Saugerties, NY — September 12, 2016 — 15-year-old Brian Moggre of Flower Mound, Texas, has been an unstoppable force this year aboard his mare MTM Flutterby, owned by Major Wager, LLC. The duo enjoyed a successful season at the 2016 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit and on Sunday, they wowed the show jumping world by staking claim to the $250,000 Black Barn Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix title at the HITS Championship.
“This win is surreal. I’ve never done a class with this much money at stake before, much less won a class with this much money,” said Moggre after his victory. “I’m on cloud nine, it’s an amazing feeling. HITS did a great job with the class and I’m so glad that I was able to come and compete here.”
On day one, forty-three riders took a turn over the first round course designed by Werner Deeg of Germany. The track challenged the junior and amateur riders, testing their skills with a potentially big payoff in sight. The top 25 riders returned Sunday to compete in the final. The class is laid out in two rounds over two days of competition; faults carry over from both rounds to establish those who move on to the jump-off in the final.
The course proved to be tough when there was no clear round until the fourteenth in the order, which was Moggre and MTM Flutterby. Six would go clean to advance to the jump-off and vie for the prestigious win, and three would go double clear over the challenging, shortened course.
Brian and Flutterby Set Unbeatable Jump-Off Pace
First to re-enter for the jump-off were the victors themselves. They powered through the course, executing each turn with precision to stop the clock in a speedy, 39.419.
“In the first line of the jump-off, we were deciding if we should go in and do eight strides. As we jumped in, I knew the eight was not going to work, so I put the last step in,” said Moggre. “I galloped in places that I could go quickly and tried to stay strategic in my turns.”
Following Moggre was Jordan Coyne of High Springs, Florida, aboard Lazaro. Coyne and Moggre are no strangers to competing alongside each other; the two went head-to-head at HITS Ocala last season in the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Division on numerous occasions. Two unfortunate rails would cost Coyne and Lazaro eight faults as they crossed the timers in 40.462 for the eventual sixth place spot.
There were still four competitors in the jump-off, and Moggre’s time could still be surpassed with another clear round.
New York, New York equestrian Lucy Deslauriers was next to contend, piloting Hester. They were foiled by a rail, clocking in with four faults in 37.122. Their quick time would settle them into fourth place as the fastest four-fault round.
Ali Ramsay of Victoria, British Columbia, was next in the field to contend aboard Hermelien VD Hooghoeve. All of the rails were up as Ramsay and her mount crossed the finish line, but their time was not enough to edge out Moggre’s. They would still take home the third-place pay-out with a time of 41.162.
Only a few trips remained in the jump-off, and Moggre’s solid round was still holding up.
Giavanna Rinaldi of Wayne, Illinois, re-entered the ring with Dulf Van Den Bisschop, owned by Pony Lane Farm. The crowd cheered as the duo powered through the course, steadily conquering each fence and test as they moved. The seconds were winding down as they galloped home, crossing the timers fault-free in 39.807, just fractions of a second behind Moggre for the ultimate second place prize.
Adrienne Sternlicht of Greenwich, Connecticut, was the final exhibitor with the chance to claim the throne. She piloted Helios, owned by Starlight Farms, LLC., to a quick time of 39.315, but a rail would keep them from topping the leaderboard, giving them the final spot in the top five for fifth.
$250,000 Black Barn Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix Top Twenty:
