Devon, Pa. – June 4, 2022 – International show jumping competition at the 2022 Devon Horse Show came to a close Saturday evening. A talented field of athletes and their mounts from around the world have been vying for points toward the coveted Open Jumper Championship since Tuesday. Coming off of his 12th win in the $250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon CSI4*, McLain Ward etched his name on The Little Big Man Trophy and was awarded with the Open Jumper Championship honors. With a total of 35 points earned throughout the week, Ward also received the Leading Open Jumper Rider title. After two wins during the week on two different mounts, Jessica Mendoza emerged as the Leading Open Jumper Lady Rider and was presented with the Carol Hofmann Thompson Leading Lady Rider Challenge Trophy in memory of Carol Hofmann, given by her family and friends in 2014.
Ward, dubbed the “King of Devon”, put forth a valiant effort aboard his 2020 Tokyo Olympic mount Contagious, owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, Thursday evening to ultimately earn the Open Jumper Championship title Saturday and receive the champion cooler, sponsored by Saratoga Horseworks Ltd. In honor of his Leading Open Jumper Rider title, Ward was presented with The Orchard Lodge Perpetual Trophy, given in memory of Hope Montgomery Scott. The Open Jumper Reserve Champion was awarded to Schuyler Riley (USA) and Katherine Gallagher’s Robin de Ponthual, the second place finishers from Thursday’s $250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon CSI4*, for accumulating a total of 18 points.
Great Britain’s Mendoza made her first trip to The Devon Horse Show a special one, taking home her first Devon blue Tuesday after topping the $50,000 Jet Run Devon Welcome Stake CSI4* with her own mount Play. Friday evening, she rode her very own Dublin to the win in the $37,000 Devon Speed Derby CSI4*, clinching the Leading Lady title.
The $74,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4*, sponsored by Hygain, was the highlighted event of Saturday evening, welcoming FEI competitors to the Dixon Oval one final time. Olaf Peterson Jr. (GER) set forth a challenging 13-effort track, with Laura Chapot and Diarado’s Flying Dutchman emerging as the only pair to navigate a clear effort. Their fault-free ride ultimately earned them the win, and they were presented with the The John Wanamaker Perpetual Trophy. Israel’s Steven Bluman rode away with second place after finishing on 4 faults in a time of 71.57 seconds, while 16-year-old Zayna Rizvi rounded out the top three aboard Exquise du Pachis for her 4-fault effort and time of 74.51 seconds.
In the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Classic, sponsored by Hermes, Layla Kurbanov and Ronja, an 11-year-old Swiss Warmblood mare owned by Ilan Ferder, raced to the top prize following two rounds of challenging competition. The pair’s double clear effort earned them The Good Enough Challenge Trophy, as well as points contributing to the Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship.
Announced shortly after the conclusion of the Classic, Alexandra Pielet and Hyperbolics, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Co-Pielet LLC, was named the Amateur-Owner Jumper Champion, taking home the Goblin Challenge Trophy and championship cooler, sponsored by Saratoga Horseworks Ltd., with a total of 16 points. Pielet garnered even more awards in the Dixon Oval Saturday afternoon, also earning the Leading Amateur-Owner Jumper Rider Award, sponsored by Hermes, with the The Marshall-Hale Perpetual Trophy. Kurbanov and Ronja were named the reserve champions of the Amateur-Owner Jumper division with a total of 15.5 points.
Competition at the Devon Horse will conclude Sunday, June 5, welcoming the Pennsylvania Bred Yearling Colts and Geldings to the Dixon Oval at 8:00 a.m.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Jessica Mendoza – Leading Lady Rider
On her ride Saturday evening:
“Play was super today. I made a little mistake to the last fence – I just turned a little bit tight, but otherwise I think he would’ve finished out in second place if I had that last rail. He jumped great, just got a little keen at the end. I thought it was a very technical course today. The jumps came up quick, lots of distances. There was a lot to do.”
On receiving the Leading Open Jumper Lady Rider award:
“It’s my first time here. It’s nice that they do an award like this and it’s nice to be recognized for a great week. I’m very happy and thankful to my team!”
Laura Chapot – $74,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4* winner
On the course:
“With [Diarado’s Flying Dutchman] I usually have a different plan than I normally would for most of my horses. He’s really very bouncy, so it’s really easy for him to add strides. During the last two classes that I showed in the [Dixon Oval] he was a little bit backed off going down the sides of the ring by the crowd, so he was staring at them a little bit. I knew coming to that one line that was by the crowd, I was going to add a stride to the combination so he had time to really think there. I don’t know if anyone else did that, but it wouldn’t have been a normal plan for any of my other horses but I know for him he’s just so easy to bounce up a stride and then he has time to process the jumps. I think with him, my thought is to keep him thinking about what he’s doing and not getting overly excited. He’s got all of the ability to do it, he just has to take his time when he gets there. The shadows do play a part. The Hygain fence, the second to last jump, really caught a lot of people. I noticed coming to it, the sun was really glaring off that jump. I think that made it really hard because it’s difficult for the horses to judge that. Olaf [Peterson Jr.] always builds very good courses and I really enjoy them because they are very fair. They aren’t tricky, he just builds challenging things and questions to solve but there is nothing trappy.”
On Diarado’s Flying Dutchman:
“This will mark just over a year and a half that I’ve had him. It’s been a lot of getting together and him knowing my way and me figuring him out. Even though he has a lot of energy, he’s not the typical horse for me. A lot of my horses tend to be more long strided and always leaving out the strides. With that horse, it’s a little bit the opposite approach. Even though he has a big stride sometimes it’s better for him to just take a little bit more time. He has so much adjustability, I know I always have to think about what’s the best thing for him rather than my normal ride that I like to do. He really has a lot of talent and it’s just a matter of making it more consistent. When I got him, he really hadn’t done all that much. He’s really starting to become a lot more rideable and more into my style of going.”
On The Devon Horse Show:
“It’s so great to be back and it’s nice to see the crowds come out for all of the competitions. It’s a different venue than we ever get to see anywhere else. It’s nice to be here and I hope we’re back next year!”
Alexandra Pielet – Amateur-Owner Jumper champion
On Hyperbolics:
“His name is Hyperbolics, we call him Hyper. He’s great, he’s 10 years-old and I got him two years ago. I’ve been jumping everything with him, I brought him up along the way and he’s great. He’s the best partner, so sweet and he’s like a dog on the ground. He can bully me sometimes because he knows I’m little, but he also respects me. When he does he is unbeatable.”
On her rounds:
“My rounds were really good, I started off really strong and he was really consistent. The courses were nice for him. My trainer Andrew Bourns is in Canada, so Molly Ashe Cawley was helping me here, and [Hyperbolics] really stepped up. It is so nice I was able to get here. I just started riding with Andrew last year during [the FEI North American Youth Championships].”
On her training:
“I’m going to be a senior at SMU, so I commute back and forth and I ride on the team there. Whenever I can show my own horse I try to do that. I did three weeks of WEF, so I get lucky when I can come down. Andrew gets [Hyperbolics] ready for when I get back so it’s really nice. I’ve been working on a lot of flatwork [with Andrew], he can just take over a little bit because he’s a really strong, athletic guy. He knows it too, so we do a lot of diamond shapes, squares, and transitions to slow him down and make sure he’s responding.”
On showing at the Devon Horse Show:
“This is my favorite horse show. I’ve been coming here since I was 8 years old. I love the environment here, so coming back I was really excited. [Hyperbolics] was actually first to qualify on the list, so everything was really exciting. This is my favorite place.”
RESULTS
$74,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake CSI4*
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults | R1 Time
1. Diarado’s Flying Dutchman / Laura Chapot / USA / Mary Chapot / 0 | 73.61
2. Biblou du Perron / Steven Bluman / ISR / Steven Bluman / 4 | 71.57
3. Exquise Du Pachis / Zayna Rizvi / USA / Optimus Agro Nv / 4 / 74.51
4. Boheme de la Roque / Grace Debney / GBR / Temple Equestrian LLC / 4 | 74.93
5. Harley D / Vasco Flores / COL / Hillside Farm LLC / 5 | 76.54
6. Casall / Ali Wolff / USA / Blacklick Bend Farm / 5 | 76.76
7. Quilimbo / Schuyler Riley / USA / E2 Show Jumpers / 5 | 76.87
8. Santana / Roberto Teran Tafur / COL / Rocking Basilisk Farm, LLC / 6 | 77.94
9. Spirit d’Intro Z / Amanda Derbyshire / GBR / Gochman Sport Horse LLC / 6 | 81.43
10. Carissimo 25 / Mavis Spencer / USA / Georgy Maskrey-Segesman / 7 | 78.23
11. Play / Jessica Mendoza / GBR / Jessica Mendoza / 8 | 70.67
12. Chandon Blue / Laura Chapot / USA / Mary Chapot / 8 | 73.07
$20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | R1 Time / R2 Faults | R2 Time
1.Ronja / Layla Kurbanov / Ilan Ferder / 0 | 77.214 / 0 | 37.277
2. Exotik Sitte / Coco Fath / Coco Fath / 0 | 75.165 / 0 | 38.548
3. Casilia / Taylor Harris / Harris Equestrian LLC / 0 | 77.466 / 0 | 39.463
4. Gaucho / Coco Fath / Coco Fath / 0 | 76.579 / 4 | 37.338
5. Maestro Van Het Binnenveld / Wesley Newlands / 0 | 74.423 / 4 | 37.578
6. Gray’s Inn / Mallory Vale / Thinks Like a Horse / 0 | 75.948 / 4 | 38.238
7. A Toi De Prim / Layla Kurbanov / Andrew Bourns / 0 | 73.85 / 4 | 39.108
8. Ekilly Van De Horst / Sarah Tredennick / Page Tredennick / 0 | 76.721 / 4 | 40.941
9. Darwin De Mars / Melissa Strawser / Melissa Strawser / 0 | 76.818 / 4 | 43.87
10. Hyperbolics / Alexandra Pielet / Co-Pielet LLC / 4 | 73.764
11. Eclips / Eliza Kimball / Eliza Kimball / 4 | 76.933
12. Irseline VD Hagenhorst / Sima Morgello / Devin Ryan / 4 | 77.051
