Alex Granato returned to a familiar place on Sunday; the winner’s circle of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring at Flintfields Horse Park. Together with Helios vd Nosahoeve, the U.S. rider won the $120,000 The Dexter CSI3* Grand Prix, marking his second international grand prix victory of the summer with the gelding. The accomplishment came during the fourth week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, after the duo won a four-star during the Traverse City Spring Series.
Granato, 41, was last to return in an 8-horse jump-off—the exact same setup for his spring win—and guided his Kisma Equestrian-owned 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood to the fastest time of 40.11 seconds.
Less than a half a second separated the top three over Marina Azevedo’s (BRA) course. Granato and Helios vd Nosahoeve bumped Quentin Judge (USA) from the top spot by less than two tenths of a second. Judge was runner-up aboard HH Griffin van de Heffinck, a 12-year-old SBS mare (Castelino van de Helle x Contact van de Heffinck) owned by Double H Farm, in 40.26 seconds. Rounding out the all-American podium, Nick Dello Joio stopped the clock at 40.50 seconds to take third riding Dylano van de Heide Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Denzel van’t Meulenhof x Feinschnitt I van de Richter) owned by Wembley Farms.
“I was really focused on watching Quentin who had been leading for a few rounds, then Charlotte [Jacobs] went right before me and she [had the time], but unfortunately for her she had a cheap rail and it let me focus on the time which was beatable,” said Granato. “[Helios] did well here in the spring so this time I went home and focused on keeping his fitness up.
“He’s getting more seasoned all the time, but I think when there’s some pressure on, he jumps brighter,” continued Granato of the horses he’s been partnered with for two years. “These last few jump-offs where we’ve gone at the end and there’s quick ones already clear, it has made me dig in and focus on fighting for the win with him. He jumps better and better for it.”
Granato was motivated by Helios’ owners—the Fisher Family, who hail from Kalamazoo, MI—being on the sidelines on Sunday. “They were cheering us on and that added a special bonus for us,” he said.
Speaking to the recent results of Helios vd Nosahoeve, Granato noted, “His education has really geared up in the last nine months and he has become super consistent. I love being here in Michigan; it’s a fabulous ring with great course designers. It’s nice to see him come back here in the same ring after a break and a little different training as a nice gauge for where he’s at in the program right now and his consistency.”
After winning the three-star speed to start the week, Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza finished sixth on In The Air to claim the Turnham Green Leading Lady Rider Award. The honor will be awarded each week throughout GLEF to the female rider who posts the best cumulative results in international classes throughout the week.
Capping the day in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, the $10,000 World Wide Technology 1.10m Non-Pro Team Jumper Challenge welcomed teams of four junior and amateur riders to come together for a nations cup format event.
The winner was the Plain Bay Babes, consisting of Lori Bidwell of Lexington, KY, riding Nim; Dorothy Cox of Athens, TX, aboard Blue Bella; Breeze Kaye of Phoenix, AZ, riding Ferry van den Hoogeweg; and Laurel Walker of Copper Canyon, TX, in the irons of Conajita.
The World Wide Technology 1.10m Non-Pro Team Jumper Challenge will take place every Saturday during the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, culminating in the series final during GLEF VI.
For full results, click here.
