Augusta Iwasaki came from behind in spectacular fashion today to cap her junior career with a hard-won victory in the ASPCA Maclay at the National Horse Show.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything else,” said the Californian, who rose from seventeenth place among the top 24, to fourth when the top five were asked to test, going on to ace it and finish on top aboard Izar in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.
Augusta Iwasaki took the Maclay title at the National Horse Show.
Gussie, who won both the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals and the Washington International equitation championship last month, made her mark at the National earlier in the week by taking the $50,000 Hunter Classic on Small Love. She is trained by Ken and Emily Smith and her parents, Liz Reilly and Chris Iwasaki.
Luke Jensen, the winner of the Dover/USEF Medal after taking second in the Talent Search, was second on Jamaica. A student of Missy Clark and John Brennan at North Run, he also earned the trophy donated by the late Wilson Dennehy as the rider who scored the most points in the Medal, Maclay and Talent Search. (Wilson is the only rider to date to have won all three in the same year; that was 1955).
A field of 220 started out in the Maclay at 7 a.m.; the ribbon presentation did not begin until 7:30 p.m. Too much. Are that many entries and such a long day for everyone really necessary?
The course included lots of unusual fences, with designer Bobby Murphy presiding over the layout. Among the more interesting obstacles was a fence from the 1993 American Invitational, a “triple bar” designed to look like steps of a historic house, wingless fences topped by pastel blocks and a panel with the word Maclay as a cut-out. It won the design prize for Madison Aguilar, a student at the Savannah School of Art & Design.
After the initial group of competitors completed their rounds, judges Michael Tokaruk and Robin Rost Brown whittled the start list down to 24 for the flat phase and the second jumping round.
The judges had quite a task.
“I thought we saw a lot of beautiful riding and incredible horses,” said Michael.
“The first round had a lot of questions. You needed to ride different canters, tracks…it came at you with plenty of things to separate the riders. I thought everybody had a little bit of something throughout the day.”
Robin noted, “I think we both wanted to see the riders be able to adjust their horses, opening and closing strides, and a nice flow and clear, concise forward riding, but the ability to shorten their horses as well.”
When the list was narrowed down, “They were very close,” Michael observed.
“Things were tight going into the test and that’s why we did test, and there was motion throughout the day. Nothing was clear-cut. Those who were ahead had things happen. Those that were behind kept fighting.”
Tessa Downey led the roster when the top five were called back for the test that involved a hand gallop to the first fence, a canter to the second, slowing to a walk and doing a turn on the haunches, then counter-cantering into the next set of four fences. Carlee McCutcheon, who had been first when the group of 24 was called back, stood second at that point, Luke third; Gussie, fourth, and Isabella David, fifth.
When it was all over, Tessa finished third, Carlee fourth and Isabella fifth.
“I can’t really believe this happened,” Gussie said.
She now heads back to school at Southern Methodist University with some fancy trophies to decorate her dorm room. Although she’s not from Texas (but does going to school there count?) Carlee’s mother, Mandy McCutcheon, pointed out that even if you don’t count Gussie, three of the top four–her daughter Luke, and Tessa–are from Texas. Got to be the first time that ever happened!
And how about a shout-out for New Jersey? Isabella is from Holmdel and trains with Stacia Madden and the team from Beacon Hill; Kate Egan of Glen Gardner finished tenth. She rides with Emil Spadone and Luke Olsen from Redfields.
Noting that she went fairly early in the morning during the first round, Gussie said, “I thought I put in a pretty solid round, but definitely not the best round we ever had.”
Yet she realized it wasn’t over; she just had to do more.
“I kept fighting all day long,” she said.
“This has been so special.”
Click here for the results of the Maclay.
