“I went early in the order and Copycat jumped fantastic – actually felt really easy. He is an amazing horse and he popped around it,” expressed Gallagher. “I want to say thanks to the owners, Lost Lake Farm. They’ve been great supporters of mine now these past couple of years and we’ve knocked on the door a lot, but this is our first grand prix win, so thanks very much to them!”

Bernardo Costa Cabral set a technical track that kept horses and riders focused from start to finish for the final event of the week. After an opening bending line, riders had to jump an oxer-vertical double combination before continuing to another bending line through the middle of the ring with a liverpool. They finished the course with a vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination bending to the final wide oxer just past the gate. Only two athletes completed the course without error and advanced to the tiebreaker. The jump-off included a tight rollback after the second fence before the second half of the triple combination to a new oxer and one more rollback to the final line galloping away from the gate.

With just two returning for the speed phase, both riders knew they would need to be quick and clear to earn the win. Gallagher and Copycat returned first and with a quick gallop to the double combination and tight turns they were able to gallop through the timers in 46.591 with all the rails intact. Pratt and Ideaal ES were next and they tried to stay on the pace, but with their focus on a clear round they fell just short of Gallagher’s time as they stopped the clock at 47.799 seconds for second place.

Gallagher was thrilled to earn his first grand prix win with Copycat, an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding by Comme Il Faut, at the Kentucky Horse Shows. “Kentucky is my summer home,” he concluded. “I’ve lived here since 2012 and I love competing here. I’m Irish, but I feel like a local now, and I know a lot of the people here have friends that are in the racing industry, come out every weekend to watch the Grand Prix!”