Traverse City, Mich. – July 21, 2019 –The largest payout to date of the 2019 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors, LLC, took place Sunday at Flintfields Horse Park, with Willie Tynan (IRL) and Fancy Girl capturing the lead spot in the victory gallop in the $71,200 North Face Farm Grand Prix CSI2*, the first FEI-rated grand prix of the series. In the junior and amateur ranks, Alma Björklund and Loro Piana Ballyleck Royale topped the leaderboard in the $7,500 Hollow Brook Wealth Management SJHF High Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Pinecone Farm, while Mia Albelo and Larocque De Revel were victorious in the $5,000 Sugar Run Farm NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic.
Presenting athletes with a track fit for a CSI2* grand prix, expert course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) challenged the 27 starters with a fair but technical pattern, with only five partnerships successfully finishing fault-free. Returning for the second round of riding, the jump-off field was comprised of Michael Morrissey (USA) on Sam 1091, Hardin Towell (USA) aboard Tupac Van De Vrombautshoeve Z, Tynan with Fancy Girl, Lauren Tisbo (USA) riding Casco 11 and Andrew Welles (USA) on Serpico, each with one final opportunity to ride for the prize.
Up against an all-American field, Tynan was the third to take to the ring in the jump-off and navigated Michelle Guardino-Dettelbach’s Fancy Girl to a quick and clear effort in 38.930 seconds, bettering the time of 39.290 seconds set forth by the early clear front-runners Morrissey and Sam 1091, owned by QBS Equestrian, LLC. The final two challengers, Tisbo and Welles, each attempted to usurp the Irishman from the top of the standings aboard their respective mounts, but neither were successful, solidifying Tynan and Fancy Girl as the $71,200 North Face Farm Grand Prix CSI2* victors. Morrissey and Sam 1091 finished the class in second place, and Tisbo and Tequestrian Farms LLC’s Casco 11 nabbed third place as the final double-clear pair in 39.520 seconds.
New in 2019, the $25,000 CaptiveOne Open Jumper Rider Bonus will be awarded at the conclusion of the circuit in August, and athletes have now had three weeks of chances to earn valuable points towards the big prize. Points are calculated based on prize money earned throughout the six-week festival in Open Jumper classes 1.45m and above, and fans and athletes can follow along and check the $25,000 CaptiveOne Open Jumper Rider Bonus leaderboard, posted on www.greatlakesequestrianfestival.com, to track their favorite riders and see who is leading in the standings. Tynan’s victory in Sunday’s grand prix earned him points towards the final bonus, however Wilhelm Genn (GER) currently still sits atop the rankings thanks to multiple victories in earlier welcome stake and grand prix competitions during Weeks I and II.
Earlier in the day in the Grand Prix Ring, junior and amateur exhibitors had their chance to shine in their respective prize money classics. In the hotly-contested $7,500 Hollow Brook Wealth Management SJHF High Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Pinecone Farm, a member of the Hollow Brook Wealth Management Show Jumping Hall of Fame series, 20 entries competed for the first place prize over the technical track, with Sweden’s Björklund proving to be the best of the day, taking home the win as well as fifth place with a second mount. Björklund topped an eight-horse jump-off to secure the victory, piloting her own Loro Piana Ballyleck Royale to a clear effort in 29.075 seconds, the quickest of the five double-clear duos. Owner-rider Kirsten Ostling finished in second place aboard Kennedy VD Rechri in 31.713 seconds, while Charlise Casas and Always Faithful Equine LLC’s Rembrandt Blue rounded out the top three in 31.850 seconds. Björklund also finished in the fifth place position with her own Unex Captain Chaos 8, her second double-clear ride of the class.
As the swiftest partnership ahead of a sizable 10-horse jump-off, Albelo and her own Larocque De Revel bested the field in the $5,000 Sugar Run Farm NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic. The class began with an initial start list of 23 contenders, and only Albelo was able to successfully qualify two horses for the second phase of riding, jockeying both Larocque De Revel and her own Cassandra Dreams to clear trips over the first course. Ultimately, her two rides paid off as Albelo navigated Larocque De Revel to a quick and clear time of 36.542 seconds in the jump-off, which would hold as the best performance of the class. Erin Floyd and Floyd Sport Horses LLC’s Russell claimed second place with a fault-free trip in 37.323 seconds, and Auston Krawitt in the irons aboard Donald Stewart’s Fernandina finished in third place in a double-clear 37.463 seconds.
Sunday’s show jumping action concludes the third week of the 2019 GLEF and the first FEI week of the series, but FEI competition will continue at GLEF for three more weeks, with Week IV holding a CSI2* rating and Weeks V and VI touting a CSI3* rating.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Willie Tynan (IRL) – $71,200 North Face Farm Grand Prix CSI2* winner
On Fancy Girl:
“Fancy Girl is a 9-year-old who belongs to a really good owner of mine, Michelle Guardino-Dettelbach. We bought her as a 5-year-old so we have had her all of her career basically. She has been second in maybe six grand prix, so it is nice that she finally got a win. I’m happy with her.”
On his jump-off strategy:
“With the guys that were in front of me and Lauren [Tisbo] after me, they are always quick and they have some quick horses, especially Hardin [Towell]. He had me for time — he took the risk as he was before me. My plan was to get eight strides done down the first line then tight back to the third oxer as quickly as I could. I added one stride as I was a little bit extra careful to the double because she is so big, and then seven strides to the next vertical. I wanted to do eight strides home but just couldn’t come up off the corner, so I ended up doing nine. It was enough today, but another day it might not have been.”
On the $25,000 CaptiveOne Open Jumper Rider Bonus:
“The boys have been talking about it pretty hard. I have to try to catch up to Wilhelm [Genn] and Hardin [Towell]. It’s our first week here, so it’s nice to get on there so they aren’t just talking all about themselves.”
On GLEF:
“I love this show. I came 10 years ago and then last year was my first time back since then. It gets better every year. For the horses, the footing is probably the best in the country in all the rings. It’s amazing that they have it to that standard. Everybody here takes care of everybody, and the hospitality is super. Owners like it and horses like it. It’s a great place to come.”
Alma Björklund – $7,500 Hollow Brook Wealth Management SJHF High Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Pinecone Farm, winner
On Loro Piana Ballyleck Royale:
“He is 16 years old and I have had him since he was 9. I have had him since I was a junior and we moved up together. He has taught me so much and this is awesome that he could finish up so well here and bring it home.”
On her jump-off strategy:
“[Our strategy was] to try to win it! I figured I had nothing to lose. He is an older horse; he has been so good and he knows the game. He was really on it today so I am super happy.”
On GLEF:
“I was here two years ago and didn’t get to come back last year, but it is such a nice horse show. The footing is awesome, everything around it is beautiful, there is good horsemanship and Traverse City is a beautiful place, too. It’s so nice. We went out on the lake on Monday and went out to some of the restaurants to enjoy. It’s been great.”
Mia Albelo – $5,000 Sugar Run Farm NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic winner
On Larocque De Revel:
“ ‘Revel’ is 9 years old. We got him last year at the end of the Winter Equestrian Festival. He is a bay gelding and a Dutch Warmblood, and he’s a really sweet and gentle boy. He is the sweetest and cuddliest. He’s so perfect and I love him so much. He literally does anything you ask him to do — he’ll do hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage and cross-country. He’s all-around the best horse ever, and he’s super competitive. I’m finally starting to click with him and learning how to ride him successfully. Now we are starting to hit it off together, and I’m really excited for the future.”
On her jump-off strategy:
“Today, I wanted to go double-clear, but I didn’t want to go crazy on time because he has a really big step and you just don’t realize he is going so fast. We just wanted to have a smooth, clear round to set him up for the future. We don’t want to leave here on a bad note, so two clear rounds would be much better. He was right there with me. He was super fast and we ended up winning, so I’m really happy with that. It was a good note to end on.”
On GLEF:
“I love it so much. This is for sure one of my favorite shows ever. The showgrounds are so nice and pretty and the rings and jumps are super nice. I really like this show and the town makes it 10 times better because it is so cute. There is so much to do. It’s not like those boring shows, where it’s just the show and there’s nothing else to do. I absolutely love it, and we are thinking about coming back next year for way longer and bringing friends and family because we’re just obsessed with this town.”
RESULTS
$71,200 North Face Farm Grand Prix CSI2*:
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Fancy Girl / Willie Tynan / Michelle Guardino-Dettelbach / 0 / 0 / 38.930
2. Sam 1091 / Michael Morrissey / QBS Equestrian LLC / 0 / 0 / 39.290
3. Casco 11 / Lauren Tisbo / Tequestrian Farms LLC / 0 / 0 / 39.520
4. Tupac Van De Vrombautshoeve Z / Jack (Hardin) Towell / Oakmont Stables LLC / 0 / 4 / 37.020
5. Serpico / Andrew Welles / Itasca Group LLC / 0 / 4 / 39.240
6. Fantast Van Het Vinckenhof / Kristen Berian / Coral C Stables LLC / 1 / 80.440 7. Primo Troy / Andrew Welles / Itasca Group LLC / 4 / 73.660
8. Jeleena De Muze / Lauren Tisbo / Tequestrian Farms Llc / 4 / 77.190 9. Van Gogh / Wilhelm Genn / Wilhelm & Patty Genn / 4 / 78.360
10. WBS Fenise / Samantha Alexis Mackenzie / Samantha Alexis Mackenzie / 4 / 79.330 11. Carlo / Jack (Hardin) Towell / Ann Thompson / 4 / 79.650
12. HH Zipper / Kirsten Ostling / Double H Farm / 5 / 80.080
$7,500 Hollow Brook Wealth Management SJHF High Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Pinecone Farm:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Loro Piana Ballyleck Royale / Alma Björklund / Alma Björklund / 0 / 0 / 29.075
2. Kennedy Vd Rechri / Kirsten Ostling / Kirsten Ostling / 0 / 0 / 31.713
3. Rembrandt Blue / Charlise Casas / Always Faithful Equine LLC / 0 / 0 / 31.850
4. Futuro Certo Csg / Emma Callanan / Hart Farm / 0 / 0 / 33.456
5. Unex Captain Chaos 8 / Alma Björklund / Alma Björklund / 0 / 0 / 33.966
6. For Jef Vd Wezelse / Briley Koerner / Bks Horse Farms LLC / 0 / 4 / 29.020
7. Buckle Up / Ned Cunniffe / Whipstick Farm Ltd. / 0 / 4 / 34.907
8. Divace / Alex Parrish / Lexander Farm LLC / 0 / WD
9. Chakato Vl / Olivia Herbert / Mimi Herbert / 2 / 76.387
10. Dallas / Emma Bergeron / Susan Van Lammers / 4 / 66.537
11. Hagelin / Erin Haas / North Face Farm / 4 / 71.088
12. Contador De Bornival Z / Kathryn Taylor / Kathy Taylor / 4 / 71.849
$5,000 Sugar Run Farm NAL Low Junior Jumper Classic:
Place / Horse / Rider / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / Time
1. Larocque De Revel / Mia Albelo / Mia Albelo / 0 / 0 / 36.542
2. Russell / Erin Floyd / Floyd Sport Horses LLC / 0 / 0 / 37.323
3. Fernandina / Austin Krawitt / Donald Stewart / 0 / 0 / 37.463
4. Zacantos Z / Mackenzie Snider / Robin Vilter / 0 / 0 / 39.898
5. Elizabeth / Sophia Pilla / Piccolino Farm LLC / 0 / 0 / 39.979
6. Sensation 21 / Chapin Cheska / Chapin Cheska / 0 / 0 / 43.425
7. Cassandra Dreams / Mia Albelo / Mia Albelo / 0 / 4 / 39.354
8. Ardragh Grandslam / Charlotte Novy / Charlotte Novy Llc / 0 / 8 / 35.343
9. Katmandu L / Owen Gajoch / Owen Gajoch / 0 / 8 / 37.281
10. Castor / Luke Jensen / Makim Holdings Inc. / 0 / 8 / 37.312
11. Quinleen / Emma Callanan / Hart Farm / 4 / 70.797
12. Finisterra / Austin Krawitt / Santiago Lambre / 4 / 72.665
For more information, please visit greatlakesequestrianfestival.com.
