by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 8, 2024
So much incredible competition went on in all the disciplines this weekend that it was positively head-spinning trying to keep up. But we managed.
First, let’s deal with the richest grand prix in the world, the $3 million (Canadian) CPKC International, which went to Martin Fuchs of Switzerland with the incredible Leone Jei for the second year in a row at Spruce Meadows. The class, presented by Rolex, is part of the Rolex Grand Slam series of competitions, with the next leg coming up in Geneva in December.
With $2.2 million American on the line Sunday in Calgary, Alberta, a field of 39 was whittled to 12 over a course designed by Leopoldo Palacios. The biggest surprise in the initial round was when McLain Ward fell off as his Olympic mount, Ilex, crashed through the first fence. The top 12 who qualified for the second round included riders who had knockdowns and accumulated time penalties, but it wound up with three riders tied on zero penalties set for a jump-off.
In the tie-breaker, Martin had the third fence down, an oxer with brown rails, which was difficult to see in a shadow. Martin felt he over-rode it. So at that point, he needed to hustle and got his horse through the timers in 40.22 seconds.
Then he had to wait.
Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and the stallion Cartello also toppled a rail at the same obstacle and exceeded the 42-second time allowed to finish with 4 jumping and 2 time faults. Last to go was 2022 CPKC winner Daniel Deusser of Germany, the country that won the Nations Cup on Saturday.
Daniel and Killer Queen had a rail at the first part of the double, 6A. He knew after that he had to rush to beat Martin’s time, but that was not the way to approach the last fence, the colorful Hong Kong wall. Blocks flew off the top, leaving Martin the winner, Darragh second and Daniel third with 8 faults.
“It was touch-and-go,” Martin admitted about his feelings as he waited for the placings to resolve.
“But today was really my day, the other guys had some unlucky rails and I am very happy to defend this grand prix. It was very dramatic and I am glad it worked out for me today.”
It’s selfie time for the top three in the CPKC International: Daniel Deusser, Martin Fuchs and Darragh Kenny. (Spruce Meadows Photo)
Of the gray gelding who carried him to victory, Martin noted, “He has jumped 13 majors and placed in 12 of them. He’s always there when the majors are on. I’m blessed I have a partner that feels the same about those great shows.”
The big news from Spruce Meadows was that this grand prix will have a $5 million (Canadian) prize in 2025 to mark the facility’s fiftieth anniversary. There has never been a prize like that in show jumping.
Complete results of the CPKC International here
Now, on to the hard-fought Defender Burghley 5-star Horse Trials, where world number one eventer Ros Canter of Great Britain showed why she deserves that title by taking top honors with Lordships Graffalo on 23.6 penalties. She added only 1.6 time penalties to her dressage score for her trip over the show jumping fences that wrapped up the British event.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo rose to first place after cross-country at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials and kept it through the show jumping to win. (Defender Burghley photo)
New Zealand’s Tim Price had a rail down with Vitali to finish second on 29.5. He was followed in third and fourth place by Harry Meade of Great Britain with the fault-free Cavalier Crystal (72.84) and Annaghmor Valoner, who had a rail to total 75.79. And can you believe busy Harry also was twelfth on Superstition (42.9) with a clean show jumping trip?
The top American finisher was Cosby Green with Copper Beech, sixteenth with 49.6. She had only time faults on cross-country, and a rail and 1.2 time faults in the show jumping. Jennie Brannigan finished twenty-third on FE Lifestyle (57.9) after a bad few minutes when her mount was sent to the holding area during the final horse inspection. They had two rails down in show jumping.
Andrew McConnon and Wakita 54 (70) dropped two rails in show jumping to finish twenty-seventh. Mia Farley and the thoroughbred Phelps picked up 20 jumping penalties on cross-country at the Rolex corners and added time penalties in that phase as well. Four fences down and time penalties in the jumping resulted in a score of 94.5 penalties that put this combination thirty-second.
The other American entry, Hannah Sue Holberg and Capitol HIM, ended their run when she had a fall at the twenty-second of 30 cross-country fences and was eliminated.
For full Burghley results, click here.
In the Paralympics, the U.S. ended with a record medal haul that topped the tables for dressage. Americans won seven medals, eclipsing their previous Paralympic Games best of two golds and a bronze at Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2021. Two U.S. riders were triple gold for the Games.
Becca Hart and Floratina had a narrow win in the Grade III freestyle to score a gold medal hat trick for the Games, having previously won the individual competition and contributed to the USA’s first team gold. Becca’s freestyle score was 83.534 percent to 83.007 for the Netherlands’ Rixt van der Horst on Royal Fonq in the Grade III competition. Natasha Baker of Great Britain was third on Dawn Chorus (77.140).
In Grade II, Fiona Howard earned her third gold with Diamond Dunes in her Paralympic debut. She was marked at 81.994 percent.
Georgia Wilson of Great Britain, rode Sakura to 79.374 percent for silver while 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing of Germany, the oldest Para Dressage athlete in Paris, won her first individual medal after three previous fourth place finishes, taking bronze on Dooloop with 76.127 percent.
Triple gold medalist Fiona Howard. (US Equestrian photo)
In Grade IV, Kate Shoemaker and Vianne took bronze with a personal best of 80.170 for her ride to music from the movie Forrest Gump, so all the U.S. Paralympians brought home at least one medal. It was Kate’s first individual medal after earning bronze with the team in Tokyo three years ago.
Demi Haerkens of the Netherlands won her second individual gold on her Paralympic Games debut, and third medal in all, as she and Daula won the Grade IV gold earned an impressive 83.390 percent. Anna-Lena Niehues of Germany on Quimbaya 6, scored 80.900 percent to take silver, adding to their two bronzes in the Individual test and Team event.
Meanwhile, the World Driving Championships in Hungary ended with – no surprise – world champion Boyd Exell of Australia in first place. But the USA’s Chester Weber, who set a record last week in winning the dressage phase, wound up third to reach the podium.
Boyd Exell in action. (FEI photo)
Second after Saturday’s marathon, Chester had two knockdowns in the cones segment Sunday for a total of 159.13 penalties. That put him third behind the Netherlands’ Bram Chardon, with a total of 157.74 after a clean round in cones. Bram won that phase to move up from third place to second.
“It was a very different track from a lot of the sort of Dutch-esque tracks,” Chester said of the marathon course. “But I was very pleased with how the horses handled it and their performance.”
Chester Weber gives Boyd Exell a champagne shower. (FEI photo)
His score contributed to the unprecedented twelfth team gold for the Netherlands which gave his father, Ijsbrand, his thirty-sescond world medal and fourteenth gold. Together with Koos de Ronde, they won the team competition on 322.69.
Boyd had one down in cones, but a score of 146.93 penalties for all three phases left him untouchable and continuing on top of the world rankings with his seventh consecutive gold medal. Amazingly, the two-member Australian team that also included Tor van den Berge won their first world medal with bronze (340.77). Germany captured silver (330.33).
The U.S. did not finish as a team because its only other member, Jimmy Fairclough, did not compete in cones after one of his horses incurred an injury in his stall overnight.
Get the driving results by clicking here.
Read about the HITS grand prix in our Previous Columns here .
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 7, 2024
Jump-offs can be cutthroat affairs when the stakes are high and there is, as the British would say, all to play for.
Speaking of the British, they accounted for two-thirds of the top placings in Saturday’s Core Specialty Insurance $250,000 4-star Grand Prix at HITS on the Hudson.
The other contender in the three-horse tie-breaker rides for Belgium, but has British buddies. And it turns out the top three in the class – Jessica Mendoza, Abdel Said and Sam Hutton — will be stabling together now.
Jessica Mendoza and I-Cap CL Z, on their way to winning the HITS grand prix. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
“We’re all good friends, we know each other for 10 years, more even,” said Abdel, joking that he remembers the elegantly tall Jessica since the days when “she was shorter than me” and riding a pony. (Jessica was British Show Jumping’s leading pony rider in 2009 and 2010).
“Going into the jump-off, it was fun, because whatever position we ended up in, it was already a victory. But in the ring, I am competitive,” said Abdel, a native of Egypt who switched his nationality in 2021.
“It was a hard one, I went too fast, I overcooked it but I wanted to put enough pressure and then also not risk knocking a rail,” he said of his effort on Bonne Amie, his Estonian sport horse, clocked in 40.92 seconds.
Abdel Said and Bonne Amie. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Next up, Great Britain’s Samuel Hutton, riding Melusina BVL Z for Abdel’s AS Trading, was a bit slower in 42.2 seconds on the Zangersheide mare.
Sam Hutton and Melusina BVL Z (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Jessica saw the Olaf Petersen Jr.-designed route in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium as “a great course for my horse. I was in the best position going in, because I got to see everyone,” she said, before clocking the winning trip in 39.86 seconds on I-Cap CL Z, her Zangersheide gelding, who she has owned for eight years, since he was four.
Jessica, who rides on Nations Cup teams for Britain, called him her “pride and joy, a horse of a lifetime. I know him so well.”
She said of her best horse friend, “I know if I turn really tight and slice the jump, he’s not going to put down, he’s going to give it all to me.”
For her, it was practically love at first sight with this horse, who enabled her to collect the $82,500 winner’s check at the show in Saugerties, N.Y.
“A friend in Holland told me about him. I knew after six jumps that I was going to buy him,” she said.
Olaf, who had a field of 26 to work with, said, “It was nice for me to watch. It was very exciting until the end,”
The time allowed of 84 seconds also turned out to be tight for 11 entries, who collected time penalties.
A big question involved a one-stride double, the next to-last obstacle on the first round course.
“I think nine strides to the last vertical/oxer was a much better solution than eight. A lot who tried eight strides didn’t succeed,” Olaf observed.
“That was a key part of the course for me.”
Sam Hutton, Jessica Mendoza with Lily, Abdel Said and Olaf Petersen Jr. (Photo © 2024 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Abdel noted, “All in all, I really enjoyed the course. I thought it was very fair for the number of riders who were here. A grand prix with that amount of money should not be a lot more clear rounds, I think it should be top sport.”
And several top names didn’t fare well.
Germany’s Rene Dittmer, who won the grand prix at the Hampton Classic last weekend, had a rail at the rustic bridge vertical, putting him and Corsica X seventh. Another star, Jordan Coyle of Ireland, winner of the Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon with For Gold in May, dropped two rails, putting him thirteenth and out of the money.
Everyone praised the HITS facility, which has undergone impressive renovations recently.
“I love it,” said Abdel.
“I’ve been to Wellington, Miami, so many shows in Canada and I was so impressed,” he said, citing the effort for horse welfare and the footing among the benefits of HITS.
Sam, visiting HITS this year for the first time, agreed.
“I really like it. It’s very horse-friendly,” he commented.
Olaf, who had designed the former HITS $1 million class a decade ago, said that since his last visit, “the improvement I think was amazing.” Even with, as he put it, “so many rings, everybody had time to do his job and be professional.”
click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
The fourth-place finish of the Belgian eventing team at the Paris Olympics could be in jeopardy
The Belgian Equestrian Federation has been informed that Tine Magnus’ horse, Dia van het Lichterveld, had a positive test (A-sample) for a banned substance, Trazadone, during the Games.
“The Belgian Team in general and Tine Magnus particularly are very surprised about this result. Awaiting further steps in the procedure (analysis of B sample, ..) Tine Magnus has been provisionally suspended by the FEI,” the Belgian federation stated..
“Although all horses had been pre-tested and the team gave their utmost to prevent any incidents, this is the given situation which is currently having an impact on the team result,” the Belgian federation continued.
“We are now analyzing and clarifying the situation. Together with Tine Magnus, we are investigating what exactly happened and want to trace back to the situational details.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Trazodone is used to treat depression. It is thought to work by increasing the activity of serotonin in the brain.
The Belgian federation added, “In the current situation, it is important to stress that the results of the Paris Olympic Games, both individual and team, will remain valid for the duration of the investigation.”
If the final decision disqualifies Magnus, the Swiss team would move up to fourth and the U.S. team would advance to sixth from seventh, with Sweden taking fifth place.
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
The U.S. Paralympic Dressage Team earned its first-ever team gold, securing the title with a score of 235.567 following three team rides Friday from Roxanne Trunnell (Grade I) and Fanta Tastico H, Fiona Howard (Grade II) and Diamond Dunes, and Rebecca Hart (Grade III) and Floratina.
Fiona Howard, Becca Hart and Roxanne Trunnell with U.S. chef d’equipe Michel Assouline and their team gold medals. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
The Dutch posed the biggest challenge this time around, after stellar individual results and they finished with silver on 232.850. Germany was third with 223.51. Britain, which had dominated para dressage since its inception, was sixth (219.562).
“We’ve been in front for such a long time,” said Britain’s Natasha Baker, who scored 75.367 percent on Dawn Chorus in Grade III.
“We didn’t expect to be bringing home the team gold in Tokyo, so that was unreal. The rest of the world has caught up with us now. It’s just going to be a case of us trying to find ways that we can sneak back to the top again.”
Michel Assouline, who previously was the British para team’s chef d’equipe, has been the guiding force of the U.S. team since leaving the British squad.
Fiona’s 80 percent on Diamond Dunes – the highest individual score of Paris 2024 to date — added to Roxanne’s 77 percent put the USA narrowly ahead of the Netherlands, for which the Grade IV duo of Sanne Voets on Demantur (76.567 percent) and Demi Haerkens with Daula (78.216 percent) set the early pace.
While there was excitement around Versailles that Fiona’s score could be a new Paralympic record, due to changes in the tests since the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, it is not possible to make direct comparisons or officially recognize it as a record, but it still is quite an achievement.
“I came out the ring and thought, ‘that felt really good’, but you never know,” said Fiona, who now has two golds in her first Paralympic Games. “Whatever the score was, I was super proud of him.”
Becca entered the arena on Floratina knowing she needed a personal best score to take gold.
“It’s always a bit intense being the ‘closer’ for your team and it was a very pressure-cooker situation,” said Becca, who along with Roxanne and Kate Shoemaker, was part of the USA team that took bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“I was definitely doing the math. I think my previous best was a 75-something, so it was a jump. I had a quick peek at the board and went ‘OK, let’s go, game on’. I knew we had to do something pretty special.” And she did.
“This is the completion of a long-timed, well-planned dream( for the U.S.), going back to Tryon 2018, where we started to actually make changes,” said Michel Assouline.
“In Tokyo, when we won bronze, I had a clear plan and strategy in place, and in my mind, to earn that team medal. I just knew it had to be gold in Paris for us.
“It has been three years of very hard work, planning, logistics, competition strategies, both for Europe and in the U.S. The horsepower, the coaches, and the whole program had to be revamped to get to this point. It’s a funny thing to think – it’s what I expected — but you never want to talk about it openly. I had it in mind that this was our goal and here we are. This feels like such an amazing accomplishment for everyone who has been involved with this program over the years.”
It’s the USA’s second consecutive Paralympic team medal. The U.S. is only the third nation (after Germany and Great Britain) to win two individual gold medals in one Games, according to EquiRatings. Of course, it must be said that Britain, a paralympics juggernaut that was double gold in 2008, won two more in 2012 and three in 2016.
This was the first time the U.S.won three medals in the individual classification. Even before the team competition, the country had matched its highest Para medal count, from 1996 in Atlanta and 2021 in Tokyo.
The only U.S. non-medalist so far is Kate Shoemaker, fifth in the Grade IV competition. However, she qualified for Saturday’s freestyle, as did individual gold medalists Becca and Fiona, as well as individual silver medalist Roxanne.
Click here for Para team results
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 6, 2024
Chester Weber, who has long been a star in the dressage segment of four-in-hand driving, outdid himself on Friday in Hungary with a record score of 31.06 penalties.
Chester Weber after his record-setting dressage performance. (FEI photo)
He leads the field of 41 at the world championships, earning four 10s and one 9.5 for general impression and presentation.
“I’m humbled to sit behind these horses, even though I’ve had most of them since they were four,” said Chester.
“They’ve been produced not only by me but by a synergistic team of people who all have yoked together to help make this sort of perfection. ”
Added Weber, “I knew that we came in as potential leaders, but you still have to make it happen, so I started the warmup only 35 minutes before the test and kept everything quiet and soft. Every time I asked a question today, the horses said, ‘Yes’ so I tried not to get in their way, and they really deserve this win.”
Boyd Exell of Australia, the number one-ranked four-in-hand driver in the world, stands second on 33.53 penalties. Anna Sandmann of Germany is third (40.99).
The other U.S. driver, Jimmy Fairclough, is twenty-ninth on a score of 60.23. The U.S.team stands fourth of 10 countries on 91.29 penalties, behind leader Australia (80.91). The Netherlands is second on 86.44 and Germany is third with 89.29.
Jimmy, who was Chester’s teammate on the USA’s 2018 world championships gold medal squad, hasn’t been having an easy time of it recently. On July 30, his dressage leader, Jake, suffered a fatal colic, leaving Jimmy with just four horses.
Chester came through with Gouveneur for Jimmy to lease. Then last Monday, “when we entered the stabling here, my marathon leader, Dapper, got his teeth stuck in the stall bars and broke off his front teeth,” Jimmy recounted.
“He is recovering from surgery at the clinic. Our marathon and cones will be interesting as I’ve never driven a hazard or cones course with Gouveneur,” noted Jimmy, who thanked Chester for his help.
Ever the tough challenger when a gauntlet is laid down, defending Champion Boyd Exell (AUS) followed in the final session of the day. His experienced team produced another superb test to score 33.53 which meant only he and Chester went sub-40. Later Boyd said that he was especially pleased with the horses as they are marathon specialists, so they did brilliantly to get so close to Chester’s mark. He also paid tribute to Anna Sandmann’s test on Thursday stating that it wasn’t easy for her to score so well on day one and maintain her leading position for so long.
Boyd’s score put Australia ahead in the team competition with 80.91 after his compatriot Tor van den Berge produced an improved test for 47.38. Not far behind are the Dutch on 86.44 after father and son Chardon had only 0.2 between them – Bram scored 43.12 for fifth and Ijsbrand 43.32 for sixth.
As the penultimate athlete to drive, there was expectation that Germany’s Mareike Harm would post another strong score, and she slotted in behind Anna on 42.18. It was enough to put Germany into third place as – combined with Georg von Stein’s 47.11 – they are on 89.29. The USA are fourth, Belgium fifth and hosts Hungary are sixth after Zόltan Lázár (HUN) rounded off the second morning session with 47.51.
Chester said afterwards that his strategy going into the marathon with Boyd so close is to just go for it. Both attended the test event last year and selected horses they feel with thrive over the undulating ground and through the long obstacles.
They will both try to put pressure on each other, but Chester uses the analogy with golf, saying that he tends to compete against himself and tries not to pay too much attention to what’s happening elsewhere. He’s brought a new horse, Casper, in the left lead which is a change from his Aachen combination as he feels it will add a lot of strength to the team.
The eight obstacles are situated outside the town of Szilvásvárad and have been designed by Alexander Flocke (GER).
by Nancy Jaffer | Sep 1, 2024
Jack Levy wasn’t a horseman to begin with. He was in the nursing uniform industry, where he did wholesale, retail and catalogues when he got a call from Miller Harness Co., which was looking for a CEO with his skill set..
His experience got him the job and in what would be typical Jack fashion, he was off and running a few days later, flying to Germany to get immersed in the business.
A savvy executive who made the equestrian scene his own — to the benefit of companies with which he was associated — his kindness, caring and guidance also benefited so many of the people in the horse industry. Whether they were employees or just those who got to know him along the circuit, they all enjoyed something special when Jack became their friend.
He died Saturday at the age of 88 after a fall following his battle with a long illness.
“He’s a fighter, and he wasn’t going to give in,” said his wife, Fran, noting he would go to his desk in their Pennsylvania home every morning at 6:30 to continue his work.
“He was such a voice for this industry and for people riding,” said Fran.
Although he had never ridden before taking the Miller’s job, Jack did get on a horse in Argentina when he went to see a saddlemaker, and rode a cutting horse at a market in Denver during the National Western Stock Show, Fran recalled. Jack went on to work for Weatherbeeta and most recently, as a consultant for Timmy Sharma at JPC Equestrian.
Wherever he was employed, Jack was someone who believed in helping others.
Jack Levy was always willing to help.
“He understood that the success of his team was far more important than any individual success of his own,” said Rosemary Staeck, who runs the online company EquusNow, which specializes in English tack and riding apparel.
She got her start at Miller’s with Jack, and credits him with her success.
“There was no greater leader than Jack,” she said.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without Jack’s mentorship and faith in me. He could build a team that had such passion and drive. He celebrated others’ victories with such pride.”
She remembered that when she would go to him with a problem, he didn’t give her advice. Instead, he would tell her a story and in it, she would find the answers she was seeking.
“You never left a conversation with him without feeling better,” she recalled.
“He made you feel like you were the most important person on earth.”
Jack, who also had worked for Weatherbeeta, went on to be a consultant for JPC.
Timmy said he had received an email from Jack the day before he died. Work was what Jack did.
“He opened up a lot of doors for us,” said Timmy.
“He was a true visionary. I’m so blessed he came into my life.”
Of course, like so many others, Timmy deeply feels the loss of a man who was one of a kind.
“Now that Jack is no longer a phone call away, I will have to ask, `What would Jack do?’ His wisdom and guidance have left an indelible mark on my heart and mind, and I know many others feel the same.
“Until we meet again, my mentor and friend. Thank you for the lessons, the memories, and the music that will forever play in our hearts. Rest in peace, Jack. You will be deeply missed but never forgotten.”
In addition to his wife, Jack is survived by his daughter, Donna Chirico; sons Robert (Julie), Justin (Shauna), Jon (Ferrin) and 12 grandchildren. He also will be missed by his Doberman, Fritzi, and cat, Max.
There will be a celebration of Jack’s life Sept. 22 in Westchester Country, N.Y., with details to come. Donations in his memory may be made to the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation (USET.org). Click the donate button if using the website, specifying Jack Levy’s name when making the donation. Donations may also be made by mail at the USET Foundation, P.O. Box 355, Gladstone, NJ 07934-0355, or call (908) 234-1251 for more information.
