Traverse City, MI – June 5, 2025—The first flag of the season to fly over the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring was for Spain after Francisco Goyoaga Mollet won the $32,000 CSI3* Speed by more than two seconds riding PST de Muze during opening week of the Traverse City Horse Shows.
The Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, continues through June 29 and features three weeks of FEI jumper competition, weekly hunter derbies, including the International Hunter Derby Regional Championships, in addition to the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and the Markel/USHJA Platinum & Zone Jumper Team Championships.
Goyoaga is a regular at Flintfields Horse Park, and Thursday’s win marked the first international victory on the record for PST de Muze, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood owned by Sigma Stables.
“She’s really fast. I don’t normally go that fast with her because she’s a grand prix horse, but I thought I should wake her up a little for this first show,” said Goyoaga, 28, after leading the victory gallop with the Vico d’Arsouilles STX x Clinton mare. “She’s so naturally fast that I can leave out strides everywhere.
“The class got fast, so you had to take a chance at the last fence. If you wanted to do one more stride to be safer, then you were slower,” continued Goyoaga of his flawless execution of an inside turn to the final vertical on course. “It’s more about how smart your horse is and how much risk you can take.”
Pulling off the same inside turn, Daisy Farish (USA) nipped at the heels of PST de Muze aboard Etonemoi del Cabalero but came up short in 64.17 seconds. She and the 11-year-old Selle Français mare (Air Jordan x Le Tot de Semilly), owned by Lanes End Showjumping, settled as the runners up.
Goyoaga bookended the podium by finishing third in the irons of Spanish-bred mare Clic es Patrons, owned in partnership between Acanthaster, S.L. and Tip Top de le Orlem, on a time of 64.47 seconds.
Goyoaga has had the ride on PST de Muze for roughly one year and has quickly developed high hopes for the mare.
“She’s going to be a real five-star grand prix horse,” he said before noting his plans to point her towards the top-sport offerings at Traverse City Horse Shows later this season, including the Major League Show Jumping CSI5*, Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier and American Gold Cup CSI5*. “She’s probably the best horse I’ve ever ridden in my life.”
Aside from a tentative appearance at the European Championships hosted by his home country in July, Goyoaga plans to spend his entire summer season in Michigan. The 28-year-old rider is also holding out hope for an appearance from Spain in the CSIO3* Nations Cup during the fourth week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders. “I’ve been waiting all year for this moment; we love it here. This show is incredible—every year we come back and there’s something new. They welcome the riders like no other place, so I love coming here.”
International competition continues at Flintfields Horse Park on Friday with the $32,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake. To see full results from the $32,000 CSI3* Speed, click here.
Nick Haness Debuts New Horse in Winning Style
Californian Nick Haness collected the first champion tricolor of the 2025 Traverse City Horse Shows on Thursday in an American debut for his mount Styled, owned by junior rider Caroline Freeman of Los Angeles, CA. Haness and Styled topped the GGT Footing 3’ Green Hunter division in the Highstreet Arena to christen hunter action at the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel.
Styled, a coming nine Dutch Capitol gelding, was recently imported from Germany by Haness and his partner Ryan May. The duo quickly made their mark on the hunter ring by scoring a pair of 88s to win back-to-back over fences on opening day of Traverse City Horse Shows on Wednesday. They returned to place second and third, as well as top-five ribbon under saddle to secure the championship honor.
“We knew he was going to be a star,” said Haness of Styled, a horse destined to become the equitation mount of 15-year-old Freeman. “This is our first show together, and this horse is a natural-born champion. We’re so excited about his future; he is a kind, old soul and wise beyond his years. He just knows what he’s doing.”
Freeman is preparing to take over the reins on Styled with high hopes to qualify for her first equation finals season this fall.
“We were looking for a good equitation horse, but he can do anything and we see such a bright future ahead for him. I’m lucky and excited to be part of his life and for him to be in mine,” said Freeman, who plans to make her show-ring debut this weekend in Traverse City. “What’s most special about him is that he is such a kind animal, and he knows his job even though he hasn’t had one for a very long time. He only wants to make you happy and that’s what I love about him.”
Freeman is currently a freshman in high school and attends school remotely through Laurel Springs Academy in Ojai, California.
Haness and his Hunterbrook Farms—based in Temecula, CA—makes an eastward pilgrimage each summer to take advantage of post-card worthy weather and abundant championship qualifying opportunities at Traverse City horse Shows. Additionally, Nick is back in Northern Michigan to defend his win in the 2024 USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Central Spectacular during the second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders in July.
“We’re so excited to be in Traverse City. The horse show is amazing and every year, it gets better and better,” said Haness, who recently became a permanent resident of Traverse City for the summer. “We bought a farm right up the road [from Flintfields Horse Park], and I’m excited to be living so close and having a farm where the horses can be happy and turned out on grass pastures right around the corner from the show. It’s going to be a fun summer and hopefully a great future for us up here in Traverse City.”
Reserve champion honors in the GGT Footing 3’ Green Hunter division were presented to Small Ask and Augusta Iwasaki of Calabasas, CA.
For full results from the GGT Footing 3’ Green Hunter division, click here.
About Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS)
Traverse City Horse Shows (TCHS) is a premier destination for summer equestrian events in North America, hosting 13 weeks of world-class competitions, including 12 weeks of FEI-ranked events. Nestled in the scenic landscape of Williamsburg, Michigan—just 15 minutes from downtown Traverse City—TCHS attracts elite equestrian talent from around the globe to Flintfields Horse Park—a venue that seamlessly blends top-tier sport with the natural beauty and vibrant culture of Northern Michigan.
For more information on the season, visit TraverseCityHorseShows.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
