Best Of Blenheim
Festival Series Wrap-Up
True to form, as our fearless Blenheim EquiSports’ President Robert Ridland predicted, the start of the 2020 Blenheim EquiSports schedule was a unique experience.
Right out of the box during Summer Festival, young Zume Gallaher experienced her FIRST Grand Prix win – a sweet victory never to be forgotten by her nor her team. During the second week, Gallagher’s trainer Nicole Haunert went on to win in similar spectacular fashion and also gave everyone a run for the money in the third Grand Prix of the series, making for some seriously exciting sport. Well done Tristar Farms for your “almost” tri-fecta, a feat similar to winning the Triple Crown of Racing!
In the Hunter Rings, scores of 90 and above were thrown multiple times each week as some of the best of the west battled it out for Champion, Classic, High Score & Grand Champion honors. During the WCHR Summer Festival week the overall Grand Hunter title went to adult amateur rider Ashley Weiman & Timeless Romance after their clean sweep of the younger adult division. For Weiman, this was also a FIRST and repeated the second week as well. How about that for making history?
“Derby Queen” Jenny Karazissis took the top honors in the National Hunter Derby proving, despite a pandemic, some things don’t change, thankfully.
Below is a compilation of some of these #BestOfBlenheim moments, captured by official photography McCool Photography.
Thank you for your full cooperation complying with the Covid-19 protocols. We are truly in this together.
if you have a BEST you’d like to share with us tag your social post #BestOfBlenheim for a chance to be included in our future wrap-ups and social shout outs. Whether it was a FIRST FIRST or a personal BEST or just the FIRST show of your season, we would love to know!
Markel Insurance $25,000 Grand Prix Winners
The Markel Insurance 1.40m – 1.45m Jumper Series kicked off the 2020 season during the Summer Festival @ Blenheim. Zume Gallaher, riding Edita, took top honors going last among ten horses in the jump off. This was Zume’s FIRST Grand Prix Win. The impressive victory also also earned her the EquiTex BEST U25 Rider.
TWO for TWO! On Saturday afternoon during Racing Festival @ Blenheim, Team Tristar Farms once again claimed VICTORY, this time with Nicole Haunert on Cherokee Show Horses, Inc’s Calgary IV. In exactly the same fashion as the previous week, last proved best in the ten horse jump off out of an original field of 51 entries competing over the Anthony D’Ambrosio designed track. Nicole is also Zume Gallaher’s trainer, making this back-to-back victory even sweeter!
Racing Festival EquiTex Best U25 Rider honors went to Chandler Meadows & Christy JNR, placing 12th overall.
Wrapping up the exciting third leg of the Markel Insurance series, Lindsay Archer & Rhys Farms LLC’s Jarpur were unbeatable in an eight horse jump off.
The EquiTex Best U25 honors during the August Festival went to Violett Barnett & Harriri, going double clear and placing 5th overall in the Grand Prix.
Antarès Sellier 1.30m – 1.35m Jumper Classic
Thursday of the July Festival Series, Cassio Rivetti aboard Cornet, owned by Neil Jones Equestrian, were victorious in the $5,000 1.35m Antarès Sellier Jumper Classic.
During the Racing Festival, it was Karl Cook aboard Caillou 24, owned by Signe Ostby, who set the fastest pace among those going double clear.
What an amazing July Festival Series for Team Tristar Farms!! In the August Festival Antarès Sellier USA 1.30m Jumper Classic, Nicole Haunert guided C-YA to yet another win, claiming the reserve division championship as well.
USHJA National Hunter Derby – Presented By Lisa Seger Insurance
Congratulations to Jenny Karazissis and Nicole Kane’s Magic, winners of the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, presented by Lisa Seger Insurance. The pair scored an impressive 94 in Round One proving best going into the Handy Round, in which they scored a 91.5 for the win. 42 entries took to the grass Pacific Field competing over a gorgeous course set by Michael Roy Curtis.
Black Label & Jackie Attwood Dupont earned the Plaid Horse High Score Amateur Rider and overall 3rd place.
Bianca Jenkins and Queen’s Darling won the Callidae Highest Placing Junior Rider and overall 11th place.
More Highlights!
During the Summer Festival, the SmartPak WCHR High Score Horse of the Show honors went to Miller’s Cove & Carleton Brooks who scored a 91 in the Green 3’6″ Hunters.
Timeless Romance and Ashley Weiman made it a clean sweep in the Summer Festival Adult Hunter 18-35 Division finishing on 50 pts. They were also two-time winners of the Horse Hair Analysis Adult Hunter Classic during the Summer & Racing Festivals.
During Racing Festival, it was Karl Cook and Signe Ostby’s Fecybelle for the win in the Blenheim EquiSports 1.40m Classic. Out of the 50 entries that competed, 9 advanced to the immediate jump off with Cook ending up on top as the fastest of the four double clears.
Taking top spot in the Mary’s Tack & Feed 1.20m Jumper Classic during Racing Festival was Hallie Buttenwieser and Ezmeralda EHZ. They also won the Blenheim EquiSports 1.35m Developmental Jumper Series Classic during August Festival.
Brooke Morin spent a lot of time in the winner’s circle over the three weeks. On Ashton, during Racing Festival & August Festival she won the 3’3″ / 3’6″ JR Hunter Classic and 3’6″ Junior Championship. Early on, she also earned multiple tri-colors on Balmoral’s Pritchard Hill and Miller’s Cove.
Congratulations to Simon Schroeder & Morad AL Masri’s Good Luck, winners of the August Festival Hygain 1.40m Classic.
Wrapping up August Festival on Sunday, it was Leila Diab and Unang de Kergane taking top honors in the Antarès Sellier 1.20m JR/AO/AM Jumper Classic, besting 27 entries.
Who Is That Masked “Best Of Blenheim” Bandit?
Thank you again to everyone that did their part and helped keep everyone safe by wearing masks and social distancing.
McCool Photography’s BEST Of Blenheim
Amy McCool and her team had a very busy three weeks providing private client photography services in addition to her role as official show photographer. Below are a few of Amy’s favorite private client images.
Learn more about McCoool Photography’s exclusive offerings for Private Client Photography services.
Thanks again to everyone for your tremendous support during the start of the Blenheim EquiSports 2020 season.
We look forward to seeing you on August 12 as we kick off another three weeks of exciting competition during the August Festival @ Blenheim.
The entire team at Blenheim EquiSports
Blenheim EquiSports, an equestrian event management company based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, produces events in three locations: San Juan Capistrano, Del Mar and Las Vegas, NV. The events include 19 USEF “Premier” rated hunter-jumper shows featuring five FEI CSI events, including a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League event; the Markel Insurance 1.40m – 1.45m Jumper Series & Final, Developing Jumper Qualifiers & Championships, USHJA International & National Hunter Derbies, Pony Derby Finals, the Whitethorne Equitation Challenge, Medal Finals and more. New for 2020 – an additional four County Horse Shows sanctioned by the Orange County Horse Show Association and the Greater San Diego Hunter-Jumper Association.