Catherine Tyree proved she’s back in top form, taking the first place prize with Bokai in Saturday’s $86,000 Fidelity Investments® Classic CSI4* at the American Gold Cup. (Photo: The Book LLC)
North Salem, N.Y. – Sept. 17, 2016 – After spending most of the year recovering from a broken leg sustained while competing at the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival, 22-year-old Catherine Tyree (USA) of Chicago, Illinois, is making a comeback and proved she is back in top form on Saturday at the American Gold Cup. Less than a week ago Tyree finished second in the HITS Saugerites $1 Million Grand Prix CSI5*, but on Saturday she piloted Mary Tyree’s Bokai, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, to the win in the $86,000 Fidelity Investments® Classic CSI4*.
“This is a relatively new horse for me,” said Tyree. “I just got him at the beginning of July so we haven’t done much together. He’s an incredible horse and I feel so lucky to have him. It was hard this winter sitting and watching, but if anything it made me want to come back and give it my all after that. The horses have been absolutely incredible and I have the most incredible team at North Run. It’s a really nice feeling to be able to pull off the win for them because everyone works so hard.”
Course designer Alan Wade set a technical first round track, which saw only two horse and athlete combinations produce clear rounds out of 53 to advance to the jump-off.
“I am very happy I went early because I walked the course and I was able to have my plan and stick to it,” said Tyree. “I am kind of my own worst enemy because when I watch people have problems I psyche myself out. This way I was able to go in, trust my horse and know what I had to do. He jumped fantastic in the first round so I was really happy with him.”
Lucy Deslauriers and Hester
It was Tyree and 17-year-old Lucy Deslauriers (USA) who returned to vie for the victory on the Grand Prix Field at Old Salem Farm during Saturday’s highlight event.
Tyree was up first and blazed around the eight-fence serpentine in 34.530 seconds, but finished on 4 faults. Deslauriers only needed a clear round to win the class with Lisa Deslauriers’ Hester, however the pair also collected 4 faults in the jump-off and tripped the timers in 34.790 seconds — just 2/10ths of a second off the winning pace — to finish in second place. Tracy Fenney (USA) and Mtm Reve du Paradis, owned by Mtm Farm, took third place honors with 1 time fault in the first round.
“Lucy is a fantastic competitor,” said Tyree. “I’ve know her for a really long time and she’s a great rider and she has a great partnership with that horse so I knew coming in that she was going to be quick. That was probably my third jump-off with the horse so I just wanted to make sure I was fast enough and if I had one down, just stay on it. You never know what is going to happen and at the end of the day we had one down but he was great.”
Two-for-Two! Georgina Bloomberg Captures $35,000 Hermès Sellier Cup
The $35,000 Hermès Sellier Cup preceded Saturday’s feature class with a starting field of 53 entries. Georgina Bloomberg continued her winning streak in her hometown of New York, claiming her second blue ribbon at the American Gold Cup with Gotham Enterprizes, LLC’s Manodie II H.
“I bought Manodie II H at the end of last year,” said Bloomberg. “I didn’t bring her to Europe this summer so I haven’t been able to ride her as much as I would have liked. Whenever I did come home, I would make some time to spend getting to know her and forming a partnership. She’s very careful and scopey, and I think she has a lot of potential for the future. I wasn’t sure that I was going to go in there and take a shot at it, but everything came up. She has a big stride and she’s quick across the jumps. I am definitely going to aim her for some of the bigger classes in Florida. I am going to spend the fall rebuilding our relationship since I’ve been away from her all summer.”
Georgina Bloomberg and Manodie II HFifteen entries cleared Wade’s first round course to move on to the jump-off, but only four were able to jump double clear. Christine McCrea and Nektarina B, owned by Candy Tribble, were the first to jump clear over the short course, crossing the finish line in 38.810 seconds, which would hold up for fourth place. Amanda Derbyshire and Luibanta BH, owned by David Gochman, were the next to successfully tackle the jump-off course six rounds later. They took over the lead in 36.488 seconds.
Bloomberg followed Derbyshire with her second mount qualified for the jump-off. She piloted the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare to a faultless effort and outpaced Derbyshire by two seconds in 34.800 seconds to grab first place honors. Alison Robitaille and Bertram and Diana Firestone’s Konstanze were the final horse and athlete to enter the Grand Prix Field for the $35,000 Hermès Sellier Cup. They finished with no faults in 37.158 seconds to round out the top three of the class.
Georgina Bloomberg and Manodie II H
“It’s was a really nice, inviting course,” said Bloomberg. “I think it was perfect for some of the second string horses here and some of the up-and-coming riders. I’ve been jumping so many big shows all summer it’s nice to come and just have a nice, inviting 1.45m course. It was really fun out there, I really enjoyed doing it. I rode two horses in this class that I haven’t been able to show much this summer and it was fun to get to know them again on the field out there.”
As the American Gold Cup gears up for its final day of competition, Bloomberg looks forward to competing her trusted and experienced mount Lilli in Sunday’s $216,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York CSI4*-W.
Flo Fulton and Deborah Perkins Top $10,000 Mitchell-Innes & Nash Fine Art Adult Amateur Classics
Flo Fulton and Ruby
Flo Fulton of Aspen, Colorado, and her own Ruby rode to the top of the leaderboard in the $10,000 Mitchell-Innes & Nash Fine Art Adult Amateur 39 & Under Classic and also took home the championship tricolor on Saturday at the American Gold Cup.
“Ruby is an 8-year-old Holsteiner mare,” said Fulton. “I’ve had her for one year. We were reserve champion at the Hampton Classic and now champion here!”
The Grand Prix Field welcomed 39 exhibitors over Wade’s first round track, while 17 were invited to return to the jump-off after a faultless first round. Fulton, who rides with Jeffery Welles and Ed Copeland in Brewster, New York, and Wellington, Florida, followed two double clear performances as third to go in the jump-off, but bested the leading time by two seconds, setting the pace to beat at 35.868 seconds. Emily D’Alessandro and her own Tarantel’La followed Fulton and attempted to catch her time, but fell short by two seconds in 37.479 seconds for second place. Logan Marksbury and her own Esquire grabbed the yellow ribbon for third place in 37.691 seconds.
“We sliced a few fences and then I was really patient to the last fence,” said Fulton. “Sometimes that’s where I make a mistake. I get really excited and I run through the last fence but it worked out today!
“It was amazing to win today,” continued Fulton. “They do such a good job with the field here. I think the field has held up really well and she’s very sure footed. It was a really nice day.”
The Grand Prix Field kicked off the day’s full schedule of competition with the $10,000 Mitchell-Innes & Nash Fine Art Adult Amateur 40+ Classic at 8 a.m. Thirty-one adult jumpers attempted the Wade-designed first round course, but only nine were able to move on to the jump-off where Deborah Perkins and Jimmy and Danielle Torano’s Cash took top honors with a double clear effort in 38.159 seconds.
Jorge Gomez and his own Dallas De La Bonnett claimed the second place prize in 38.920 seconds, while Lisbeth Hume and her own Calabasas finished in third place in 42.062 seconds.
Olivia Chowdry and Douwe Take $10,000 Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic Victory
The Jumper Ring hosted multiple classics on Saturday including the $10,000 Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, which featured 76 entries competing for the winning prize. Twenty-three advanced to the jump-off with a clear first round effort, but only five were able to be faultless during the jump-off. Olivia Chowdry scored a narrow victory over Cara Dayton. Chowdry piloted her own Douwe to a time of 39.089 seconds, while Dayon settled for second with a time of 39.317 seconds with Deborah Dayton’s Durrant. Cloe Hymowitz was hot on their heels to earn the third place award after clocking in at 39.398 seconds aboard Rose Hill Farm’s Baritchou.
The $10,000 NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic was also held in the Jumper Ring where Katherine Strauss was the clear leader. She and her own Waterloo-S broke the beam in a clear 30.460 seconds during the jump-off, a full three seconds ahead of second place finisher Ned Cunniffe. He and Whipstick Farm, Ltd.’s NLF Billy On Show were faultless in a time of 33.682 seconds. Lilli Hymowitz picked up the third place award after riding Alexandra Crown’s Verona to a clear jump-off time of 34.631 seconds.
The day kicked-off with the $5,000 The Gochman Family Children’s Classic, where the victory went to Farah Rizvi riding Double S Farm, LLC’s Zopala. The pair was one of only four double clear entries, with Rizvi finishing the jump-off in 29.170 seconds. Mimi Gochman had an excellent day, placing second and third with her talented mounts. She earned the red ribbon with David Gochman’s Goldbreaker after clocking in at 29.697 seconds, while her second mount E Bay, owned by Gretchen Biedron, finished in a clear time of 30.806 seconds for third place honors.
The 2016 American Gold Cup culminates with the coveted $216,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York CSI4*-W, to be held on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m., as athletes vie for the highly sought-after American Gold Cup.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children over 12 years of age. Seniors 65+ and children 3 years old and under are free.
For tickets and more information, please click here.
Results: $86,000 Fidelity Investments® Classic CSI4*
1. Bokai Catherine Nicole Tyree 0 73.82 4 34.53
2. Hester Lucy Deslauriers 0 74.84 4 34.79
3. Mtm Reve du Paradis Tracy Fenney 1 77.41
4. Andretti S Laura Kraut 4 71.73
5. Hyakari Andrew Bourns 4 73.14
6. Cristalline Adrienne Sternlicht 4 73.88
7. Tina la Boheme McLain Ward 4 74.05
8. Coach Elizabeth Madden 4 74.91
9. For Freedom Z Keean White 4 75.35
10. Cedric Cara Raether 4 75.65
11. Crown Georgina Bloomberg 4 75.76
12. Main Road Shane Sweetnam 5 76.960
Results: $35,000 Hermès Sellier Cup
1. Manodie II H Georgina Bloomberg 0 67.311 0 34.800
2. Luibanta BH Amanda Derbyshire 0 62.813 0 36.488
3. Konstanze Alison Robitaille 0 67.239 0 37.158
4. Nektarina B Christine McCrea 0 67.092 0 38.810
5. Z Acodate DDL Hillary Mcnerney 0 66.228 4 34.208
6. Vanilla Beezie Madden 0 64.674 4 35.622
7. Magnus Orfeo Mary Manfredi 0 63.647 4 35.793
8. Stackfleth Pablo Barrios 0 67.893 4 35.807
9. Victer Finn DH Z Eugenio Garza 0 65.907 4 35.933
10. Itile Horta Todd Minikus 0 64.334 4 36.211
11. Calista Georgina Bloomberg 0 64.847 4 37.558
12. Cornwall Shane Sweetnam 0 63.300 7 52.127