The first international competition of the 2024 Silver Oak Jumper Tournament took center stage in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring on Thursday. The event marked the kickoff of a highly anticipated three weeks at the 2024 Tournament of Champions in Traverse City. Well-rested after several weeks off and ready to challenge, the week’s first FEI win went to Charlotte Jacobs (USA) aboard Rincoola Milsean in the $32,000 Stud Tree CSI3* Two-Phase.
Jacobs was one of 38 athletes to contest Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) single-round track, and brought forward two mounts for the challenge. Seven nations were represented in the field, and the time-to-beat got more and more competitive as the class progressed. Jacobs used Rincoola Milsean’s natural and dependable foot speed to take top call. She and North Star’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Aldatus Z x Cruising) crossed the timers more than two seconds faster than the closest competitor in 32.15 seconds.
“I thought it was a really great class for him,” enthused Jacobs. “I love the two-phase classes because you don’t have to go fast all the way around, just the second half. He is so naturally quick that I knew if I did the inside turns and stayed on it with him, he would have a good chance of winning.”
For Jacobs, the win is one of several the young rider has incurred during her time in Traverse City, and an exciting start to the series as she aims at the American Gold Cup CSI5* during the final week of the Tournament of Champions. With her partner—fondly nicknamed Roy—Jacobs says their morning routine often dictates how he will perform in the day’s class.
“The morning of the show, my husband takes him out on the lunge line to do whatever he wants, and he almost always rolls in the sand,” she laughed. “We know if Roy is relaxed, he will roll during his lunge, and then he’s good to go. This morning he lunged, he rolled and then he won the class.”
Jacobs’ fellow American competitor, Alex Granato, sailed into second place with his own 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, Cupcake (Balou x Solos Landtinus), with a clear round and a clock-stopping effort in 34.85 seconds. Producing a clean sweep for team USA, Margie Goldstein-Engle rounded out the top three after landing fault-free in a time of 35.19 seconds aboard JackofHearts (Heartbeat x Baloubet du Rouet), the Gladewinds Partners, LLC’s 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding.
International competition will resume on Friday, featuring the $32,000 GGT Footing CSI3* Welcome. For full results, click here. Flintfields Horse Park is excited to host the Tournament of Champions from September 4 to September 22, featuring world-class show jumping as the pinnacle of the 2024 season in Northern Michigan. The centerpiece of the three-week series is the $340,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ of Traverse City on September 15. This premier event will attract the attention of the global equestrian community, including top riders and Olympians fresh from their performances in Paris.
Taylor Flurry and HFF Carryover Z Claim USHJA Four-Year-Old Final
The future of U.S. show jumping was shining bright on Thursday as the first tri-color of the 2024 USHJA Young Jumper Championships was awarded at Flintfields Horse Park. Young horses ranging from four to eight years old have gathered from across the nation to showcase their talents during opening week of the Traverse City Tournament of Champions.
Beginning with the youngest division, HFF Carryover Z, owned by High Finance Farm and ridden by Taylor Flurry (USA), were named the winners of the Four-Year-Old Final. Competing over a single course set at a 1.0m height, designed by Guilherme Jorge (BRA), the pair laid down a fast and clear round to earn themselves the blue.
“She really wants it,” said Flurry of the Warmblood mare by Carthago Z. “She’s athletic, she’s got a great brain and we’ve been developing her for this class.”
Picked from a frozen embryo, Flurry believes it was partially a game of luck to have a mare like this one. “The family that owns her asked me to find them some foal or embryo options and I presented her to them as a frozen embryo,” said Flurry. “She’s by Carthago, and Carthago babies are known for having good brains and being level headed. She’s been a good girl from the start, but you always need luck on your side.”
No stranger to developing young equine talent, Flurry stresses the importance of developing the basics. “Over the years, I’ve realized just how important it is to emphasize the points of going forward, straightness and confidently developing the basics,” explained Flurry. “I don’t want to over face her. I’m not looking for anything extreme, just the basics to set the foundation.”
It was clear that the four-year-old mare felt confident in the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino International Ring as the pair jumped clear on the fastest time in both Thursday’s final and Wednesday’s qualifier.
Flurry and HFF Carryover Z were the only clear pair to cross the finish line in under 80 seconds, at 79.385 seconds. Flurry took over the entire podium, earning second place with HFF Trademark, sired by Tobago Z and owned by High Finance Farm, and third with Caliente De La Vie Z, sired by Cumano and owned by Aliboo Farm Inc.
“It was so nice to have the warmup and it’s nice to be able to show at a place like this in this ring; this atmosphere is what they’re gonna see later on in life,” said Flurry of the championship that’s now call Traverse City Horse Shows home.
Thursday’s Young Jumper action continued with the second round of qualifiers for the North Star Five Year Olds, the CWD Six Year Olds, and the North Star Seven Year Olds.
Kelly Soleau-Millar (USA) and Bit O’Luck, owned by Bridge Brook Farms, posted the fastest qualifier time for five year olds. The CWD Six-Year-Old Qualifier win was claimed by Victoria Birdsall (USA) and her own Noa Cerise-Linn, sired by Eldorado van de Zeshoek. The North Star Seven-Year-Old blue ribbon went to Kady Abrahamson (USA) and Martini VDL, sired by Harley VDL and owned by Abrahamson Equestrian LLC. Victoria Birdsall also took the win in the Eight-Year-Old Qualifier, this time atop Las Lajas, owned by Abigail Wexner and sired by Glenfiddich VDL.
The 2024 USHJA Young Jumper Championships will conclude on Saturday with finals for the five, six, seven and eight-year-old divisions.
For Thursday’s results, click here.
