Traverse City, MI – June 19, 2025—The luck of the Irish was on Mark Kinsella’s side Thursday when he and Bogano topped the $32,000 CSI3* Speed by more than a full second during the Traverse City Spring Series at Flintfields Horse Park.
The 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.
Kinsella started his partnership with Bogano in December and spent the winter getting to know the 11-year-old Italian-bred gelding (Ogano Sitte x Voltaire Pref). This week marks their third international outing together, and the pieces all fell into place for their first victory.
Ten horses jumped clear over Anderson Lima’s (BRA) one-round speed track. Kinsella topped the field, stopping the clock at 65.68 seconds, just ahead of Richard Spooner (USA) and Serenity Spring Farm’s Belle Esprit (67.04 seconds)—the same pair that won Sunday’s Traverse City National Grand Prix. Lacey Gilbertson (USA) and Karlin van’t Vennehof, owned by Seabrook, LLC, took third in 68.22 seconds.
“Now we’ve been here for three weeks, he’s really gotten used to the place and I think horses thrive in this ring,” said Kinsella of his time spent at Traverse City Horse Shows. “He was second in a ranking class last week, so to get the win today is just icing on the cake.”
Bogano is the former ride of fellow Irishman Jeremy Sweetnam, who campaigned the mount in Europe. “[Bogano] has great technique and he’s naturally a very fast horse and that’s the ride that he likes,” said Kinsella of what caught his eye about the mount. “Regardless of the format—speed, jump-off—he can do it all. He’s a phenomenal horse and he thrives on being a competitor.”
Kinsella and Bogano will now contest the $117,000 Molon Excavation CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday before he and his wife Sophie soon return to their home base in California to prepare for the arrival of their second child. “We are hoping for a really good finish to our trip to Traverse City,” he concluded.
International competition at Flintfields Horse Park continues on Friday in the $32,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake. To see complete results from the $32,000 CSi3* Speed, click here.
Zone 5 Returns to Familiar Territory in Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships
The Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships for Zones 1, 2, 5, and 6 highlight the third week of the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel. After qualifying competitions opened at 1.30m-1.35m and 1.40m-1.45m heights on Wednesday, riders were challenged across a speed course designed by international course builder Anderson Lima (BRA) on Thursday to determine overall team placings.
Part of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Program, the Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships are open to professionals, juniors and amateurs alike. The format includes both team and individual competition and an opportunity to qualify for continued education with top national and international industry experts. Held regionally throughout the country, the championships once again call Flintfields Horse Park home this year.
Carrying forward a single rail from the opening round, Zone 5—led by chef d’équipe Lindsay Yinger—returned to the highest point on the podium for the second consecutive year. The winning team was composed of returning member Izzy Beisel of Goshen, OH, and newcomers Stephen Foran of Morton Grove IL; Molly Kindness of Goshen, OH; and Christopher Schenk of Whitmore Lake, MI.
Beisel, 18, rode Diaz Barbotiere to the team’s only double-clear performance.
“These are all my friends; we show together all the time and it was fun to all be thrown on a team together and get to show everyone what we got,” said Beisel, who will also compete in the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) at Flintfields Horse Park later in the summer. “I think it’s great to do something smaller than NAYC to practice putting in clear effort after clear effort. It’s a great warm up.”
Schenk also jumped to a zero fault tally on Thursday in the irons of Dominant Z. Both Foran aboard Idool and Kindness riding Cucaracha posted scores of eight, but after the drop score was removed the team finished on a total of 12 faults over the two-day competition.
Adding to how the team came together, Foran noted, “We got lucky that we’ve all been in the same show circuit [in Ohio], but it was really exciting to show against some really good riders; there some international riders, so to have a hometown team do so well was really fun.”
Riding for both themselves and their teams this week, riders are experiencing added pressure, conditioning them for possible future senior team and nations cup appearances.
“It’s a great opportunity, not only for young riders but for the three of us who are professionals, to bring our young horses and ride the international tracks in a team format. I think that’s a really great opportunity” added Kindness.
Schenk, who posted the drop score on Wednesday rallied on Thursday, saying, “I didn’t have the best week, but it’s great to still be able to win and ride with these people and cheer them on where you’re usually riding against them. I really enjoy the team format. It was fun to get out here and show in a different way than we normally do.”
Zone 5 swept the top two podium positions. The runner-up squad with the silver medal included Estella Bonanni on Lilly Pezy, Teddi Pritzker riding Ditarca OH Z (1.40m), Alexandra Snow with Mr. Pleasure VHL and Maelyn Taule aboard Haufom.
Nipping at the heels of Zone 5 was Zone 2 in the bronze medal position. Caitlyn Connors aboard Macho at 1.30m and Midnight Spiros at 1.40m, Jonathan Corrigan on Ritual Vitseroel (1.40m) and Winter Tietjen riding Giardo posted a team total of 26.
Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships athletes will have the opportunity to vie for individual medals on Saturday, while 1.10m and 1.20m riders jumper for team medals on Friday.
For complete results from the Thursday team finals, click here. To learn more about the Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships, 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.
