SEPTEMBER 2019 THE RIDER /53


Jos Verlooy and Sydney Shulman Turn On the Speed for WIHS International Jumper Wins


The international show


jumpers took center stage on Thursday, October 24, at the 61th annual Washington In- ternational Horse Show (WIHS) for their first two competitions of the week durning WIHS Barn Night. In the $50,000 International Jumper Welcome Stake, Jos Verlooy of Belgium rode Varoune to victory, while Is- rael’s Sydney Shulman topped the $36,000 Interna- tional Jumper Accumulator Costume Class. Verlooy, who has com-


peted at WIHS in years past and won the Puissance class in 2015, made a daring turn between fences 3 and 4 in the second round to slice seconds off his time. “In a jump-off you have to take a few risks, and the risk paid off for me tonight,” he said. He finished with a time of 41.62 seconds, relegating U.S. rider Alex Granato and Carlchen W to second with a time of 41.75 seconds. Irish rider Darragh Kenny took third with a 42.16-sec- ond round on Classic Dream.


The $50,000 Welcome


Stake was held as a “win- ning round” format, where the top 16 riders, regardless of how many faults they had in the afternoon’s first round, were invited back for the second round, which was held in the evening ses- sion. Verlooy came back for the second round as the 14th in the order and set the pace. For the victory, he accepted the Ben O’Meara Memorial Challenge Trophy. “It’s always nice to


start the week with a win,” said Verlooy. “It gives you confidence for the rest of the show. My main goal this week is the [$136,300 Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Washing- ton, presented by Events DC for the President’s Cup], but my horse is fine with going fast in the first class. Some horses get a bit worried by that, but he doesn’t.” Verlooy has been rid-


ing Varoune, an 11-year-old


Oldenburg gelding (Verdi— Landgirl) owned by Euro- horse BVBA, for just four months. “He’s fast because he’s just so careful,” he said. “I’m getting to know him more and more. In the jump- offs, I’m starting to learn where I can make the time up. I must say, he’s getting faster and faster. He’s the kind of horse that I can re- ally gallop up to the fences. I think he’s the kind of horse that will only get faster and faster.” Verlooy is just 23, but


already is a veteran of Bel- gian championship teams and earned individual bronze and helped the Bel- gian team win team gold at the 2019 FEI European Championships in August. While Verlooy last com- peted at WIHS in 2015, when he placed in the top five of every class in the in- ternational open jumper di- vision, he decided early this year to include the show in his 2019 schedule. “I made the plan at the beginning of this year that I’d really like


her since a six-year-old and brought her along,” she said. “I live for this horse. She is my pride and joy. Every time I ask her to do some- thing, whether it’s a bigger grand prix than she’s ever done, or any speed class, she totally steps up her game. She was my main speed horse as an eight- and nine- year-old, but now she’s had to step up a little bit and be my main grand prix horse. She’s done everything I’ve asked her and more. I brought her here specifically aiming for this class and to- morrow night’s speed class, because she’s very brave and competitive.” Riders dressed them-


Jos Verlooy and Varoune. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography


tume Class in her first year of competing in the interna- tional open jumper division at WIHS. She topped the class riding Villamoura as the fastest round of the nine riders who picked up 65 points over the jumps, fin- ishing in 41.04 seconds. “I looked at the list of


riders and I had dreamed to be in a class with these peo- ple, let alone to beat them,” Shulman, 24, said. “So I’m going to really remember this! It’s special to be here.”


The first through ninth


to come,” he said. “It’s a very special show, in the middle of the city. The show has so many traditions. I enjoy seeing my American friends. It’s nice to do some-


Sydney Shulman and Villamoura. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography thing different.”


Sydney Shulman Goes Like Lightning to Win $36,000 International Jumper Accu- mulator Costume Class


Sydney Shulman, who


rides for Israel, just couldn’t stop grinning after picking up the blue ribbon in the $36,000


International Jumper Accumulator Cos-


Hunter Champey Wins $12,500 NAL Low Junior/ Am- ateur Jumper Final Presented by Horseflight at the 2019 Pennsylvania National Horse Show


Harrisburg, PA - October 19, 2019 - Hunter Champey of Bedminster, NJ rode Hill Top Van Het Gavershof to the win in the $12,500 North Ameri- can League (NAL) Low Junior/Ama- teur Jumper Final Presented by Horseflight on Saturday at the 2019 Pennsylvania National Horse Show (PNHS). Ten of 29 entries qualified for


failed to beat her score with the closest


the jump-off by riding without penalty over the 15-effort, 1.30m first-round course designed by Michel Vaillan- court. Sixth to try the 8-effort jump-off course, Champey moved into the lead with a clean ride in 30.810 seconds. The remaining four entries


just to stay neat, not more galloping,” Champey continued. “It was a good


horse. He really tries his heart out for me,” the 14-year-old Champey said of her 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood. “I did make a few mistakes along the way, but he held all the jumps up and I couldn’t be more grateful for such an amazing horse. “My plan for the jump-off was


being Mimi Gochman of New York, NY, who rode SFS Harriet to a clean ride in 31.190 seconds and ultimately earned second place. Third place went to Grace Debney of Hampden, MA, who finished clean in 31.330 seconds on Darc Kiss Z. “Hill Top is just the bravest


plan because he needs a little more room at the verticals. Then it was just neat everywhere else.” Champey, who trains with Alex


Inganamort and Elinor Kunsman, has been competing at Harrisburg since she was “8 or 9 doing small ponies. I’ve grown to this level doing the low juniors and I owe a lot to my trainers who push me along the way. Hill Top is the horse I never thought I could have. He’s taken me to my first Na- tions Cup, my first Young Riders, and now my first win in Harrisburg. He’s just amazing, helping me feel much more confident in my ride. I love him.”


place riders all collected 65 points, which meant they cleared all 10 jumps on course, including the final “joker” fence worth 20 points. There was also a spe- cial Washington Nationals World Series-themed fence on course, and Irish rider Shane Sweetnam dressed up as Nationals shortstop Trea Turner in honor of the base- ball team’s World Series ap- pearance the same week as


WIHS. With nine riders out of


the 24 starters on the same score, the class results came down to speed. “I watched some horses go, and after Adrienne [Sternlicht] went, I thought, ‘There’s no way I can be faster,’ but I had to try!” Shulman said. “My horse doesn’t have nearly the size of stride that she does. I had to think about being faster in the turns and across the ground. I added [strides] in two places that she left a stride out, but for my horse that’s what works. U.S. rider Sternlicht


ended up in second place riding Fantast with 65 points in 42.34 seconds, while fel- low U.S. rider Catherine Tyree piloted Catungee into third place with 65 points in 44.09 seconds. Villamoura, a 10-year-


old Selle Français mare (Diamant de Semilly— Kasina) owned by Jill Shul- man, is one of Sydney’s favorite horses. “I’ve had


selves and their horses in costume for the class, and Sydney, of Greenwich, CT, crowdsourced from her stu- dents for ideas for her cos- tume. “We wanted something fast, because the horse is very fast, so they thought of Pikachu, who is a lightning bolt. So, then I au- tomatically became the Pokéman trainer, Ash,” Syd- ney said. “When we were walking the course, I threw 30 plush Poké balls out into the crowd. And the kids I threw them to were so ex- cited at the end when I won.”


For their victory, Shul-


man was presented with the Crown Royal Trophy, while Villamoura was awarded the Sue Ann Geisler Memorial Trophy, donated by the Washington International Horse Show, as the top horse in the class. The Best Costume


Award, presented by The Stephens Family, was given to Kristen Vanderveen, who dressed as Cruella de Ville riding Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili, who was decorated to look like a Dalmatian. Her groom, Luis Salazar, will share the prize money. With 10 clear rounds over the Buck Breast Cancer jump, $5,000 was donated to the Capital Breast Care Center.


Hunter Champey and Hill Top Van Het Gavershof (c) Al Cook Photography


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