all horse sports.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 25, 2026
With major competitions from coast to coast and abroad, the show jumping scene really heated up this week.
The richest grand prix in the U.S. was the $340,000 Brainjuice ACTIVE 5-star at the Desert International Horse Park in California, where Dutch rider Mathijs Van Asten and Hotspot’s time of 36.64 seconds took the honors far ahead of their rivals.
Mathijs van Asten and Hotspot (High Desert Sport Photo)
When he planned his round, Mathijs had his eye on world number one Kent Farrington with Toulayna, winner of the qualifying class last week.
“I know I have to take some risks because when Kent Farrington is behind you, then you know that it’s very hard because he’s very hard to beat,” said Mathijs, who was able to come through because of the close tie with the mount he broke in himself.
“So I tried to ride my own route and took some risks from the double to the vertical in the corner. I did one stride less than the rest, and I got a really forward distance to the last one. I think there I made my time.”
As it happened, Kent had a knockdown on the route designed by Colm Quinn and Alan Wade, winding up fifth, so second-place went to Callie Schott and Uricas v/d Kattenvannen, timed in 39.04 seconds for their clear round. Conor Swail, a regular at DIHP, was third on Casturano in 39.4 seconds.
At the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., Lillie Keenan enjoyed her second big WEF win, taking the $215,000 NetJets 4-star with Fasther. A rollback early in the jump-off and a leave-out in the last line were the keys to her victory in 40.56 seconds. Second over the Peter Grant-designed course was Florida-based Irish rider Shane Sweetnam with Rural Juror SCF in 40.87 seconds.
“That final line was a risky moment, but I think it made the biggest difference,” said Lillie, who is mentored by six-time U.S. Olympian Mclain Ward, who selected her mount.
“He’s my heart horse—he has a fire inside of him; loves to jump, but he really loves to run,” Lillie said.
“We struggled a lot at first with rideability, but I have grown up with him; I trust him so much, and he tries so hard for me.”
On the previous weekend, she won the $50,000 Palm Beach Equine Clinic Grand Prix with Highway TN, who she has leased for the season. The horse has been ridden by Willem Greve of the Netherlands, but that rider is focusing on this summer’s world championships with other horses, which made Highway available.
Meanwhile, in Qatar where a new series is under way, British star Scott Brash had two major victories in the same show. He took the 1.50 meter class with Hello Folie, and the 1.60 meter test with Hello Mango.
Click here for results of the Brain Juice Grand Prix
Click here for results of the NetJets Grand Prix
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 23, 2026
A New Jersey thoroughbred gelding was named 2025’s Champion Male Sprinter at racing’s Eclipse Award ceremonies in Palm Beach this week.
Book’em Danno, by Bucchero our of the Ghostzapper mare Adorabella, raced for a New Jersey-based partnership of friends and business acquaintances called Atlantic Six Racing.
Book ’em Danno winning at Saratoga. (Photo © 2025 by Mathea Kelley)
“In this sport, you need a lot of luck, a lot of dedication, and an exceptional horse,” said Atlantic Six’s managing partner, Jay
Briscione noted. “Tonight we celebrate all three.”
Characterized by his owners as “the horse of a lifetime,” he was bred by Gregory J. Kilka and Bright View Farm. The 5-year-old who won three high profile stakes at Saratoga last year is the all-time leading New Jersey-bred earner with more than $1.8 million to his credit. He is the first New Jersey-bred Eclipse Award winner since Open Mind, the champion 3-year-old filly in 1989.
Book’em Danno has been trained by Derek Ryan, who said the success is due to the horse’s competitive nature.
“He doesn’t have a pedigree, he’s not a pretty mover. He’s just a racehorse.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jan 20, 2026
Olympic eventer Liz Halliday, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2024 fall, has returned to her base in Lexington, Ky., after many months of working hard at rehabilitation.
She posted about her progress on social media, saying, “This is the most important update I’ve given you since my accident happened! After spending 16 months in hospitals and two different rehab facilities in Chicago and Dallas, I finally returned HOME to Lexington just before Christmas.
Liz Hallliday is home.
“It’s hard to describe all of the emotions you experience when you walk through the door to your own home for the first time in so long … joy, gratitude, and a sense of pride that all of the hard work I have done over the past 16 months has brought me to this point.
“My recovery journey is far from over. I’ve converted my office into a home gym and am working on getting stronger every day. I am still committed to my weekly therapy sessions to continue working on my speech and regaining more mobility. And I am continuing to ride at a local facility, which has been so beneficial in my recovery.”
She added, “I am excited to continue to improve, and I am so grateful to you all for cheering me on throughout this recovery journey. I still have a long way to go, but I’ll never give up, and I’ll never stop fighting.”
Her horses were sent to several riders to campaign, most notably Boyd Martin, who won the first U.S. Open of eventing last October with Miks Master C, a mount he characterized as Liz’s “top hopeful.”
