West Palms Events Riders Cup (May 6-9) galloped into its third day of competition at LA Equestrian Center. Saturday evening’s highlighted event was the $25,000 1.40m Classic presented by Lewis Circle of Horses and $1,000 U25 sponsored by Neil Jones Equestrian.
“I am thrilled to see top courses and the highest level of competition right here in Los Angeles,” commented West Palms CEO Dale Harvey. “We appreciate all of our sponsors who have made this event possible, including GGT Footing for providing the best footing and Neil Jones Equestrian for sponsoring U25 classes. We are looking forward to presenting the Judy Martin Trophy to our winner of the $100,000 Riders Cup Grand Prix.”
In Saturday night’s $25,000 1.40m Classic presented by Lewis Circle of Horses, 34 horse and rider pairs took to the challenging track designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil.
Shawn Casady and Tiffany Sullivan’s Cortechico were the only pair to go clear, leading the victory gallop and heading to the top of the Leading Rider Standings. On Sunday afternoon, the overall Leading Rider will receive a Haygain HG One Hay Steamer from our Haygain and the overall Leading Lady Rider will receive a beautiful necklace from Victoria Cunningham Jewelry.
Casady was thrilled with his win. “This was our first show together,” Casady explained. “I jumped this horse in the 1.30m and the 1.35m and we figured we would try the 1.40m class. He stepped up to the plate and he was great.”
“I’m loving every minute of Riders Cup,” he added. “Everything is running smoothly. It’s awesome to only have two rings going. You can focus on your good horses and classes without a lot of extra distractions.”
It was 18-year-old, multi-year West Palms Michael Nyuis Scholarship Recipient Trent McGee and Mashallah who topped the $1,000 U25 sponsored by Neil Jones Equestrian. “Dale Harvey works really hard to give young riders as many opportunities as possible,” McGee commented. “Having these U25 classes is a phenomenal opportunity for riders like myself and it always brings out the best in us. Thanks to Neil Jones for sponsoring these classes.”
