I never knew that I could be so enthralled watching someone open up and spread a bag of shavings, but when that person is the recently crowned Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton and they’re as good at setting up a stall as they are piloting a max spread triple in an Olympic jump-off, I can watch that all day. Not to mention that I know plenty of amateur, never-winning-any-gold-medal gals who couldn’t set up their own stall if their imported Dutch Warmblood’s life depended on it. Winning starts here, folks.
King Skelton isn’t alone – that’s US Olympic reserve rider Laura Kraut helping set up the stalls at Old Salem Farm for the American Gold Cup this weekend. It’s going to be a thrilling showdown of top riders at one of the most beautiful venues in the world, and we itching to see how it pans out.
Starters this week in Old Salem also include Beezie Madden, Mclain Ward, Georgina Bloomberg, Jessica Springsteen, Kent Farrington, Leslie Howard and Peter Wylde, among plenty of other Grand Prix stars.
Does winning in New York start with a little hardworking/lucky shavings ritual? Only time will tell! Stay tuned to Jumper Nation for all the American Gold Cup coverage!
American Gold Cup: Website/Livestream, Start lists/Results, Prizelist, Facebook, Instagram
Go Jumping.