The Archers weren’t loving their position in seventh place heading into Leg 4 of Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ), but at the inaugural Highlands Cup, they rewrote the narrative. The team made up of Alex Matz (USA), Callie Schott (USA) and Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) put in an impressive performance to take the gold medal in the $200,000 MLSJ 5* Team Competition, presented by ClipMyHorse.tv.
After round one landed the Archers in second place overall, Schott and Philippaerts put in their best efforts with Ironix and H&M Que Sera, respectively, to earn their team a spot in the gold medal jump-off.
The reins were passed to Matz, who knew exactly what he had to do aboard his trusty partner Cashew CR.
“My horse is so naturally fast, so I felt confident that if I rode my round he would be tough to beat,” said Matz, who is no stranger to team competition, recently returning from representing the United States at the League of Nations™ Final in Barcelona. “He jumped well in the first round, so I just thought, ‘be fast but not reckless.’”
The time clocked at 42 seconds flat was faster than Natalie Dean’s (USA), who was the final rider to jump off for the Trelawny Trailblazers. Dean’s effort with Oasis van de Bucxtale secured her team—the only team to jump three clear rounds in round one—the silver medal. Taking home the bronze medal was Maccabi United, who retained their overall season lead after Leg 4.
From the sidelines, it’s apparent that the Archers have a strong team camaraderie, with several returning veteran riders—including Philippaerts and Schott—on the roster this week.
“It was really nice to have [Nicola] as part of the team again, and Alex and I have been teammates for a while,” Schott explained of their team dynamic. “It’s nice to talk through the rounds and get each other’s support and opinions on the course.”
Philippaerts, who is quite accustomed to the pressure of team competition, is pleased to be back stateside to compete in this unique team event.
“I think it’s a great experience,” he said of MLSJ. “I’m very happy to be back here in America and it was a great first show [with the Archers] today. I think the team spirit is great. We have great horses, great riders, great people, and John [Madden] is a very good manager. I’m always very happy to come back over here and join the Archers.”
Pedro Torres, Event Director at Highlands Cup, was pleased with the way the first team event at the inaugural show played out.
“It is an honor to be able to do this, and we have an amazing team,” he remarked. “Two months ago, there was nothing here but tents. It’s an amazing feeling to see what’s being created, and we’re excited about what we can do in the future. We’re looking at how we can make it better, how we can grow it, and bring the sport to the Northeast and keep all these guys here.”
Results here.
In other Highland Cup results, a couple of top-three finishes of note included Canada’s Amy Millar, who won the 1.40m Welcome Two Phase CSI 5* class on the opening Wednesday with Christiano; the pair were also 3rd in the 1.45m Winning Round CSI 5* on Saturday.
More info about the Highlands Horse Show here.
More News
