Following a successful two weeks of competition at the Traverse City Spring Horse Show, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, the pinnacle of the inaugural event came Sunday afternoon, June 28, in the form of the $72,900 Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel Grand Prix CSI2*, which saw 28 horse-and-rider partnerships vie for the lion’s share of the prize money. The international field consisted of combinations from seven nations, including the United States, Chile, Israel, Colombia, Ireland, Germany and Canada. Saving the very best for last, the USA’s Daisy Farish put in a great performance with her own Great White to take the biggest bite out of the purse and lead the victory gallop.
Daisy Farish on Great White. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
Proving why he is one of the most well-respected veteran course designers in the game, Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) crafted a technical, yet fair, track of 16 efforts, and 11 contenders from the original group of challengers rose to the challenge to keep themselves in contention for the top prize. Riding early in the order, Wilhem Genn (GER) and Bugatti served as the trailblazers with the first clear ride, and they were soon joined by Megan McDermott (USA) on HH Callas, Jonathan Corrigan (IRL) aboard Super Chilled and Michael Murphy (USA) with the reins on Chaccofina, each of whom left all the rails in the cups within the time-allowed by the halfway point to quality for the tie-breaker round. The latter half of the first round brought even more fault-free efforts, with Genn, McDermott and Murphy each adding a second mount to the list of returners. Sloane Coles (USA) on Coldplay, Margie Engle (USA) with Cesna M, Daniel Bluman (ISR) aboard Gemma W and Farish riding Great White also added their names to the list of clears.
Daisy Farish on Great White. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
Returning first in the order, Genn and Bugatti once again left all the fences intact to set the pace in 42.020 seconds, but were quickly outdone by McDermott and her first mount, HH Callas, who laid down a confident and clear effort in 40.35 seconds. Fifth to take to the ring, Coles and Coldplay proved that McDermott and HH Callas’ time could be beat and put the pressure on the frontrunners with what looked to be the new leading performance, ultimately crossing the finish line in 39.310 seconds, but dropped a rail to move them down the rankings. Similarly, Genn and his second horse, Van Gogh, followed suit with another efficient trip in 39.900 and a single rail. As the class progressed, subsequent horse-and-rider pairs tried and failed to catch the leading duo until the final entry, Farish and Great White, tackled the track with quick precision, logging a clear effort and slicing nearly two full seconds off the clock with a final time of 38.400 seconds to claim victory.
Daisy Farish on Great White. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
McDermott and HH Callas, owned by Counter Balance LLC, captured second place, and Bluman jumped to third position overall in the saddle aboard Blue Star Investments’ Gemma W, the third-fastest of six total double-clear combinations.
With Sunday afternoon’s results, Corrigan retained his lead in the CaptiveOne Advisors $30,000 Leading Jumper Rider Bonus standings. Already ahead by a number of points thanks to multiple top-two finishes, the Irish rider continued to add to his tally with a fifth-place finish Sunday. Farish moved into the third-place spot due to Sunday’s win. The CaptiveOne Advisors Leading Jumper Rider Bonus will be awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points in competitions $25,000 or more in prize money over the course of 11 weeks of riding in Traverse City, with the honor presented following the $213,300 CaptiveOne American Gold Cup Grand Prix CSI4* on September 13.
Earlier in the day, the first riders of the morning took to the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring for a shot at the top spot in the $2,500 Pinecone Shavings Adult Amateur Jumper Classic. Following the first round, four exhibitors had earned a place in the jump-off, where careful riding proved to be the best course of action as the quicker pairs downed rails to incur faults during the tie-breaker round. Claiming the title thanks to a smart trip in 43.304 seconds as one of only two combinations to keep all the fences intact, Samantha Gajoch and her own Jazzy D were named the victors. Just a hair off the pace with a clean time of 43.961 seconds, Duncan Peters and Five O’Clock Farm’s Florus earned the reserve title.
In the division standings, Lori Bidwell and Five O’Clock Farm’s Rashmo Z came out on top to earn the championship honors in the Pinecone Shavings Adult Jumpers. The pair earned back-to-back first-place finishes to put them at the top of the leaderboard, and added to their success with a fifth-place result in Sunday’s Classic. Gajoch and Jazzy D earned the distinction of reserve champions with two fourth-place finishes in divisional competition.
Lori Bidwell on Rashmo Z. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
Immediately following the Adult Classic, the $2,500 East Wind Farm Children’s Jumper Classic brought a new set of hopeful contenders to the main stage. With just two partnerships earning eligibility for the jump-off following fault-free initial trips, error-free rides were essential in order to take the title. In the end, both pairs successfully left all the poles in their cups and crossed the finish line with less than one second separating their times. Lillie Parr and Pinecone Farm LLC’s Ivan R tripped the timers in 39.628 seconds to emerge victorious, followed closely by Aristea Santoro aboard Equinvest Partners LLC’s Raquel in 40.470 seconds.
Olivia Parr on Ivan R. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography.
Another success for the winning partnership, Parr and Ivan R were also awarded the division championship in the East Wind Farm Children’s Jumpers. The pair turned in two stellar performances in competition that resulted in first place and second place to go along with their Classic victory. With a second-place and fourth-place finish under their belts, Lauren Herweyer and Jill Herweyer’s Clayton claimed the reserve championship in the division.
The Traverse City Spring Horse Show, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, concluded Sunday, June 28 to wrap up its debut year. Show jumping will return to Traverse City on Wednesday, July 1, as the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors LLC, begins its first day of the six-week series.