Conor Swail and Viva Columbia Capture $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier

North Salem, NY – September 11, 2015 – Sometimes it is good to have friends in the right places, and for Conor Swail, a friendship with Ilan Ferder has resulted in the ride on his now top mount Viva Colombia. The Irish athlete piloted the 10-year-old mare to victory in the $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier CSI4* presented by Windsor Show Stables. The pair bested a 14-horse jump-off, beating second place finisher Ali Wolff on Casall and third place finisher Peter Lutz on Robin de Ponthual by half a second.

Fifty-eight entries tried to qualify for the tiebreaker by clearing Alan Wade’s track on the Grand Prix Field at Old Salem Farm. Out of the first 12 entries, eight were clear, but as the event continued the rails started to fall; only six other riders would advance to the jump-off.

As the second to return, Venezuela’s Andres Rodriquez set the fastest pace of the day with SF Ariantha, owned by Robert and Sofia Castro. They stopped the clock at 42.08 seconds, but they would only finish sixth when they lowered the height of one of the fences for four faults.

Kirsten Coe had the first clear round on Ferder’s California, but she opted to be more conservative, finishing in a time of 46.28 seconds to place fourth. The next athlete in the ring was Swail with Viva Colombia, and he used the mare’s big stride to cover the field and take advantage of the long gallops. They broke the beam at 44.59 seconds to set the winning pace.

„I felt that the course suited my mare because you needed to cover a lot of ground,“ said Swail. „She’s big mover, but she’s not the fastest. She’s a bit slow in the air – a lot of scope. It sort of suited me that I was able to land and run and try to cover as much ground as quickly as possible.“

Two rounds later, Katie Dinan and Amaretto D’Arco, owned by Grant Road Partners, would have the next clear round, but they would also be the slowest of the day for fifth place in 48.50 seconds.

Ali Wolff laid it on the line with Blacklick Bend Farm’s Casall and came very close to catching Swail’s time when she cleared each obstacle with the 10-year-old chestnut gelding. Just a fraction off the pace, they tripped the timers at 45.17 seconds for the second place award.

„I always go in with a mindset of doing my own course and going at my own pace,“ commented Wolff. „In the jump-off I just made sure to go my own speed.“ Wolff laughed adding, „Trying to beat Conor is almost near impossible!“

Wolff continued, „I’ve had Casall for about three years, and we’ve worked slowly up through the ranks. He’s just turned out to be such an amazing horse. I think a lot of it is due to his big heart.“

Peter Lutz stepped on to the field next with Robin de Ponthual, owned by Katherine Gallagher and M. Michael Meller. They were also after the win, but a small slip in one of the rollbacks cost them just a moment on the clock to finish in a clear 45.18 seconds, just 1/100th of a second behind Wolff for third place.

„Robin has a very large stride, and I just took advantage of that,“ noted Lutz. „Unfortunately, he slipped a little. I think I lost a little second there, but then he recovered quickly; I just flew to the end. He was great.

Lutz added, „I felt very confident coming in to this class. I just did the Hampton Classic last week and had the last jump down, but he jumped it easily so it was a great show to be coming from with a similar setting on the grass. I feel really confident with him. We’ve really gotten to know each other lately.“

For Swail, Friday’s victory solidifies a partnership he has been working on for the last six months with Viva Columbia. „Ilan is a good friend of mine, and he gave me the mare with a few weeks left in Florida, so I rode her there for the first time,“ he explained. „We’re kind of finding our feet with each other and building a good relationship. Viva is my top horse at the moment.“

Coe originally rode Viva Columbia, but Swail took over the reins when they found the mare was „more of a man’s ride.“

„You have to sort of be strong at times, and I would say she’s a little heavy and downhill, so you need to have strength,“ continued Swail. „She wants to be really careful, and she has a lot of scope and power. She also has a lot of good quality, which all horses need.“

At the end of the day, two more riders were honored with special presentations. Laura Kraut earned the Horse & Style, Style of Riding Award, while Andres Rodriquez was given the Equis Boutique’s „Best Presented Horse“ honors.

Tickets are now for sale online for the Saturday and Sunday events of the 2015 American Gold Cup. The show will feature a full array of jumper classes, including sections for Children and Adult Jumpers, Low and High Junior/Amateur Jumpers, plus the exciting, big-time Open Jumpers.  Also, the Region 2 ASPCA/NHSAA Maclay Championship will be returning this year on Saturday in the Old Salem Farm indoor arena.

The featured event, the coveted $215,000 Longines FEI World Cup™Jumping New York, will be held Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children over 12 years of age. Tickets for seniors are $15.

Wednesday through Friday the American Gold Cup competition is free to the public.

For tickets to this year’s event, please visit www.theamericangoldcup.com or www.stadiumjumping.com

For further information, visit: www.stadiumjumping.com and www.theamericangoldcup.com

Starting lists und Results »
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About the American Gold Cup
Held over five days, the American Gold Cup brings together a diverse crowd of elite equestrian athletes, discerning horse owners, excited fans and young hopefuls waiting to catch a glimpse of their idols set amongst a fanfare of family-friendly activities, competitions, shopping, entertainment and celebrity sightings.

In addition to the competition ring, the international show jumping event features high-end shopping located along Old Salem Farm’s boutique row. From top-notch equestrian tack and equipment to fashion, jewelry, antiques, art and much more, the scenic outdoor boutiques offer show-goers the perfect opportunity to get some shopping in while taking a break from the competition action.
Old Salem Farm, located an hour north of New York City, boasts a state-of-the-art stabling facility, an historic pristine grass Grand Prix field and outstanding competition and schooling arenas, all of which are surrounded by one of the world’s most charming and picturesque competition venue settings. For the past four years, the North American Riders Group (NARG) has recognized the Old Salem Farm competitions on their NARG Top 25 List. For more information on Old Salem Farm, including its yearlong competition schedule, prize lists, clinics, boarding, lessons and training, visit www.oldsalemfarm.net.
RESULTS: $85,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier  
1.    625     Viva Colombia     Swail, Conor     IRL         28050.00 US      0 penalties 44.59 sec
2.    575     Casall     Wolff, Ali     USA         17000.00 US      0 penalties 45.17 sec
3.    419     Robin de Ponthual     Lutz, Peter     USA         12750.00 US      0 penalties 45.18 sec
4.    628     California     Coe, Kirsten     USA         8500.00 USD      0 penalties 46.28 sec
5.    261     Amaretto D Arco     Dinan, Katherine     USA         5100.00 USD      0 penalties 48.50 sec
6.    727     S F Ariantha     Rodriguez, Andres     VEN         3825.00 USD      4 penalties 42.08 sec
7.    734     Deauville S     Kraut, Laura     USA         2550.00 USD      4 penalties 45.10 sec
8.    699     Vasco     Prudent, Adam     FRA         2125.00 USD      4 penalties 45.67 sec
9.    267     Entre Nous     Tisbo, Lauren     USA         1700.00 USD      4 penalties 46.12 sec
10.    472     Arkos des Rosiers Z     Teran, Roberto     COL         1700.00 USD      4 penalties 46.14 sec
11.    206     Cat Ballou     Ashe-Cawley, Molly     USA         850.00 USD      4 penalties 46.43 sec
12.    225     Binkie     Blake, David     IRL         850.00 USD      4 penalties 48.48 sec

45th Annual American Gold Cup Fast Facts:  
What:
Featuring the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York
When:
Sept. 9-13, 2015
Where:
Old Salem Farm, 190 June Road, North Salem, New York

Highlights:
Thursday, Sept. 10
$35,000 Welcome Class CSI 4* Table A against the clock

Friday, Sept. 11
$85,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York Qualifier Table A with a jump-off
(40 best riders qualify for Sunday’s Grand Prix)

Saturday, Sept. 12
$35,000 Hermès Sellier Speed Derby CSI 4* Article 239 C
$85,000 Fidelity Investments® Classic CSI 4*  Table A with a jump-off
Region 2 ASPCA/NHSAA Maclay Championship

Sunday, Sept. 13
$215,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York

Hours:
Wednesday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday – Friday

Saturday and Sunday Family Entertainment begins at 11 a.m. including pony rides, face painting and shopping on Boutique Row featuring Hermès, Danbury Porsche. Other shops feature custom riding apparel, antiques, jewelry, pet clothing, pet accessories, portrait artists, clothing and home accents.
Tickets:
Weekdays: Admission is free to the public
Saturday and Sunday: Admission is $20 per person, $15 per child 4-12 years and seniors 65+, children 3 and under are free.
Jockey Club VIP Tables:
High-top tables of four or six or tables of eight.
For reservations call
(941) 744-5465 or email info@stadiumjumping.com