NOVEMBER 2023 THE RIDER /43


Never Count Out Conor Swail! Irish Rider Races to Victory in $39,000 CSI4*-W 1.50m Las Vegas National “All In” Speed Classic


Las Vegas, NV – Ireland’s Conor Swail can be counted on to crank up the speed, and on Thursday evening, he and Count Me In did just that, racing to the win in the $39,000 CSI4*-W 1.50m Las Vegas National “All In” Speed Classic at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, NV. Swail and the 17-year-


old Hanoverian gelding


were the 26th of 42 entries to take on the speed track designed by Olaf Petersen Jr., and Swail had the slight advantage of having already navigated the course on his first mount, Vital Chance de la Roque. While Swail had one


rail down on “Vinny,” his quick time of 60.68 seconds was something he wanted to emulate with Count Me In.


“I was trying to sort of cobs


replicate that round because it was a good one, even though I just had one little mistake,” explained Swail. Swail did not replicate


his time in that round. In- stead, he bettered it, stop- ping the clock in 60.01 seconds to take the win. Fin- ishing just behind Swail with a time of 60.36 seconds was the USA’s Charlotte Ja-


aboard Rincoola


Milsean in her debut trip to the Las Vegas National CSI4*-W. Rounding out the top


three were seconds, Jill


Humphrey (USA) and Chromatic BF on a time of 62.06


and


Canada’s Vanessa Mannix took fourth place in 63.25 seconds with her own Lehar. For the victory, Swail


was awarded an Ethel M Chocolates


Premium


Chocolate Gift Basket, an Ogilvy saddle pads, a Blenheim EquiSports cool- erette, a Topline Design Ribbon Wreaths custom pic- ture frame and gift certifi- cate and horse treats, courtesy of Horseflight. “Count Me In is a


wonderful horse; he’s one of the best horses I’ve ever rid- den,” said Swail of the geld- ing best known as “Crosby” in the barn. “He’s quite grumpy, actually, when he’s in the stables, so you have to leave him alone and let him do his own thing in the stall, but when he comes out, he knows his job. He gets on with it. He’s a prolific win- ner.”


Swail is a highly pro- Conor Swail and Count Me In. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


lific winner in his own right and has topped multiple FEI classes at the Las Vegas Na- tional over the past few years.


“I’ve been coming


here the last three or four years now; I really enjoy the show,” said Swail. “Obvi- ously, the event itself is spectacular, and it’s nice to be able to go and do a few extracurricular things also – a bit of golf and a few shows and whatever.” While Swail will take


advantage of a day off on Friday to enjoy some of what Vegas has to offer, his sights are set firmly on Sat- urday night’s $226,000 Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM Las Vegas. “[The win was] a good


way to start for sure. I was very happy that it went the way that I was hoping it would go,”


concluded Conor Swail and Count Me In. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


Swail. “We’ll go and do something fun tonight and


Blenheim EquiSports Announces First Phase of Facility Upgrades at The Riding Park


San Juan Capistrano, CA – November 18, 2023 – Blenheim EquiSports announced today its first phase of upgrades at The Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano after securing a long-term lease with the city of San Juan Capistrano, CA.


The Ortega Field will be con-


verted from grass to all-weather high-per- formance footing and will include an ebb-and-flow underground wa- tering system. While The Riding Park


will remain the country’s premier location for competing on grass, this addition will allow Blenheim EquiSports to rest and rotate the grass competition arenas in order to keep the turf in top condition. The newly reconfigured


Ortega Arena will feature addi- tional spectator seating on both the


east and west ends, which will comple- ment the existing Medal Club and Cafe viewing areas. Most importantly, it will be designed to host both hunter and jumper feature events and will provide an alterna- tive location for a wide range of competi- tions previously held on the Oaks International Grand Prix Field. To learn more about Blenheim


EquiSports, visit


www.ThePlaceToJump.com. Blenheim EquiSports is an


equestrian event management company based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, pro- ducing horse shows in San Juan Capis- trano, CA and Las Vegas, NV. Located minutes from the Pa-


cific Ocean in Southern California, Blenheim EquiSports deliv- ers the ideal destination and equestrian lifestyle experi- ence, enjoyed by competi- tors and spectators alike. With up-scale shopping, beaches and award-winning golf courses all in close proximity, Blenheim EquiS- ports is the perfect place to plan a “showcation!” Learn more


at ThePlaceToJump.com.


Conor Swail was presented as the winner of the $39,000 CSI4*-W 1.50m Las Vegas National “All In” Speed Classic. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


try to win this World Cup on Saturday night!” For full results of the


$39,000 CSI4*-W 1.50m Las Vegas National “All In” Speed Classic, click here. The Las Vegas Na-


tional CSI4*-W, featuring the Marshall & Sterling In- surance / USHJA National Championships, continues through Sunday, November 19, with the featured


$226,000 Longines FEI Jumping World CupTM Las Vegas, taking center stage on Saturday evening, No- vember 18. Admission is free for all events, with the exception of Saturday night, with tickets available for purchase here. While at the South


Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, competitors and guests are encouraged to also join in


the Formula 1 Las Vegas fun, with a Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Viewing Party being held in the Showroom at South Point on Saturday evening follow- ing the conclusion of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™Las Vegas. Learn more about the


Las Vegas National CSI4*- W at TheLasVegasNa- tional.com.


Second-place finishers Charlotte Jacobs and Rincoola Milsean. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography


Little Village Monthly Acquires Draft Horse Journal Magazine Of Iowa


Uniondale, New York – Little Vil- lage Magazine, a monthly news and culture magazine that produces two distinct print editions to serve the Eastern and Central Iowa areas based in Iowa City, Iowa, and has a second office in Des Moines, has acquired the assets of The Draft Horse Journal Magazine, a glossy family owned and operated internationally distrib- uted title first published in 1964. Lynn Telleen, who Kevin Kamen, president/CEO of New York–based Kamen & Co Group Services, LLC represented, sold the heavy horse title, to Matthew Steele, owner of Little Village Monthly. The publica- tion’s editorial coverage focuses on


all aspects of the heavy horse trade, including in-depth features, profiles on the best of the best, show results, market reports, veterinarian and legal advice, history, and more.


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