HITS grand prix topped by an international trio

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.

“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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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