PRESS RELEASE
Just prior to the $86,000 Fidelity Investments® Classic CSI4* was the $35,000 Hermès Sellier Classic. Twenty-two-year-old Sydney Shulman has consistently placed at the top of the leaderboard all week with her string of horses including claiming Wednesday’s $8,000 Danbury Porsche Audi 1.40m Jumper and Thursday’s $2,500 Beval Saddlery Ltd. 1.35m Jumper.
The young professional athlete took home her third win of the week on Saturday in the $35,000 Hermès Sellier Classic, besting 65 horse-and-rider combinations aboard Jill Shulman’s Villamoura.
Only three produced clear performances over Alan Wade and Nigel Jess’ first round track, which consisted of Shulman, Peter Lutz and Georgina Bloomberg.
Bloomberg, who won the same class in 2016 with Manodie II H, set the standard to beat with a 4-fault score in 35.843 seconds with Calista, owned by Gotham Enterprizes, LLC, which would garner them third place in the final standings.
Shulman followed and piloted the 8-year-old Selle-Français mare to the first clear effort of the jump-off in 34.536 seconds. Lutz and QBS Equestrian LLC’s Cheri De Papignies opted for a more conservative round, jumping clear in 38.080 seconds for second place honors.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Sydney Shulman – $35,000 Hermès Sellier Classic winner
On Villamoura:
“[Villamoura] felt great in the schooling ring and was really on it since the minute I got on her this morning. She was ready. She’s a really smart horse. You only have to teach her something once. She’s really come along nicely. This was the biggest class she’s jumped in her career. I was ready to win. This was kind of our goal – she really proved herself today.”
On her plan in the jump-off:
“I didn’t end up sticking to the plan I originally had. She’s a very small horse and quite hot so her stride isn’t massive. She naturally has to be quick across the ground. Coming back on 5B, she slipped pretty badly so it didn’t set us up well to do seven to the double so I did eight. In my mind I knew I had to do six with Peter and his huge-strided horse behind me to the last jump, which I originally planned to do seven. I think doing the eight and then the six in the last line was what sealed the deal.”
On the American Gold Cup:
“It’s a home show. To win a class at the American Gold Cup is really cool. You have some of the best riders in the world here so to go out there and win a class like this is really awesome.”
RESULTS
$35,000 Hermès Sellier Classic:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults / Time / R2 Faults / Time
1. Villamoura / Sydney Shulman / Jill Shulman / 0 / 67.925 / 0 / 34.536
2. Cheri De Papignies / Peter Lutz / QBS Equestrian LLC / 0 / 72.379 / 0 / 38.080
3. Calista / Georgina Bloomberg / Gotham Enterprizes, LLC / 0 / 71.338 / 4 / 35.843
4. MTM Como No / Tracy Fenney / MTM Farm / 2 / 74.635
5. Everest / Fabio Leivas Da Costa / Everest Group / 3 / 75.071
6. Sans Soucis Z / Jimmy Torano / Caroline Lloyd / 4 / 68.447
7. Bellefleur PS Z / McLain Ward / McLain Ward, Lilly Ward and Susie Heller / 4 / 69.082
8. Kahlua / Andrew Kocher / Hailey Rogge / 4 / 69.176
9. Cartouche / McLain Ward / Jorge Andres Barrera and McLain Ward / 4 / 69.216
10. Jiva / Beezie Madden / Abigail Wexner / 4 / 69.373
11. D Carolus / Jonathan McCrea / Candy Tribble / 4 / 70.126
12. Tosca De L’Esques / Fabio Leivas Da Costa / Bonne Chance Farm / 4 / 70.679
