International competition during the fourth week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, commenced on Thursday afternoon in the $32,000 CSI3* Speed Classic. GLEF IV represents the fourth in six consecutive weeks of FEI competition during the summer series at Flintfields Horse Park. After forty horse-and-rider combinations took to the track, Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza and the appropriately-named In the Air claimed top call.
Course designer Marina Azevedo (BRA) built for a field that included seasoned veterans, including Show Jumping Hall of Fame rider Margie Engle (USA) and 15-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final contender Richard Spooner, as well as rising stars like two-time FEI North American Youth Championships individual gold medalist Zayna Rizvi.
Twelve pairings found their way fault-free over the one-round speed test. The longtime lead of the class went to Nikolaj Hein Ruus (DEN) who sat in the top position until Mendoza made her bid. Mendoza, 28, shaved two seconds from Hein Ruus’ previous leading time of 67.69 seconds to land clear over the fences and fast on the clock in 65.58 seconds.
“She is an absolute freak,” Mendoza laughed of her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Air Jordan x Indoctro). “She is so careful and all she wants to do is have clear rounds, so it really is a pleasure to ride her. Today, she was pretty fast all the way around, and there was an inside turn we took to the second to last fence that I think made the difference.”
Mendoza fondly nicknamed the mare a ‘mom’s club horse’, after a group of her client’s mothers invested together to make the partnership possible. Shortly before the 2024 winter season, Mendoza quickly discovered the mare’s special qualities and quickly made big plans for her long-term career.
“I think she will do five-star grand prix and everything,” she admitted. “I’m taking it step by step because she is so careful and sharp that I want to make sure I’m producing her right, even though she’s eleven-years-old. Everything I ask her to do she does with ease.”
Hein Ruus ultimately settled for the second-place position with Naranjo, a 17-year-old Selle Français gelding (Robin Z x Quappa) owned by Francisco Pasquel. Rizvi, 18, earned a spot for the USA in the victory gallop as she navigated a clear time of 68.12 seconds in the irons of Oryzon van het Schaeck, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Zirocco Blue x Vagabond de la Pomme) owned by Flying Z LLC.
Three-star competition will resume on Friday as the action ramps up in the $32,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring.
For full results, click here.
Charlotte Jacobs Pilots Miro NS to Win in USHJA 7-Year-Old Young Jumper, sponsored by North Star
The future was looking bright on Thursday morning as the UHSJA 7-Year-Old Young Jumpers, sponsored by North Star, opened the day in the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino International Ring. Ten future stars competed under the rising sun across an immediate jump-off course designed by Marina Azevedo (BRA). Charlotte Jacobs (USA) and youngster, Miro NS, owned by North Star, were the only pair to cross the finish line in under 38 seconds, taking the win in a swift 37.813 seconds.
Bred by the Jacobs family, the Dutch Warmblood gelding’s success has been extra special. “We’ve had him since he was a foal and he’s become an absolutely perfect horse for me,” said Jacobs. “He’s a very bloody horse and I really enjoy the ride.”
No stranger to competing in young horse classes, Jacobs has brought up several young horses through the ranks, currently competing in the five, six, and seven-year-old classes throughout the U.S. “He jumped frequently with us in Florida this winter and ended up having success in the 7-year-old final there, and we are aiming him towards the young horse final [during opening week of the Traverse City Horse Shows Tournament of Champions] here in the fall,” continued Jacobs.
“After the winter season, he came home and spent about a month and a half in the paddock,” said Jacobs of the gelding Comme Il Faut 5 out of a Contendro I mare. “Patience is extremely important when it comes to these young ones. It’s so important for them to have time outside with themselves and with other horses and be able to be horses.
“The course designers here are also really great at building for the seven-year-olds, testing them while also having it be comfortable enough. They’ve done a great job across the last four weeks,” concluded Jacobs, who gained invaluable experience developing young horses while training in Ireland under the direction of Irish Olympian Gregory Broderick at his Ballypatrick yard.
Jacobs bested the early class leader, Beezie Madden (USA) and Micky-Cara (A Golden Boy Hero Z x Denzel Van Het Meulenhof), owned by John Madden Sales Inc, who finished second in 38.048 seconds. Closing out the podium was USA’s Cathleen Driscoll and Hortensio (Balko D’Elle), owned by the Why Worry Group, in a time of 38.510 seconds.
For full results, click here.
