Friday: Roadrunners Set Season 6 Pace
The DIHP Roadrunners opened Major League Show Jumping Season 6 with a statement win on Friday, claiming the season’s first 5* Team Competition at Angelstone Events in Toronto.
The opening round made one thing clear: Season 6 came with a clean slate. Maccabi United arrived in Toronto as both the defending leg winners and reigning MLSJ champions, but faults from Ilan Bluman and Mark Bluman ended the Season 5 champions’ run in Round 1.
First in the order, the Trelawny Trailblazers became the first team to punch their ticket to Round 2. Charlotte Jacobs and Rincoola Milsean opened the class with one rail down before new Trailblazers teammate Alex Matz delivered a clear aboard Clarimo. Lillie Keenan followed with another clear aboard Corexstra X, a new addition to her string, securing the Trailblazers’ place in the next round.
The Archers and Roadrunners followed the Trailblazers into Round 2, leaving one spot still up for grabs. Last to go in the opening round, Team KPF secured the final place in the top four.
Two teams that stood on the Toronto podium in Season 5 found a very different result in this year’s opening round. The Rainmakers, third in Toronto one year ago, saw Bliss Heers and Skylar Wireman each finish with two rails down, while a costly moment between Jordan Coyle and Dexterity Z added to a difficult start. The Rainmakers finished the night in eighth.
Maccabi United also found themselves in unfamiliar territory. A miscommunication at the final fence between Ilan Bluman and Acajou, followed by an uncharacteristic 12-fault effort from Mark Bluman and Phelina De Septon, left the defending champions with too much ground to recover. Daniel Bluman and Hummer Z delivered a clear, but it was not enough to move Maccabi into Round 2.
With four teams remaining, Round 2 saw the Trailblazers and Roadrunners secure their places in the gold medal match, while the Archers and KPF were sent to battle for bronze.
World No. 2 Kent Farrington set the pace for KPF in the bronze medal match, but Mckayla Langmeier answered for the Archers, stopping the clock faster to claim third.
With bronze decided, the Trelawny Trailblazers and Roadrunners went head-to-head for the first team gold of Season 6.
Charlotte Jacobs set the target for the Trailblazers, but Daniel Coyle had the final word. Making his first MLSJ Team Competition appearance for the Roadrunners, the Season 6 addition took on the deciding match with a young mount and secured gold for his new team.
“Daniel knew what he had to do when he went in. He’s one of the fastest riders out there and planned it perfectly,” said Roadrunners teammate Shane Sweetnam.
The win also showed the strength of a Roadrunners team that extends beyond the riders competing in Toronto.
“We got messages from our manager, McLain, Ilan, from both owners of the team. It’s a really good team vibe,” said Erynn Ballard.
The result puts the Roadrunners first, with the Trelawny Trailblazers taking second and the Archers completing the opening podium in third.
With Season 6’s new team competition points multiplier in play, the Toronto win gives the Roadrunners a strong early lead in the overall standings. Behind them, the Trelawny Trailblazers and KPF are separated by just one point in the battle for second.
Complete results from the $325,000 5* Team Competition presented by Cabana Coast can be found here.
***
Saturday: Sweetnam Takes $500,000 5* Kubota Grand Prix
The first Grand Prix of Major League Show Jumping Season 6 took center stage under the lights Saturday night in Toronto, with Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z taking the win in the $500,000 5* Grand Prix presented by Kubota.
Thirty combinations took on the 1.60m track set by Olympic course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA). The course proved selective from start to finish, with the triple combination late in the track causing trouble for a number of the night’s contenders.
First on course, Ilan Bluman (COL) and Acajou set the standard for the field. The pair produced the first clear of the night in 80.85 seconds, narrowly inside the 82 second time allowed, and would remain the only combination qualified for the jump off through the midway break.
Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z were the next to leave every fence standing. Returning after the break, the Irish combination crossed the timers clear in 78.66 seconds to force a jump-off.
The clear carried added significance for Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z, who is still early in his 5* Grand Prix career. “This is only his second 5* Grand Prix and the last one he did was in Monterrey (MLSJ Finals), which he was also clear in” said Sweetnam of his mount.
As the first round drew to a close, Thursday’s 5* Qualifier winners Kent Farrington (USA) and Descartes SR produced the third clear of the night, setting a three-horse jump-off from the original field of 30.
With Farrington still to come as the final combination in the jump-off, Sweetnam knew there would be little room for error. “It’s something I’m always trying to figure out, as I finish second to Kent a lot” recounted Sweetnam when asked about his jump off strategy.
Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z stopped the clock in 39.08 seconds to take control of the class and put the pressure on Farrington.
Farrington returned with Toronto history on his side. A Grand Prix winner in Season 3, the World No. 2 entered the ring with a chance to add another title to his record.
Last to challenge Sweetnam’s time, Farrington and Descartes SR had the pace to take the lead, but the penultimate fence came down. Four faults left the pair in second and secured the opening Grand Prix win of Season 6 for Sweetnam and Coriaan Van Klapscheut Z.
The result marks Farrington’s third consecutive runner-up finish in the Toronto Grand Prix, capping an opening week that saw him win Thursday’s 5* Qualifier before finishing second in Saturday’s Grand Prix. (Farrington then skipped over to Michigan to win Sunday’s $116,050 Agero & Silver Oak Grand Prix in Traverse City – read about it here.)
Sweetnam’s victory puts the first Grand Prix points of Season 6 on the board as Major League Show Jumping closes out Leg 1 in Toronto. The League now moves to Traverse City, Michigan, for Leg 2, September 10- 12.
Complete results from the $500,000 5* Grand Prix presented by Kubota can be found here.
More News
