Individual jumping finals at the 2024 Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by USHJA, kicked off Saturday morning at Flintfields Horse Park with the children’s and pre-junior jumping sections. Up-and-coming athletes entered the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring one final time to determine individual medal placings.
Children’s Individual Final
One of seven children’s jumpers returning for the individual final on fault-free scores, Agatha Lignelli (New York, N.Y.) and her own 2011 KWPN mare, Girl Scout, kept their perfect score alive in a gold-medal jump-off against Sophia Segesman (Aiken, S.C.).
“I’m feeling very grateful. I’m beyond impressed with my horse,” said 14-year-old Lignelli, who stopped the clock at 26.50 seconds for the victory. “I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Segesman and Quitana 11 (Quick Star x Lucky Lionell), owned by Georgy Sarah Maskrey-Segesman, pulled the final rail of the jump-off from the cups to settle for a silver medal.
Girl Scout (Quasimodo Van De Molendreef x Corland) has been a family horse for the Lignelli’s for the past five years, originally starting with Agatha’s sister Alexa. “My sister had her for about three years and then I started with her in the low childrens,” said Lignelli. “This past WEF season she was out with an injury and has only done two other shows before this.”
It was the ultimate comeback week for Girl Scout and Lignelli, who noted, “My whole barn cherishes her, so we all worked together and spent so much time with the vets to get her back to this level. We knew she wanted to recover and she fought for it.”
Segesman and her 18-year-old Holsteiner mare stopped the clock at 27.44 seconds for the runner-up medal. “For my first time being here, it’s been an amazing experience,” said the 14-year-old. “I was a little nervous, but it’s been amazing”
Taking home bronze was Eva Mackenzie (Darien, Conn.) and her own Debbie Harry. The pair didn’t pull a rail all week, and came home with two time faults in Saturday’s final round. Mackenzie and the 2014 Swedish Warmblood mare returned to the podium after helping their combined Zone 1, 2, and 10 team claim gold in children’s team competition earlier in the week.
“I’m so happy I got to come here with her for my first time,” said Mackenzie, 14, of her mare (Diamantino and Cardento 933). “She’s amazing. I haven’t had much experience on her yet, so I’m really happy that this is our first championship together.”
Pre-Junior Individual Final
JJ Torano (Wellington, Fla.) and Kybalia SMH/SVN took gold in the pre-junior individual final with a significant time lead and zero jumping faults throughout the three-day competition.
“She was my first real jumper horse,” said Torano of the 2015 Dutch Warmblood mare (Baltic VDL x Chin Chin), owned by Jet Show Stables. “I’ve had her for two years now, she started me in low children’s all the way up to this level. She’s been my heart horse ever since I’ve had her. I have another horse that I could have done, but I really wanted to do her here for one of my last big shows with her. I couldn’t have asked for a better horse and a better round today.”
Torano knew there was a need for speed in order to stay on top of Alan Wade’s (IRL) courses throughout the week. “The biggest part was jumping clear, and Alan Wade definitely set a tight time allowed,” said Torano, 14. “You couldn’t take anything for granted out there.”
Clear over fences, Canada’s Isabella Erlick (Burlington, Ontario) took silver with 5.65 penalties carried from the first qualifier aboard her own 2015 Zangersheide gelding, Toucare Kdw Z (Toulon x Caretino).
“It means a lot to be picked to represent my country at such a young age,” said Erlick, 16. “Thank you personally to those who chose me to represent Canada. I’m really grateful to be here.”
Fellow Canadian teammate, Taylor Wood, and her own Sunjoy Z (Spartacus TN), closed out the pre-junior podium with two time faults in Saturday’s final round. Sixteen-year-old Wood also made an appearance on the podium earlier in the week after taking gold with her 2015 Zangersheide gelding as part of Team Canada in the pre-junior team final.
“I think this is such a great experience for young riders like us because it mentally and physically it prepares us for the future of the sport,” said Wood. “It’s such an honor to come here and represent your country and to rely on your team members but also to try to fight for the individual of yourself.”
Individual finals for the 2024 Gotham North/FEI North American Youth American Championships, presented by USHJA, will round out on Sunday with the junior and young rider sections jumping their finals rounds.
For complete results, click here.
Richie Moloney Races to Win $75,000 Traverse City CSI2* Grand Prix
Competition in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring closed out on Saturday, with a field of 36 pairings contending for victory in the $75,000 Traverse City CSI2* Grand Prix. The class was the featured international event during the fifth week at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, which has also been playing host to the 2024 FEI North American Youth Championships. The day heralded an Irish victory as Richie Moloney and Ermes Di Tai navigated their way to the top of the leaderboard.
World-renowned course designer Alan Wade (IRL) designed an intricate first-round track that left all but eight combinations with penalties in the opening phase. Those returning for the short course represented the home nation, as well as Ireland, Spain, Great Britain and Israel. The time-to-beat continuously got quicker as the start list dwindled. The penultimate athlete on course, Moloney and the 10-year-old Selle Français gelding clocked in an unbeatable time of 35.15 seconds.
“I’ve had this horse for just over a year,” Moloney explained about the mount (Canturano x Vittoria Di Tai) he co-owns with Frog Pond Stables. “He was a stallion until the beginning of this year, so he’s just getting going again now.”
While Moloney was immediately drawn to the now-gelding, he says he’s just coming into his own. “He is only now learning how to jump bigger and get quicker in the last few months,” he detailed. “I think today, he was quick back to the double and I took a bit of a chance at the second-to-last fence so it got a little deep, but it probably helped give us more room to the final fence.”
No stranger to the Traverse City Horse Shows’ winners circle, Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) secured yet another top placing for herself and Cornwall BH, the 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding she co-owns with the Gochman Sport Horses, after stopping the timers just over a second slower than Moloney in 36.91 seconds. The top finish also secured her the week’s Turnham Green Leading Lady Rider Award.
The third and final position in the victory gallop featured Francisco Goyoaga Mollet (ESP). Mollet piloted the Ashland Farms’ nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Stakkato Cornet (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato), through another fault-free effort and a time of 37.58 seconds. The pair were also the only other combination to conquer both tracks without penalty.
For complete results, click here.
