Rodrigo LAshley Vogel and Lucy in the Sky. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.ambre and Bakogan De St Jean. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.

Inaugural Major League Show Jumping Tour Kicks Off During Week II of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors

Traverse City, Mich. – July 15, 2021 – The second week of the 2021 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by CaptiveOne Advisors, welcomed the inaugural Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ)  Tour to the Flintfields Horsepark venue for two weeks of top-tier competition. The highly anticipated 2021 Major League Show Jumping tour hosted at North America’s premier equestrian venues will feature eight teams of six high performance show jumping athletes from across the globe, and will offer over $6 million dollars in prize money throughout the ten events. In addition to three events hosted in Traverse City, the Major League Show Jumping tour will travel to Canada, Mexico and California at some of the most renowned venues. With Major League Show Jumping making its first stop in Traverse City, the stage is perfectly set for two weeks of action-packed horse sport at one of the nation’s top facilities.

MLSJ $5,000 NetJets 1.40m Two-Phase CSI2*

The first event of the Major League Show Jumping Tour, the $5,000 NetJets 1.40m Two-Phase CSI2*, welcomed 61 combinations to the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring for a power-and-speed class that featured a 14-obstacle course designed by Marina Azevedo (BRA). In Phase 1 of the round, riders were required to pilot their mounts clear over the first nine jumps in order to advance on to an immediate Phase 2, where speed was the name of the game. 

Ashley Vogel took 1st place aboard Lucy in the Sky. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Ashley Vogel took 1st place aboard Lucy in the Sky. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.

While some riders in the first half of the class found it challenging to leave all of the rails up in Phase 1, others took the opportunity to showcase their technical accuracy and care around the arena. First to complete a clear Phase 1 round was Ashley Vogel (USA) aboard her own Bellissimo Z, a 12-year-old Zangersheide mare, finishing Phase 1 in 48.07 seconds but opting to forego the speed portion of the course. When Rodrigo Lambre of Brazil and Bakogan De St Jean, a 10-year-old Selle Francais owned by Mark Onate, entered the ring, the pair carefully navigated through the first phase of the round, then kicked it up a notch for the speed portion as they cleared the final obstacle of Phase 1. Riding the remainder of the track tactfully with footspeed in mind, Lambre and Bakogan De St Jean overtook the lead in the first half of the class, tripping the timers in 29.51 seconds.

Mark Kinsella took 2nd place aboard Viking De Laume. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Mark Kinsella took 2nd place aboard Viking De Laume. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.

Lambre and Bakogan De St Jean held onto their first place position in the large class until Vogel re-entered the arena with her second mount, Lucy in the Sky, at the midway point of the class. Vogel guided her 12-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare through Phase 1 fault-free, picking up the pace in Phase 2 to fly over all of the remaining obstacles in a speedy time of 28.7 seconds, taking over the top position on the leaderboard. Ireland’s Mark Kinsella aboard Viking De Laume, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Alberto Torres, tried his hand at besting Vogel, making it clear around the first phase of the track. Although quick on their feet, Kinsella and Viking De Laume crossed the finish line of the second phase in 29.51 seconds, just a hair too slow to unseat Vogel from the first place position. The pair settled into second place, where they remained at the conclusion of the class.

Rodrigo Lambre and Bakogan De St Jean. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Rodrigo Lambre and Bakogan De St Jean. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.

As other horse-and-rider pairs tried their best to catch Vogel’s fault-free time, it proved to be untouchable as the class drew to a conclusion. Lambre and Bakogan De St Jean held onto their third place position to take home the yellow ribbon in the competitive class. 

MLSJ $3,000 Cabana Coast Medium Tour 1.25m CSI2* 

The next event for MLSJ was the $3,000 Cabana Coast Medium Tour 1.25m CSI2* where athletes showcased their horse’s speed and accuracy. Seven combinations qualified for the jump-off and it was Natalie Pauska and her own Vert De Gris who produced the fastest double clear effort. Pauska bested second place finishers Emily Aitken and Binja by almost a full second when she crossed the finish line in 31.08 seconds, while Aitken cleared the jump-off track in 32.14 seconds. Mexico’s Xaviera Maurer Buch rounded out the top three aboard Mary Giroux Trotti’s Con Rouet with a clear time of 33.44 seconds. 

Natalie Pauska and Vert De Gris. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Natalie Pauska and Vert De Gris. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
MLSJ $2,000 Callidae Small Tour 1.15m CSI2*

The MLSJ $2,000 Callidae Small Tour 1.15m CSI2* closed out Thursday’s MLSJ  competition. The technical track yielded just two clear rounds. Emily Aitken was the first to return with Caretinhus, setting the pace to beat with a clear round in 34.90 seconds. Mexico’s Xaviera Maurer Buch and Antonio Maurer’s Chapella were hot on her heels though, leaving all the rails intact and galloping across the finish line in 34.16 seconds to take home the victory while Aitken placed second. Emily King had the fastest 4 fault effort with her own Cornancer to earn the third place prize. 

Xaviera Maurer Buch and Chapella. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.
Xaviera Maurer Buch and Chapella. Photo courtesy of Andrew Ryback Photography.

The MLSJ Tour will continue during Week II of GLEF Friday with classes including the $72,900 Honor Hill Farm 1.50m CSI5*, $1,000 1.40m Two-Phase CSI5*, $36,000 NetJets Large Tour 1.45m CSI2*, $3,000 Cabana Coast Medium Tour 1.25m CSI2* and the $2,000 Callidae Small Tour 1.15m CSI2*. 

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Ashley Vogel – MLSJ $5,000 NetJets 1.40m Two-Phase CSI2* Winner

On Lucy in the Sky’s performance:
“I’ve had her for about two years now and she’s been absolutely incredible. We’ve built a lot of confidence together so I really trusted her in the speed portion of the power and speed. I took a chance rolling back to the Pine Cone Shavings combination and she jumped beautifully. She definitely really shines in the speed portion of competition. She’s really quick on her feet, she’s really fast and we’ve had lots of great speed results.”

On their partnership:
“She was my first competitive high junior jumper that I got and we didn’t jump as many clear rounds last year as we have this year, so we’ve built a lot of confidence together.I’m really in tune with her. She’s brought me a lot of confidence in the show ring so she’s a really great partner to have.”

On the inaugural Major League Show Jumping week:
“It’s been really exciting. I think the [Major League Show Jumping Tour] is a great addition to show jumping. I can’t wait to watch the CSI5* [competition] later on this week and it adds a lot of great camaraderie.” 

On her goals for the rest of the year:
“I’m competing in the CSI2* [classes] this weekend with Bellissimo Z and I have the speed class tomorrow with Lucy in the Sky, the one I just competed on.I’m really hoping for some good results in that. Both those horses have been super consistent during this last winter season, so I’m hoping for some good results.”

RESULTS

MLSJ $5,000 NetJets 1.40m Two-Phase CSI2*

Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / Faults | Time
1. Lucy in the Sky / Ashley Vogel / USA / Ashley Vogel / 0 | 28.70
2. Viking De Laume / Mark Kinsella / IRL / Alberto Torres / 0 | 29.51
3. Bakogan De St Jean / Rodrigo Lambre / BRA / Mario Onate / 0 | 33.09
4. Milton / James Brennan / IRL / Crooks Show Jumping LLC / 0 | 33.92
5. Stylehaul / Emma Marlowe / USA / Trelawny Farm LLC / 0 | 33.95
6. Cigale De Riverland / Erynn Ballard / CAN / Ilan Ferder / 0 | 34.28
7. Maharees Rock / Gabriela Reutter / CHI / Lumiere Horses INC / 0 | 34.93
8. Siegfried 68 / Lorcan Gallagher / IRL / Izchel Mosley / 0 | 35.2
9. Mascotte VD Withoeve / Kaitlin Campbell / USA / SWS Training & Sales  / 0 | 36.24
10. Haroon / Shawn Casady / USA / Neil Jones / 0 | 36.83
11. Faberlys / Cara Raether Carey / USA / Trelawny Farm LLC / 0 | 36.84
12. Gablitz P / Anna Wilks / GBR / Itasca Group LLC / 0 | 37.53

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