LAKE PLACID, N.Y.--Three-time Olympic veteran Alberto Michan of Israel on Joint De Canabis Van De Doornhoeve won the $100,000 FEI 3* Grand Prix of Lake Placid on Sunday, June 29.
Alberto Michan on Joint De Canabis Van De Doomhoeve (Photo by KindMedia)Michan was one of eight from the starting field of 29 to go clean over the course set by Michel Vaillancourt.
First to go in the jump-off was Katie Dinan, the top U.S. finisher at this year’s FEI World Cup Finals in Basel, Switzerland.
She rode her World Cup mount, Out Of The Blue SCF, to go clean, finishing in 40.48 seconds to set the time to beat.
Three rides later, Sam Walker of Canada on Caruso PJ went into the lead with a clean round in 39.69 seconds.
Two rides later, Michan on Joint De Canabis Van De Doornhoeve went clean in 38.19 seconds for the win.
Walker placed second, and Dinan was third.
Alison Robitaille on Claire De Lune 33 and Lauren Fischer on Concouleur Z had the only other clean rounds in the jump-off, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.
“I WAS LUCKY to go near the end, and I was counting strides,” Michan said. “I saw that almost everyone was doing 10 or 11 strides to Fence #2, so I tried to do nine. Then the line to the last one was my big shot because I have a really big horse with a big stride. The nine for most of them was a little forward, but I was able to catch the inside way to that oxer, and I really gave it a go and got there in eight. Those two spots are where I was able to get the win.
BayleeMcKeever on Louboutin Z (Photo by KindMedia)“I think the changes they’ve made here with the new rings and new grounds are fantastic,” he said. “I think it’s really important for an iconic horse show like this, which has such a history and such a great tradition, that it be back where it has to be, at the top of every rider’s mind to come here and show.”
Prior to the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Ring featured three classes that are part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series.
JJ Torano on Lyons 50 (Photo by KindMedia)Baylee McKeever rode McLain Ward’s Louboutin Z to win the $10,000, 1.35m SJHOF Amateur Jumper Classic.
McKeever was clean in the fastest jump-off time of 31.665 seconds to win, which also gave her the division championship.
JJ Torano on Oopsala won the $10,000, 1.35m SJHOF Junior Jumper Classic; then Torano followed that with a win on Lyon 50 in the $15,000, 1.45m SJHOF Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic.
In the 1.35m class, he was clean in the jump-off in 31.876 seconds for the win, and in the 1.45m class, he again was clean in the jump-off in 36.216 seconds for another victory.
The two wins gave him the championship in both divisions.
