Taylor Cawley and Oki D ‘Eclipse prevail in the 2024 ASPCA Maclay National Championship
To conclude two weeks of competition, the 141st National Horse Show showcased the nation’s top junior riders in the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park for the 2024 ASPCA Maclay National Championship, presented by Chansonette Farm.
174 horse-and-rider combinations from across the country qualified to compete in Sunday’s feature event, all eager to demonstrate their skills and vie for a top spot. All of the riders faced a challenging first round of jumping and some were called back for the flat phase, testing both their technical abilities and overall performance.
Over the course of the day, the judges whittled down the field to just four riders who completed in one final test to declare an overall winner. In the end, after an impressive display of talent, Taylor Cawley and Sea Horse Investments’ 2014 Belgian Warmblood gelding, Oki D ‘Eclipse (Catoki x Eluna D Eclipse) emerged as the most consistent competitors and Cawley was proudly crowned the 2024 Champion.
“This final is so special to me; I’ve always wanted to do well here and to have won it is so amazing. I think it holds so much history and so many amazing competitors have competed here, so it’s truly an honor to be able to have won this class. I went 90th in the original order and walking the first course was a lot about keeping your horse straight and adjustability. I was very happy with my first round; I feel I executed it the best that I could. Going into the second round I focused on staying straight and sticking to the plan. For the test I think we started off strong with a hand gallop, I wanted to show that off and still be able to do the inside turn after and I think it all worked out really well.”
Cawley was also awarded with the…
The Hannah M. Serfass Memorial Award
Presented By Friends And Family Of Hannah Serfass
Awarded To The Highest Placed Rider After The First Jumping Round Of The Maclay National Championship
Christian Domingues, riding his own 2013 Dutch Warmblood gelding, Iwan (Quasimodo VD Molendreef x Katarma) took second place, trained by Jennifer Hannan.
“The courses throughout the week have been great, it’s been all about riding the track. I think having a plan before you go in and executing that is the most important thing and if you do that your results will reflect. I’ve had my horse Iwan for four years, and I feel very privileged to have him because he’s never put a foot out of line, he always shows up and the relationship I’ve built with him is so special, I can walk in there and I know what’s going to happen every time so I can formulate a plan around that.
Adriana Forte and Heritage Farm, Inc’s 2015 Warmblood gelding, Candescent took 3rd place, trained by Andre Dignelli.
“I think sticking to the plan is important to any final you go to. For me, you can’t always depend on watching other rounds to do well. I think it’s a matter of knowing your horse and working with your trainer to ensure you are putting down the best round. My horse has been with Heritage for a while now and he is the sweetest animal, and I can always trust him wherever I put him at a jump, and he will always try his hardest for me.”
The Trailblazer Award
Presented By Perfect Products to Jaxon Hoshaw for being Drawn To Compete First In The Maclay National Championship
