Photo by Kristen Kovatch
The National Horse Show is easily one of the most prestigious horse shows in the country. Its wide variety of classes draws in talented riders of all backgrounds to the Kentucky Horse Park each year, and this year Jumper Nation is on site for the $135,000 International Jumper Classic! We are excited to bring you live, minute-by-minute updates of the action straight from the stands at the Alltech Arena.
Forty entries are slated to compete this evening including Aaron Vale and Finou 4, recent winners of the Puissance class at the Washington International last week. Also on the competitors list are Beezie Madden, and one of her newest mounts Chic Hin D Hyrencourt, WEG athlete Adrienne Sternlicht and Toulago, and the always exciting McLain Ward aboard Contagious. You can find the full class list here!
So who will come out on top? Only time will tell, and we will bring the latest and greatest with each rider who enters the ring.
8:09 PM: Brian Moggre leads us off! Fresh off a Maclay win, he lays down a clean round with MTM Vivre Le Revre inside the time to get us off to a great start.
8:12 PM: Jonathan McCrea and Aristoteles V drop a rail.
8:14 PM: Quentin Judge and HH Messenger drop two rails and are then eliminated at 11A with two stops. Tough luck!
8:16 PM: Brazil’s Luiz Franciso de Azevdeo and Collin drop the back rail at 3A and are currently in second. Moggre certainly made it look easy in that first trip!
8:18 PM: Beat Mändli of Switzerland with the talented Galan S put in a gorgeous clear trip to earn their spot in the jump-off!
8:20 PM: Big cheers for USA’s Margie Goldstein-Engle and Royce as they enter the ring! They have a heartbreaking front rail at 8 after putting on an otherwise masterclass performance.
8:23 PM: Ireland’s Wellington-based Lorcan Gallagher and Hunters Conlypso II drop rails at 3A and 4.
8:25 PM: USA’s Kelli Cruciotti drops fence 5 ever so gently with Hadja van Orshof to go into fifth place currently.
Take a peek at Ken Krome’s course in the Alltech Arena:
8:27 PM: USA’s Olympian Lucy Davis with Caracho is in the house! Tragically this pair knocks a rail at 4 despite the obvious springs on Caracho’s feet.
8:29 PM: An all-star lineup tonight as Kent Farrington and Creedance come in on Lucy Davis’ heels. Creedance is a careful, athletic jumper and this pair lays down a foot-perfect clear round.
8:32 PM: The parade of USA’s best continue: Georgina Bloomberg’s Chameur is an expressive jumper who still gets it done clear and fast inside the time.
8:34 PM: Australia’s Rowan Willis aboard his own Blue Movie pull a rail but otherwise put in a determined, athletic round.
8:36 PM: Cormac Hanley is in next for Ireland, riding the gorgeous gray VDL Cartello. Unfortunately they drop the back rail at 3A, which has caught out a number of combinations already this evening, plus a second rail at 8.
8:38 PM: Katie Dinan and the charmingly-named Dougie Douglas take down fence 8 which has also been proving tricky coming out of the corner, and a second rail at 10, plus one time penalty.
8:40 PM: Up next is Jen Kocher and Quarto Mail have an unlucky rail at 5, followed by the front rail at 6. They drop the back rail coming out of the triple plus time penalties to finish on 14.
8:43 PM: Liza Finsness and Shiver take out 3A and come to a grinding halt at 3B, taking down most of that fence as well. They battle their way through the rest of the course and pick up 15 penalties total.
8:46 PM: USA’s Aaron Vale and Finou tap 3A hard but it stays up! Unfortunately they get just a touch behind at the triple to drop 11c and then knock the front rail on the final fence 12.
8:48 PM: MCLAIN! Aboard the nine-year-old Contagious, USA hero McLain Ward eke by with just one time penalty with a scrappily graceful round. Extra round of applause in honor of Team USA’s WEG gold!
8:50 PM: Amanda Derbyshire for Great Britain, based in Wellington, with Luibanta SH stop the clock well under time with a clear round, earning themselves a jump-off appearance later.
8:52 PM: USA’s Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual put in a clean, efficient round within time!
8:55 PM: Leslie Burr-Howard is in the ring! Her gray mare Donna Speciale looks just a bit rank and after dropping a few rails, the pair takes a scary spill at fence 10. Donna Speciale gets to her feet and takes a quick lap, and Leslie is back on her feet with support. Sending our best thoughts to Leslie that she’s healthy and well!
8:57 PM: Molly Ashe, most recently the winner of the American Gold Cup at Salem, enters with Picobello Choppin PC and retires before starting.
8:59 PM: WEG team gold medalist Adrienne Sternlicht and Toulago have an unfortunate rail at the tricky 3A, plus the skinny at 5 and another rail at 7. They finish strong to take 12 penalties.
9:01 PM: Conor Swail of Ireland and GK Coco Chanel have a rub at 3A but leave it standing. They have a few close calls but finish clear!
9:04 PM: Ali Wolff of USA and Casall drop the unlucky 3A, then run out at 6. They drop 6 on the second attempt and knock the final fence 12 to pick up a total of 22 penalties with time.
9:06 PM: Karen Polle of Japan with her With Wings, definitely an up-and-coming combination to watch, have a heartbreaking fence at 3A for four penalties but finish strong with just one time penalty!
9:08 PM: Tori Colvin and Zambia Mystic Rose have a rough trip, taking down four rails before retiring after 10.
9:10 PM: USA’s WEG team gold medalist Devin Ryan, this time aboard Cooper, lay down a solid quick trip to earn themselves a jump-off return later tonight! There are currently eight clears.
9:13 PM: Charlie Jacobs and Cassninja S have an awkward moment at 10 to bring down a rail, plus the final fence 12 with a time penalty.
9:15 PM: Mattias Tromp with Quinta 106 for USA skim home clear inside the time!
9:17 PM: Catherine Tyree with Bokai have the unfortunate rail at 10 but otherwise put in an impressive round. Tough luck!
9:19 PM: Israel’s Daniel Bluman and Bacara d’Archonfosse bring down that tricky fence 10, which is a real shame as this horse is a truly athletic jumper.
9:21 PM: BEEEEEZIE!! On the truly stunning Chic Hin D Hyrencourt, Beezie Madden reminds us all why she is queen with a gorgeous clear round. #BeezieForPresident
9:23 PM: Hardin Towell and Carlo put in a fierce clear round to throw their hats into the jump-off.
9:26 PM: Lindsay Douglass and Butterfly Tibri Z just don’t quite have the power for 3A, and take down 4 and 6 as well. Add two time penalties for 14 total.
9:28 PM: WEG team gold medalist Laura Kraut and the star Confu are FIERCE! Just one time penalty for an otherwise perfect round.
9:31 PM: New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley and Barnetta put in a fast, clear, careful round! We’ll see them again soon in the jump-off.
9:32 PM: From our vantage point, Igor van de Helbos does not look like an easy ride, but Tracy Fenney can get it done! They incur just one time penalty.
9:35 PM: Lillie Keenan reminds us why she’s one to watch for the future! She and Skyhorse pick up one time penalty but otherwise have a great trip.
9:37 PM: Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam will close out the first round with Don’t Touch du Bois: they become the 13th and final pair to make the jump-off with a clear trip.
Jump off round:
Jump-off course. Photo by Kristen Kovatch
9:49 PM: Brian Moggre — he’s 17, folks — and MTM Vivre le Reve lead us off and heartbreakingly drop the first fence. Anything can happen in the jump-off though, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens!
9:50 PM: Switzerland’s Beat Mändi and Galan S bring down 11B to slide into second place… for now.
9:52 PM: Kent Farrington and Creedance look ready! Coincidentally, the AV folks are playing “Go Big or Go Home” and it definitely looks like Creedance is listening. A blazing fast clear round to take the lead.
9:54 PM: Chameur and Georgina Bloomberg have some wings this evening. This is a very careful horse, but nowhere near as fast as Creedance. Their clear trip puts them in second place so far.
9:56 PM: Amanda Derbyshire turns on the afterburners with Luibanta BH, but they have an unfortunate rail at 11B to finish on four faults to take third at the moment.
9:57 PM: Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual put in a great clear round, currently good for second place!
9:59 PM: Ireland’s Conor Swail and GK Coco Chanel are both careful and quick with a solid round to take third. No one can touch Kent Farrington so far!
10:01 PM: Devin Ryan and Cooper have a great trip and try to make up those seconds wherever they can — they’re into second place with that round.
10:02 PM: The ghost of fence 3A comes back to haunt Mattias Tromp and Quinta who have the unlucky rail. They also drop 11C for a total of 8 penalties.
10:04 PM: We are officially in love with Chic Hin D Hyrencourt. A great clear round for Queen Beezie and this gelding, currently good for fifth!
10:06 PM: Hardin Towell and Carlo are gunning for the win with a fast round, but they take down the back rail at 11A. Would have been close to the leader on time but the four penalties will hurt!
10:07 PM: Sharn Wordley and Barnetta are clear! Their time is good for sixth place at the moment.
10:09 PM: Our last rider of the night: Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and Don’t Touch du Bois. A clear round with a few hairy moments, good for fifth place!
Final placings:
1: Kent Farrington and Creedance on 37.49
2: Peter Lutz and Robin de Ponthual on 39.34
3: Conor Swail and GK Coco Chanel on 39.65
4: Devin Ryan and Cooper on 40.04
5: Shane Sweetnam and Don’t Touch du Bois on 40.91