North Salem, N.Y. – Sept. 30, 2018 – The 2018 American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm came to an end on Sunday as some of the world’s top international show jumping athletes competed for the coveted American Gold Cup trophy in the $204,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York CSI4*-W. The United States claimed the top prize for the third year in a row as Molly Ashe Cawley of Wellington, Florida, secured the victory aboard the 10-year-old KWPN mare D’Arnita.
The top 37 athletes from Friday’s $80,000 American Gold Cup Qualifier CSI4*-W came forward to compete on the Grand Prix Field in Sunday’s grand finale over two challenging tracks designed by Irish course builder Alan Wade.
The large first round course utilized the field’s natural slopes and hills to test athletes over a series of 13 obstacles. Athletes collected rails all over the course, but seven combinations advanced to the jump-off after producing clear efforts in the first round.
Competing at her home base as the trainer of Old Salem Farm, Lucy Davis, who rode on the U.S. silver medal team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, set the standard to beat aboard Old Oak Farm’s Caracho with the first double-clear effort in 39.30 seconds. However, her early start in the order would prove to be disadvantageous with six competitive combinations still left to come behind her. Ultimately, she would claim fourth place as the slowest double-clear finisher.
Margie Engle (USA) and her veteran partner Royce, owned by Gladewinds Partners, LLC, successfully navigated the short course next, stopping the timers in a whopping 36.85 seconds to take over the lead.
Mattias Tromp (USA) followed suit, piloting Quinta, owned by Swede Ventures LLC, to another double-clear performance in 37.95 seconds to move into second place in the standings.
It all came down to the final entry of the class: Cawley and D’Arnita. It was clear the pair came to win as they fought hard to complete the eight-fence serpentine in record time. In the end, her time of 36.76 seconds narrowly secured the victory ahead of Engle by one-tenth of a second. Sunday’s achievement at the American Gold Cup is D’Arnita’s biggest career win to date and Cawley’s first time earning the prestigious title.
Thus far this year, the pair have also claimed wins in the Kubota Cup during the ‘North American’ CSI5* Tournament at Spruce Meadows in July and at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in August in the $35,000 Great Lakes Classic CSI3*.
Once again, Engle was forced to settle for second place, after also finishing second in Saturday’s $35,000 Hermès Sellier Classic with Indigo and in Thursday’s $35,000 Trelawny Farm Welcome Stake CSI4* with Dicas, while Tromp grabbed third place honors and Davis rounded out the top four.
In the lead-up to Sunday’s main event, McLain Ward’s beloved and legendary partner, Rothchild, owned by Sagamore Farms, was retired in a special ceremony honoring his incredible career with Ward, including winning individual gold and team bronze for Team USA at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
In addition, Engle was awarded the M. Michael Meller Style of Riding Award for exhibiting an outstanding combination of horsemanship, skill and presentation while competing at the 2018 American Gold Cup. Ralph Caristo also received the Old Salem Farm Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, which was created by Old Salem Farm head trainer Frank Madden as a way to recognize members of the U.S. hunter/jumper community for their selfless contributions to the sport they love.
For the fourth year in a row, the American Gold Cup has been selected as one of only seven events that comprise the East Coast division of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League. This year’s event kicked off the eastern sub-league’s 2018/2019 season, where athletes will go on to compete at events all across North America in order to qualify for the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final to be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, April 3-7, 2019.
Re-live all of the action from Sunday’s grand prix at the American Gold Cup with NBC Sports Network’s broadcast of the $204,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York CSI4*-W on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m.!
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) – $204,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York CSI4*-W winner
On D’Arnita:
“We’ve been bringing along [D’Arnita] since she was 7. This is her biggest outing so far to date and I was thrilled with her. I thought she answered all of the questions and really rose to the occasion. I’m super excited. I think there are plenty more to come. She’s really a super horse and every time she wins, it means a lot to us because she’s been a fighter and she’s just a class act. I’m super excited to have her.”
On winning the American Gold Cup:
“It means a lot to win a class of this magnitude, especially on a horse that Paul Butterworth (Louisburg Farm manager) and I found and we brought along to this level – that always makes it even sweeter. We went to Europe to try some horses and we came home with three from that trip. She was 6 coming 7 when we got her. They sent us a video of her and Paul and I both loved her. When I tried her, we didn’t even jump her big. We just loved her. She’s been a winner right along through the ranks and for her to jump this level is just a huge bonus and a thrill for sure.”
On D’Arnita’s winning qualities:
“Just the fight in her to get over the jumps and get it done. She really likes to dig into the ground. The mare really wants it as bad as I do and that’s always a great feeling – when you have your partner wanting it every bit as much as you do.”
Margie Engle (USA) – Second place
On her second place finish on Sunday:
“[Molly Ashe Cawley] had her secret weapon here and I told [her son] before she went that he was going to give her that little extra boost. I was thrilled with [Royce]. He’s been so consistent. He’s been second in the last four grand prix [classes] I’ve done, but he was great. I did slip a little in the first rollback and I lost a little bit of time there. I was sideways to that oxer and he gave it everything. I’m very happy with him.”
On the 2018 American Gold Cup:
“I have to commend [Morrissey Management Group] and Alan Wade on their horsemanship this week. The weather was unbelievable and they really used horsemanship and common sense. Alan always does an unbelievable job for the horses and the riders. The Morrisseys were great in regards to moving the classes around so the field stayed as good as possible for the welfare of the horses. It took a lot of risk away from these animals that are priceless, so I have to commend the job that they did, which was fantastic.”
Mattias Tromp (USA) – Third place
On his round in Sunday’s grand prix:
“The beginning of the trip was quite good, but it got a little hairy for a second. I was trying to do a leave-out to a vertical and I didn’t see it and I think it just disrupted the flow, but Quinta tried her guts out and she managed to scale one or two fences.”
On Quinta:
“Quinta was purchased by Swede Ventures for me from McLain [Ward] and through Fraçois Mathy. I’ve been riding her for about a year and a few months. The first week I showed her, I actually did a 4* grand prix in Upperville with her so she’s a horse that’s given me a lot of opportunities. She’s always there fighting and trying.”
Alan Wade (IRL) – Course designer
On this week’s competition:
“It was a tough week with the weather we had at the start. The qualifier for this class was on sand so I wasn’t sure how [the horses] would react on grass. Normally, you would have a good feel for what was going to happen but we built the course and the ground held up reasonably well. We had very good sport.”
Matt Morrissey – Morrissey Management Group
On the 2018 American Gold Cup:
“I think the weekend went great, especially with the start we had with the rain. We got a little over 5 inches of rain at the start. We were on the sand for most of the week, but were able to get onto the grass. Alan Wade was able to do what he does best and build some great courses out there on the grass to get us through the weekend.”
RESULTS
$204,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York CSI4*-W:
Place / Horse / Athlete / Country / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. D’Arnita / Molly Ashe Cawley / USA / 0 | 82.22 / 0 | 36.76
2. Royce / Margie Engle / USA / 0 | 79.46 / 0 | 36.85
3. Quinta / Mattias Tromp / USA / 0 | 81.58 / 0 | 37.95
4. Caracho / Lucy Davis / USA / 0 | 81.57 / 0 | 39.30
5. Contagious / McLain Ward / USA / 0 | 82.64 / 4 | 33.59
6. Quadam / Leslie Burr-Howard / USA / 0 | 81.30 / 4 | 36.70
7. Main Road / Shane Sweetnam / IRL / 0 | 82.68 / 4 | 37.26
8. Igor van de Heibos / Tracy Fenney / USA / 1 | 85.96
9. Cassinja S / Charlie Jacobs / USA / 4 | 78.80
10. Entano / Daniel Bluman / ISR / 4 | 80.01
11. Darry Lou / Beezie Madden / USA / 4 | 80.24
12. Sari / Karen Polle / JPN / 4 | 80.37
Standings following first leg of 2018/2019 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American Eastern Sub-League:
Rank / Athlete / Country / Total Points
1. Molly Ashe Cawley / USA / 20
2. Conor Swail / IRL / 17
2. Margie Engle / USA / 17
4. Mattias Tromp / USA / 15
5. Lucy Davis / USA / 13
5. Vanessa Mannix / CAN / 13
7. McLain Ward / USA / 12
8. Leslie Burr-Howard / USA / 11
9. Shane Sweetnam / IRL / 10
10. Tracy Fenney / USA / 9
Samantha Cohen and Carmen Capture $25,000 HBSJHOF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic, Presented by Netjets®
Preceding the $204,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ New York CSI4*-W, Sunday’s competition kicked off with the $25,000 Hollow Brook Wealth Management Show Jumping Hall of Fame (HBSJHOF) High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic, presented by NetJets®, where Samantha Cohen and her own Carmen emerged victorious over 27 other horse-and-athlete combinations with a double-clear finish in 35.772 seconds. Samantha Kasowitz claimed the second place award with Fair Play Farm’s G Andiamo Rodeberg, while Gracie Allen and Horseware’s Rivage De Lormay rounded out the top three and the only double-clear performances.
Cohen, 17, and the 11-year-old KWPN mare are coming off of a career-highlighting competition at Old Salem Farm in August, where the pair captured team gold with Zone 2 and individual silver at the Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC). In their short year of partnership, Cohen and Carmen have also found success at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), claiming back-to-back wins during the 2018 season in the $10,000 SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic during Weeks Three and Four.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Samantha Cohen – $25,000 HBSJHOF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic, presented by NetJets®, winner
On her plan for the class:
“We were definitely gearing [Carmen] up for this class all week because it was a big $25,000 classic. The course was really nice. I went a little bit early and didn’t get to watch a lot. I saw the triple [combination] riding a bit difficult. The first fence was really long and the second was short so I put emphasis on making sure I got a good jump in. [Carmen] is always so game. I know that if I get her to the right spot, she’ll take care of me. I thought the class went really well. I liked my first round and then in the jump-off there wasn’t a lot of room to gallop and she doesn’t naturally have the biggest stride. In the lines, I did one more [stride] than a lot of other people, but she’s really quick across the ground and over the jumps so I knew that as long as I could make the turns tight then she would make up the time.”
On her win on Sunday:
“This win means a lot. I’m really excited. Carmen has had a really good summer. She’s super special to me so I always feel confident whenever I go in the ring with her. I knew that she would be there for me as long as I gave her a good ride. I’m really excited!”
On what’s next for Carmen:
“She’s going to do the Prix des States in two weeks at Harrisburg. We’re on the Zone 2 team, which I’m really excited for. She’ll skip Washington and go to Kentucky to show there. Then she’ll have a little bit of a break before Florida.”
RESULTS
$25,000 HBSJHOF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic, presented by NetJets®:
Place / Horse / Athlete / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. Carmen / Samantha Cohen / 0 | 76.434 / 0 | 35.772
2. G Andiamo Rodeberg / Samantha Kasowitz / 0 | 79.677 / 0 | 37.636
3. Rivage De Lormay / Gracie Allen / 0 | 80.215 / 0 | 37.991
4. Cloudbreak / Annie Phillips / 0 | 78.849 / 4 | 37.580
5. Pistoya / Philip Richter / 079.480 / 4 | 37.612
6. Cantero Da Lagoa / Anna Beth Athey / 0 | 78.735 / 4 | 37.753
7. Tess De Jalesnes / Chloe Field / 0 | 78.290 / 4 | 37.966
8. Ilias / Annabel Revers / 2 | 82.804
9. Iceman / Cassandra Lorusso / 4 | 75.546
10. Charlie / Samantha Kasowitz / 4 | 76.696
11. Lasse K / Anna Dryden / 4 | 77.641
12. Think Big Van TL / Carolina Villanueva Suarez / 4 | 79.408
