The first week of the 2024 Traverse City Tournament of Champions, featuring the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament, is one Charlotte Jacobs (USA) will not soon forget. Jacobs, aboard Rincoola Milsean, scored a hat trick by winning all three international events throughout the week, capped with a climb to the top of the podium in the $120,000 Agero CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday at Flintfields Horse Park.
Winning was all Jacobs, 29, knew how to do during opening week of the Tournament of Champions. After topping the $32,000 Stud Tree CSI3* Two-Phase on Thursday afternoon, Jacobs and North Star Sport Horses’ 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (Aldatus Z x Cruising) claimed Friday’s $32,000 GGT Footing CSI3* Welcome Stake. After a day of rest, Jacobs’ mount—fondly known as “Roy” around the barn—came back out in winning from over one final Guilherme Jorge (BRA) designed track in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring.
“This week was absolutely incredible,” gushed Jacobs. “This grand prix has been a big goal of mine and after having already had such a great week I went in thinking ‘if I win that’s great but if I just get a good placing and a good round I’m still happy’. Then to have won, I was just like ‘wow, is this week even real’.
“Every day I come out on him, I know that if I don’t screw it up I can win,” Jacobs continued. “He’s a spectacular horse and he’s the type that gets better the more you jump him, so I actually think his jump-off today was his best round all week.”
Jorge built a long and technical track for his final track of the week, which saw a field of 33 international athletes. The first-round time allowed proved to be an issue for only one challenger, but another handful of riders suffered from one downed rail and were unable to advance. Ultimately, nine horse-and-rider pairings produced a fault-free effort and moved forward, including speed specialists such as Kent Farrington (USA), Hunter Holloway (USA), and Francisco Goyoaga Mollet (ESP). Jacobs and Roy once again proved that their foot speed is invaluable as they raced to the top of the leaderboard in a blazing 35.31 seconds to effectively shut the door on the remaining competitors.
“In the jump-off, I walked eight strides from fence one to two and it was very forward for me because I have a smaller strided horse,” she explained of her plan. “The part that I really wanted to be aware of was the turn from jump three back to the double because a lot of people were making mistakes there. I’m really lucky that I have a clever horse, so I was able to gallop him up there and sit him up and he tried his heart out to get out. I knew Kent and a lot of other fast riders were coming behind me, so I wanted to set the standard and I’m happy it worked out for me today.”
Brooke Kemper (USA) aboard Seaview Demonstration (FSS Correlli Bravo), a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by CM Sporthorses, LLC, produced the best time before Jacobs, landing across the timers in 37.89 seconds for second place. Always fast over the short course, Goyoaga Mollet took home the third-place ribbon with a slightly less efficient time of 39.01 seconds riding Stakato Cornet (Cornet Obolensky x Stakkato), an Ashland Farms-owned nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding.
In light of her incredible week, Jacobs was also the recipient of the Yorkfield Stables Leading Lady Rider Award, while Goyoaga Mollet accepted the Yorkfield Stables Leading Male Rider honors. Jacobs’ groom and Roy’s designated best friend, Paulo Moreira, also received the Winning Groom Award for his efforts that contributed to the pair’s success.
In the spirit of the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament, several other significant awards were presented throughout the weekend, including the Kindness Movement Sportsmanship Award to local favorite Jacob Pope, and the M. Michael Meller Style of Riding Award to Belgium’s Filip de Wandel.
To cap the afternoon, the Tournament of Champions Week I charity ticket partner, The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City, was presented with $3,195 from ticket-sale proceeds as part of Traverse City Horse Shows Charity Ticket Program.
For full results from today’s grand prix, please click here.
Ahead of the day’s highlight event, 14 top junior and amateur athletes competed for the leading honors in the $7,500 Gajoch Family SJHOF Junior-Amateur Jumper Classic. As the only two riders to achieve a double-clear effort, Isabelle Ehman of Milton, Georgia and Emma Catherine Reichow of Brentwood, TN, achieved the near-impossible feat of tying for the top position. Both athletes, with Magnolia and Cicenta Z, respectively, delivered a fault-free jump-off round and stopped the clock in 35.100 seconds. With the split-classic win added to her belt, Reichow and Riffle Hitch LLC’s nine-year-old Zangersheide mare (Cicero Z van Paemel x Dobel’s Cento) took home the tricolor finish in the division.
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.
A Blue Sunday for Blue Monday and Hillary Johnson in the USHJA National Hunter Derby
Hunter competitors returned for the first week of the Tournament of Champions at Flintfields Horse Park for their weekly feature class, the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. Held in a Hunt-and-Go format, riders had one chance to claim the prize, with one course containing both the classic and handy phases.
Holding the top scores over both phases was Hillary Johnson of Lowell, MI, and Blue Monday, owned by Stephanie Battershall. The pair held the score to beat earlier in the class, earning an 89 in the classic phase and a 90 in the handy phase for a winning total of 179.
Living a casual lifestyle, the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, has become a master of the hunter derby. “We’ve had him in the barn now for a couple of years,” said Johnson. “He is owned by an adult that doesn’t show him so he spends his week doing lessons with her every afternoon and then we pull him out on Sundays for the derbies to keep him showing and keep him having some fun. He loves it.
“He walks in the show ring and thinks it’s fun. He is very brave, quite handy, and he’s got a great jump. I could just always count on him to walk in there.”
For the win, Blue Monday was presented with the Platinum Performance Horse of the Week Award.
Following on the podium was junior rider from Wellington, FL, Olivia Sweetnam and Ustica, owned by Sweet Oak Farm. The pair followed just a half point behind, earning an 88 in the classic phase and a 90.5 in the handy for a 178.5 total. Closing out the podium was Natalie Jayne, of Elgin, IL, and Starstruck, owned by Ashleen Lee, finishing on a 178 after earning a 90 in the classic phase and an 88 in the handy.
As for Blue Monday’s future fall season, Johnson will plan on pulling him out for his regular Sunday best over the next few weeks at the Traverse City Tournament of Champions.
For the full results, click here.
