Molly Ashe Cawley and longtime partner, Berdien, added another international victory to their long list of accomplishments together during the second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, at Traverse City Horse Shows. The U.S. rider and 13-year old Zangersheide mare owned by Louisburg Farm led the way in a victory gallop after the $120,000 B&D Builders CIS3* Grand Prix took center stage at Flintfields Horse Park on Sunday.
Cawley and Berdien (Bustique x Querlybet Hero) have a storied history that includes wins up to the five-star level. “Our partnership started when she was seven, and she gives it her whole heart every time,” said Cawley. “She’s such a good turner, so when she whipped back on those big verticals today, I thought I would probably make up what I needed to make up.
“She’s on the latter side of her competitive career,” said Cawley of Berdien. “I’d say this was a big class for her but she always rises. The rest of my string are young ones coming, so hopefully next year we’ll have more of them stepping up into these classes.”
From a field of 30 horses tackling tracks designed by Mauricio Garcia (PUR), only five advanced to the tie-breaking jump-off. The short course proved an even bigger test and offered a head-to-head battle to the crowd that gathered on the banks of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring; Cawley and runner-up Zazou Hoffman (USA) were the only two athletes to produce a double-clear effort.
Cawley and Berdien stopped the clock at 36.75 seconds, while Hoffman broked the timer beam in 37.64 seconds riding 13-year-old Selle Français mare, Bloom du Plessis, owned by The Bloom Group. Eighteen-year-old Zayna Rizvi (USA), piloted 14-year-old SBS mare, Exquise du Pachis, to the fastest time of the day, but pulled one rail to finish on four faults in third for owner Optimus Agro.
Cawley noted that spending her summers in Traverse City is an easy choice, but one she had to skip during the 2023 season due to her undergoing back surgery. “There’s so many improvements since I was here last; the stabling is amazing, the town is a lot of fun and the show is great for the horses and riders.”
Before Cawley celebrated a grand prix blue, her 16-year-old daughter Taylor won two junior jumper classics earlier in the day in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, making the afternoon a winning one for the whole family.
“I can retire soon thanks to her,” joked Molly with a proud-mom smile. “She’s such a brilliant rider, and it’s fun to be a part of it and watch her grow and succeed in the sport.”
To cap the afternoon, the GLEF II charity ticket partner, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – Grand Traverse Region, was presented with $3,506 from ticket-sale proceeds as part of Traverse City Horse Shows Charity Ticket Program.
International show jumping competition returns to the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring during the third week of GLEF, presented by B&D Builders, on Wednesday with another week of three-star action.
For complete results, click here.
Jacob Pope and Your Welcome BC Win $25,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby
The second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, closed out a busy week of competition in the Main Hunter Ring on Sunday. The $25,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by the Gajoch Family, highlighted World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week at Flintfields Horse Park with Jacob Pope of Columbia, MD, taking the win on new mount, Your Welcome BC.
Piloting three horses in the handy round that carried forward first-round scores in the 90s, Pope had a busy afternoon. He and Your Welcome BC returned in the penultimate position with a score of 91.5, putting him only half a point behind the first-round leader, Joey Roman. In the handy round, Pope left nothing on the table and earned a score of 93 to total 184.5 points across the two rounds with Don Stewart’s seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion by Toulon.
“I rode him for the first time in Florida this winter,” recounted Pope of his first time meeting Your Welcome BC. “I did him in a National Derby there and we were second, and I think I showed him once or twice this spring up here. This is our first win together.”
In Pope’s opinion, much of the horse’s success comes from his presence in the ring.
“He’s a flashy looking horse so I think he sets a good tone walking in the ring,” he said. “He’s a beautiful blood bay with four white socks and a blaze and he jumps really well in front and always makes a nice effort.
“The handy round is where he shined today,” Pope continued. “He turned super well, was very smooth, and didn’t rub one jump; between precision and handiness he really was a good boy today. I didn’t have time to walk [the course] so I used my first horse to figure out the lay of the land and I ended up doing the same turns on all of the horses.”
Samantha Schaefer of Westminster, MD, produced the highest score in the handy round with her well-known derby partner, In The Know, owned by Madeline Schaefer. The pair combined a classic-round score of 89.5 and a 94 in the handy, which left them in second place on a total of 183.5 points. Roman, of Freehold, NJ, piloted Cascatero to third on a combined score of 182.5.
Earlier in the day, $5,000 Junior/Amateur USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Makoto Farm and Walkenbach Equestrian, featured 39 horse-and-rider combinations. Amateur Libbie Gordon of Statesville, NC, and Carino, owned by DE Show Stables, led the way in the victory gallop. Their scores of 82 and 91 in the handy gave them the win.
A new addition for junior and amateur riders this year, junior Grace Loughlin currently sits atop the $5,000 Leading Junior Hunter Rider Bonus standings, while Gordon leads the $5,000 Leading Amateur Hunter Rider Bonus race. These new bonuses are presented by Makoto Farms and Walkenbach Equestrian and will be awarded to the overall leading riders at the conclusion of GLEF IV.
Hunter, jumper, and equitation competition will resume on Wednesday, as the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by B&D Builders, kicks off its third week.
For complete results, click here.
