Wellington, FL – November 9, 2020 – The ESP November Show’s final day of competition ended on Saturday, November 7, 2020, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). Unfortunately, Sunday’s scheduled competition on November 8, 2020, had to be canceled that morning due to the unpredictability of weather conditions caused by Tropical Storm Eta. Plenty of champions and victors still celebrated a successful week of showing after rising to the top of their respective leaderboards throughout the first three days of the event. The ESP November Show was the sixth of seven shows in the ESP Fall Series, which concludes with the ESP Pre-Charity Show CSI3* on November 11-15.

Jumper Highlights

Competition in the International Arena, which featured courses designed by Jasen Shelley, kicked off Friday morning with the $10,000 Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Stake. Delaney Flynn of Park City, UT, and Milan IV, owned by Grace Jacobsen, stopped the clock at 38.422 seconds to take the win, while Bryn Sadler of Ocala, FL, and Showcase 81 LLC’s Cezarro came in a close second, stopping the jump-off timers in 38.445 seconds, just milliseconds off the pace. Hilary McNerney of Wellington, FL, piloted her own Lovelight through the jump-off track in 41.097 seconds to finish in third place.

Friday’s victory was the second for Flynn, after she topped the leaderboard Thursday in the $5,000 HorseLinc 1.35m Open Jumper Stake with Maarten Huygens’ Fatima thanks to a quick 43.568-second jump-off round. Angela Covert of Wellington, FL, claimed second place with her Hollywood De Rase Z after completing the jump-off in 46.848 seconds, and also bookended the top three on her Candyman Z to claim a third-place finish with a jump-off time of 47.615 seconds.

The Bainbridge Companies 1.40m Open Jumper division saw three different riders win classes earlier in the week, which resulted in a three-way tie for champion honors. Capt. Brian Cournane of Wellington, FL, piloted Vittorio 12, owned by Glenbeigh Farm LLC, through the short course in 35.089 seconds to claim Thursday’s class. On Friday, Catherine Tyree of Chicago, IL, flew through the timers in 63.308 seconds, nearly nine seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, with the Catherine Tyree LLC-entry, Amor Van Jonnckhoeve Z, to win the day. Ben Maher of Great Britain cleared the jump-off pattern in 38.686 seconds with Jane Forbes Clark’s Ginger-Blue to win Saturday’s class ahead of a talented field.

Owner-rider Samantha Senft of Wellington, FL, navigated Desperado to the championship ribbon in the 1.30m Open Jumper division, presented by Osphos, after winning two of the three classes that made up divisional competition. Ilan Bluman of Davie, FL, and Eax Run Run LS, owned by Blue Star Investments, took home first prize and a second-place finish to earn the reserve champion title.

Although competitors in the Equiline Medium Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper division were unable to complete the division, they were able to show their skills in the arena earlier in the week. In the speed round, owner/rider Sheer Levitin from Delray Beach, FL, captured the win aboard Quantico 946 after clearing the 1.30m course in 62.856 seconds, and also claimed a second-place finish with her Love Scendix after their 63.096-second round to add to her day’s success. Saturday’s class awarded the blue ribbon to Sadler and Showcase 81 LLC’s Radioactive after a 76.155-second and four-fault effort.

Competitors in the Equiline Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper division, which competed over 1.20m obstacles, were still fighting for the lead spot in the division standings with no clear frontrunner by Saturday’s end. From Boca Raton, FL, Lisa Butzer piloted Ponies & Palms Show Stables LLC’s Wicked Crust through the course in 70.561 seconds to win the speed round, while Saturday saw Ava Schwarzwalder of Wellington, FL, and her Bassandra clear the jump-off track in 43.923 seconds to take the win.

Hunter Highlights

In the hunter ring, two talented riders closed out the week with new tricolor ribbons in tow after being crowned champions on Friday. Winning more than half of the classes in the USHJA 3’/2’9” Hunters, Samantha Kraus of Mt. Sinai, N.Y., and Celia Sutherland’s Hopetown emerged victorious ahead of the pack to claim the top honors in the division. Hopetown carried Kraus to first place twice over fences as well as under saddle, in addition to another third-place result and fourth-place finish to accrue the most points toward the title. Piloted by owner-rider Katie Brown of West Palm Beach, FL, Prophet captured the reserve championship.

The competitors in the USHJA 2’6”/2’3” Hunters were also lucky to complete their division’s classes before the storm, with Joan Ehrhart of Wellington, FL, and Coachella ultimately coming out at the top of the cumulative scorecard thanks to a series of strong performances. The pair never placed lower than third, and shone the brightest when they earned two over fences wins. Hot on their heels was Matthew Trent of Davie, FL, and Diplomat RF, owned by Sarah Couper, who rode to three top-two finishes, among other placings, to put the pressure on the leading pair. For their efforts, the duo was awarded the reserve championship.

Though they were unable to conclude divisional competition, a number of hunter entries rose to the top of the standings. Hailing from Wellington, FL, Riley McKesson rode her own Socialite to the lead in the Children’s Hunters, presented by Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center. By Saturday’s conclusion, the team had back-to-back blue ribbons over the jumps, as well as a second-place result in the flat class.

In the Adult Amateur Hunters, presented by Resilient Fitness, the championship was still up for grabs with only one point separating the top two entries. Leading the way was Ashley Briggs of Loxahatchee, FL, on her own Glisten, touting a first place over fences and two runner-up finishes. Just a hair behind the frontrunners sat owner-rider Jennifer Prior of Wellington, FL, on Having Said That, who had two first-place honors and a fifth-place ribbon.

The adults also had chances to demonstrate their skills in the Low Adult Hunters, presented by Pilates Rocks. Thanks to a blue ribbon over fences, in addition to two more second-place results, Barry Carragher of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and his own Wodka Orange were poised to capture the weekly division honors.

Pony Hunters in the Large and Small sizes competed Saturday with three classes apiece, allowing young riders and their mounts to compete ahead of the judges. In the Large Pony Hunters, presented by Dover Saddlery, Sterling Malnik of Ocean Ridge, FL, and her own Prestige rode to the top call twice over fences and under saddle to sit on a perfect score. Similarly, the Small Pony Hunters, presented by Dover Saddlery, were dominated by Olivia Sweetnam of Wellington, FL, and Sweet Oak Farm’s Yet Another Karacter, who were awarded first prize for all three classes.

The ESP Fall Series will continue November 11-15 at the main grounds of PBIEC with the ESP Pre-Charity Show, which will feature “A” rated and Jumper 6* national competition, as well as CSI3* international classes.  Click HERE to view the November Edition of the Prize List for the ESP Fall Series. No spectators or outside media are allowed on-site at this time, but friends and family can view all classes via our SGL live stream HERE. To learn more about the safety protocols and procedures at the horse show, please click HERE. Photo credit ©Anne Gittins Photography. These photos may only be used once in relation to this press release with proper credit.