UPPER MARLBORO, Md--Halley Guidry on Jones won the $10,000 NAL 1.35m Junior/Amateur Jumper Final, and Mary Margaret Tortorice on Londra Domani won the $10,000 NAL 1.25m Junior/Amateur Jumper Final, while Kenzie Smith on Orchard Zweed was the Grand Pony Hunter Champion on Saturday evening,, Oct. 3 at Capital Challenge.
Halley Guidry on Jones (Photo by Shawn McMillan)Guidry in the 1.35m Final was clean in 35.759 seconds to win over Kalea Iuliano on Arlecchino du Soleil Z, clean in 36.536 seconds, and Kylie Wilson on Larderello was third in 36.895 seconds.
After victory in the NAL Low Junior/Amateur Jumper Final in 2023, Guidry, of Metairie, La., took a break from riding for two years to focus on high school.
“I immediately missed the horses,” she said. “I wanted to come back, but I needed to finish my freshman year. I went into my sophomore year and was like, ‘I just want to go back to the horses.’”
Guidry returned to riding and competing in January 2026 with trainer Abby Blankenship.
“She's an incredible trainer,” said Guidry. “She and the whole Three Ships team do a lot for me. She supports us through everything, and I've learned a lot from her.”
AFTER a search for the right horse, they found Jones, and she started riding “Spot” in May.
“He’s such a good boy,” said Guidry. “He is always so game; he's honestly better than me. I've been trying to learn him and his little tics. He’s been doing the grand prix, and I bought him to do the Under 25 and 1.40m/1.45m classes. This is our first big show together, and I'm very happy with how yesterday and today went.
“I wasn't expecting to go in and win,” said Guidry, who is preparing for the USEF Prix de States competition next week. “It's honestly surreal. Coming back now, it’s definitely a little bit harder seeing all the people that I grew up with being in higher levels than me, but then again, I'm very grateful that I even get to be back in the sport and have the horses that I have.”
Tortorice was the early leader in the jump-off of the 1.25m Final, and she held off 12 other challengers for victory.
Tortorice, of Beaumont, Texas finished clean in 33.176 seconds with Grace Griffin on Larinto VDR second in 33.619 seconds and Georgina Jewell on Kybalia SMH/SVN third in 33.851 seconds.
Tortorice, who trains with Berry Porter and Brookside Pine Farms, has been riding Londra Domani just over a year.
“She's quite small, but I feel like I'm kind of better on the small, fast one. Having a little more compact of a horse is easier, especially in this indoor ring,” said Tortorice, who was riding in her first indoor competition. “She's just the best; she's my girl. She'll jump over the moon for you.”
“I knew if I rode well, then she would help me out there,” the 13-year-old said. “I thought I was going to end up second, and I'm so happy. It’s a big deal for me to win.”
Smith, 15, won all three over fences classes and was third under saddle to finish as champion in the Large Pony Hunters and the Grand Pony Hunter Champion.
The 11-year-old Dutch Welsh Pony gelding was bred at Orchard Stud in the Netherlands.
After standing at stud and a jumper career in Sweden, Scott Stewart imported the buckskin and gelded him.
Immediately after, he was leased to Charlotte Morasutti, who trained with Samantha Schaefer.
They had great success, and “Apple” came back to Stewart at the beginning of 2026, and Smith was given the ride.
Smith has ridden for Stewart for three years.
“She loves the horses and ponies,” Stewart said. “She's a hard worker; she'll ride all day long. If things don't go well, she takes it well and she's really good with the ponies.”
“He's so much fun,” said Smith of Apple. “He’s very cuddly, and he likes his treats.”
“He definitely takes me around the course a little bit," she said. "Yesterday, I just wanted to go in and have a nice, smooth, confident round, and it worked out great. Today I wanted to step it up a little bit more, and he did that really well. In the handy, I can do a lot of inside turns, but today I kind of played it more safe on him. I went around a few places where I could have gone inside, but I was really happy with it.”
This was Smith’s second grand championship at Capital Challenge after she won in 2025 with On Tour.
“They make the awards feel very special, and like a big deal with the medals and ribbons. I think they try really hard to make it feel like a very special show.”
