Pressrelease Phelps Media Group – Traverse City, Mich. – Aug. 27, 2016 – The Grand Prix Ring at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) took a break from the week’s FEI competition on Saturday and highlighted the $5,000 1.40m Open Jumpers and the $1,500 YJC 7-Year-Old Qualifier at the Flintfields Horse Park. Father/son duo Wilhelm and Theo Genn came out and took the top prize in both of the day’s feature jumper classes.
Thirteen exhibitors turned out for the $5,000 1.40m Open Jumper competition, where five jumped clear around the Leopoldo Palacios-designed first round course to advance to the immediate jump-off round. The top three finishers were the only horse and rider combinations to produce double-clear efforts, and three of the top four spots were filled by Genns in the final standings.
“I love the way Leopoldo builds,” said Wilhelm. “I thought the course today was great. He makes you be sharp and he makes you ride sporty. If you add somewhere or you go a little wide, you’re going to have to make up for it somewhere else. It really teaches the riders that are a little inexperienced to step it up and be more sporty and it teaches the horses the same thing. For us older guys, it forces us not to slack off out there and to stay sharp. It’s great, I love his courses.”
Darragh Kerins and Silteplait De Circee, owned by Remarkable Farms LP, were the first to make it to the short course as second in the order of go, however a collection of 4 faults in the jump-off in 42.916 seconds left the door open for a double-clear round to snatch the lead away from Kerins.
Theo did just that in the next round with Eduardo Leon’s Dirocco Blue. They finished double-clear and tripped the timers in 38.708 seconds to takeover the first place spot on the leaderboard.
The next to jump clear around the first round course and progress to the jump-off was Eugenio Garza six rounds later aboard El Milagro’s Lawfull Z. The pair performed faultlessly over the speed track and crossed the finish line in 41.360 seconds to position himself behind Theo in the standings.
Wilhelm and Taylor Reid’s Dieta entered the ring one trip later and laid down a speedy double-clear round to steal the first place ranking from Theo in 35.120 seconds.
“With Dieta, I’m working on consistency and making her comfortable,” said Wilhelm. “She’s very careful. She tries very hard. She gives you 100 percent all of the time. I really appreciate that. I would probably have her in the grand prix events by now if it weren’t for me being hurt all year. I just started showing again two weeks ago. So now I’m working on getting her ready for the grand prix level. Hopefully I can find one or two that I know are going to be a little easier for her to step up to, but my plan is next year, she’ll do all of the grand prix events. I think she will win two or three next year because she covers a lot of ground, she can go fast and is very careful. I really have fun with her; she’s great.”
Ryan Genn attempted to best his father’s time as next in the order. He piloted Aramon, owned by Wilhelm and Mark Atkins, to the fastest 4-fault finish of the jump-off in 37.013 seconds.
At the end of the day, it was Wilhelm who took the blue ribbon, while Theo finished second and Garza claimed the third place honors.
Prior to the 1.40m class was the $1,500 YJC 7-Year-Old Qualifier, which saw eight horses and riders vying for the blue ribbon and three jump clear to advance to the short course.
Theo and Eduardo Leon’s Enigma walked away with the win in a fault-free performance around both of Palacios’ courses in 36.635 seconds. Sarah Segal and Robert Segal’s Performance EP finished with the second place, also double-clear, in 39.193 seconds. David Jennings and Golden Warrior, owned by Magnolia Properties LLC, rounded out the top three with 13 faults in the jump-off in 58.005 seconds.
The final week of Series Two at GLEF will continue to welcome riders and thrill spectators through Aug. 28. Week Seven culminates in the $100,000 Grand Traverse Grand Prix CSI3* on Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Flintfields Horse Park.
After Saturday’s win, Wilhelm is looking forward to competing in Sunday’s grand prix with Bugatti, owned by Eduardo Leon, and continuing his winning streak through the final day of the GLEF summer circuit.
“He’s ready,” said Wilhelm. “He’s jumped six FEI classes so far and jumped five clean. In two, he had 1 time fault. He’s not naturally as fast as Dieta so I have to watch the time a little bit. I just hacked him and he felt great so there’s nothing else to do for tomorrow besides just getting in a good warm-up and hopefully we’ll be a little lucky.”
Results: $5,000 1.40m Open Jumpers
1 240 DIETA WILHELM GENN 0 0.000 0 35.120
2 236 DIROCCO BLUE THEO GENN 0 0.000 0 38.708
3 174 LAWFULL Z EUGENIO GARZA 0 0.000 0 41.360
4 227 ARAMON RYAN MICHAEL 0 0.000 4 37.013
5 417 SILTEPLAIT DE CIRCEE DARRAGH KERINS 0 0.000 4 42.916
6 418 REBECA LS DARRAGH KERINS 2 70.571
7 450 ROC MY WORLD KYLE PERKOVICH 4 59.468
8 357 CANTARA 59 SARAH SEGAL 4 65.886
9 298 DEAVANTUS DAVID BLAKE 4 66.213
10 235 VAN GOGH THEO GENN 4 68.346
11 427 MACH 5 DANA WILLE 8 61.235
12 223 WELCOME COR RYAN MICHAEL GENN 8 63.446
13 358 CYMO BRIAN SHOOK 8 68.006
Results: $1,500 YJC 7-Year-Old Qualifier
1 229 ENIGMA THEO GENN 0 0.000 0 36.635
2 444 PERFORMANCE EP SARAH SEGAL 0 0.000 0 39.193
3 307 GOLDEN WARRIOR DAVID JENNINGS 0 0.000 13 58.005
4 158 CLASSIC ROC NICK NOVAK 2 70.531
5 241 COLORA THEO GENN 3 71.418
6 447 FIVE STAR DAVID BEISEL 4 62.178
7 253 MARCHELLO Z ADAM PRUDENT 4 68.230
8 348 EOS M DAVID BEISEL 8 68.236
Keara Obrzut and Cake capture the Large Junior Hunter Championship at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival.
Keara Obrzut and Cake closed out the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) with the Large 15 & Under Junior Hunter Championship on Saturday. The pair, who has been working on consistency, laid down solid rounds over the two days of competition to successfully score the capstone of their junior career, a championship win that meant the world to the 15-year-old.
“This is the first time this year that I have won the championship,” Obrzut described. “We were able to put in solid and consistent trips this week, and I was really happy with it. Melissa Hirt helped me this weekend, and I am very grateful for how she pushed me. She taught me to go forward, keep pushing and try harder.”
Obrzut was all smiles as she and her 6-year-old grey Holsteiner gelding Cake walked into the ring to accept the championship. They captured the tricolor with the first and third place finishes Saturday, and overtook the lead when combined with the first and second place ribbons they earned Friday. The pair went a step further in the 15-17 Equitation, laying down back-to-back blue ribbon rides to secure the division championship.
“I feel like things are finally coming together with Cake,” Obrzut said. “He is my all-in-one horse. We did not mean for him to be like that, he was meant to be my junior hunter, but we started to put him in the jumper and equitation classes, and he has done it all for me. He is an amazing horse, and is mature well beyond his years.”
Paige Matthies and Justified, owned by Dudley Smith, were awarded the Large Junior Hunter Reserve Championship for Week Seven, and they capped off they second series of GLEF with the Large Junior Hunter Circuit Championship.
Matthies and Justified, or Rio as he is more affectionately known, are no strangers to the winner’s circle. The pair captured the GLEF Series One Large Junior Hunter Championship, and are also currently ranked number one in the nation for the Large 15 and Under Junior Hunters.
“After the first week, I was feeling really confident about the circuit championship because we were champion and won the classic,” Matthies explained. “The second week, he also was awarded the championship, and he felt amazing. I knew that this week, if I could get some good points, we had a shot at it. He is just an amazing horse. He is so much fun and I am just so grateful.
“Right now, we are number one in the Large 15 & Under Hunters. I never thought that I would be there because there are so many other wonderful horse and rider combinations. I didn’t think that we would have enough points. I didn’t expect it, but I am very happy,” Matthies exclaimed.
Rio is owned by Matthies’ grandfather, Dudley Smith, who also owns Rufus (Icaris Vede), Matthies equitation horse. Smith was onsite at the Flintfields Horse Park to watch Matthies show – a happy occasion for Matthies.
“It was nice to have him come and watch him go,” Matthies acknowledged. “I am so grateful to my grandparents that I get to ride these two amazing horses. My mom and dad also do so much for me as well as Cody [Weverstad] and Melissa [Hirt].”
Matthies made the recent decision to show Rufus in the hunter divisions as well as the equitation. The 8-year-old chestnut surprised everyone when he came out at the top of the divisions as well as capturing second place during the Week Six Glory Days Farm, LLC $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The happy surprise continued when Rufus was announced as the Large Junior Hunter Reserve Circuit Champion.
“Last week, Rufus was jumping really cute, and he won a couple of classes,” Matthies explained. “I am really proud of him because he is jumping amazing. He was injured last year, and he has come back better than ever.”
Series Two concludes Sunday, Aug. 28, after featuring three weeks of hunter and jumper competition with a FEI CSI2* rating Week Five and Six and a FEI CSI3* rating during Week Seven. The series culminates with the highlight event, the $100,000 Grand Traverse Grand Prix CSI3*, on Sunday, Aug. 28.
For more information or to view schedules, please visit www.greatlakesequestrianfestival.com.
To view the competition schedule, please click here.
Source: Presserelease Phelps Media