Highlights from the 40th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show
RELEASE: June 30, 2009
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Marty Bauman
Brianne Goutal, 20, of New York, NY, became the youngest rider to win the $75,000 RV Sales of Broward Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI** for the Whitney Perpetual Challenge Trophy when she rode Ralvesther to victory on the closing day of the 40th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show.
With riders from six countries among the starting field of 28, only five entries were able to reach a tiebreaking jump-off by riding without penalty over the 17-jump first-round course designed by 2008 Olympic course designer Steve Stephens. They then returned for the eight-jump tiebreaker course at the North Elba Showgrounds.
After Candice King of Wellington, FL, scored four faults in 49.10 seconds on Toronto, Christine McCrea of East Windsor, CT, set the mark to beat with a fault-free ride in 42.72 seconds on Romantovich Take One, the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood on whom she won Friday's $30,000 Intercat Open Jumper Classic CSI**.
Next up was Lou Jacobs, 45, of East Aurora, NY, who rode Kachina to a four-fault ride in 42.99 seconds. Callan Solem of Colt's Neck, NJ, followed with a four-fault ride in 45.91 seconds on Allison, leaving it to Goutal, a Brown University sophomore, to try to beat McCrea.
Goutal, who was born three years after Jacobs won the class in 1986 on Janus De Ver, blazed over the course on her 11-year-old Dutch-bred mare, finishing in 40.70 seconds, more than two seconds faster than McCrea, to clinch her fourth career grand prix win.
"I watched Christine go, and I knew that there was no way I could make the inside turn she did, so I just went as fast as I could," said Goutal, who won double-Gold medals at age 16 at the 2005 North American Young Riders Championships and swept every national equitation championship for junior riders (up to age 18). "I have a great horse, and it's really helpful to know that when I enter the ring that she's always trying as hard as I am.
"I really have to thank my trainer, Max Amaya, as well as my sponsors, Devacoux, Back On Track, Sea Shore Acres, Myrestol and Rohan Oil," she added. "They deserve as much credit for the win as I do."
McCrea, with the only other fault-free ride in the jump-off, took second place, followed by Jacobs with the fastest four-fault ride, then Solem and King.
Prior to the grand prix on the closing day of the Lake Placid Horse Show, Jacqueline Lubrano rode El Regreso Conga to victory in the $10,000 Pepsi Bottling Group High Junior Jumper Classic, and Brian Sweeney rode Cindy 247 to the win in the $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Both classics are member events of the Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, which features year-end championship finals at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 126th National Horse Show in Syracuse, NY, in October.
Following the two classics, riders under the age of seven had their moment in the Richard M. Feldman Grandprix Field during the Juliam Farm Lead Line Class, which was followed by the C.M. Hadfield's Saddlery Parade of Champions. Brianne Link on Tallyman won the Storm Ridge Capital, LLC, NAL Pony Jumper Classic; Lisa Zimmer and Kaniny-H won the Price Chopper NAL Children's Jumper Classic (age 14 and under); and Olivia Dorey and Gaillard won the Price Chopper NAL Children's Jumper Classic (age 15-17), culminating The Hooker Family Children's Jumper Division. Closing day also featured Sand Castle Farm Short Stirrup Classes.
Other competition highlights from the 40th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show included:
Wednesday, June 24Sydney Olympic veteran Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, rode Hidden Creek's Coraya Z to victory in the $7,500 Whiteface Mountain 1.45m jump-off Wednesday at the 40th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show.
Engle rode her mount to the only double-clear (fault-free) performance of the day over the course designed by Steve Stephens, course des