Alex Matz won his first Grand Prix, riding Cashew CR to victory in the $100,000 Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix to culminate the first week of competition at the 2021 Lake Placid Horse Shows, Sponsored by Bainbridge Farms, LLC and Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC.
One of the premier stops on the nation's hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the 2021 Lake Placid Horse Shows, June 29-July 11, feature more than 100 classes of competition each week awarding more than $600,000 in prize money.
Matz was the first to try the 15-jump first-round course designed by Alan Wade and he turned in the first of 11 clean rides. The 24-year-old son of Show Jumping Hall of Famer Michael Matz and Pan American Games Bronze medalist D.D. Alexander Matz then set the mark to beat when he rode clean over the eight-jump tiebreaker course with a time of 36.860 seconds. He then watched and waited as the remaining 10 entries tried and failed to beat his time. Coming closest was Laura Chapot who finished clean in 38.875 seconds on Diarado’s Flying Dutchman to take second.
“I have a fast horse who gave it his all today so I thought there was a chance that our time might hold up even with so many fast ones going after me,” Matz said. “I came into the final combination on quite a strong angle and Cashew was really good to me there. He stayed straight and gave me a big effort and I think that’s probably where I won the class.
“It really is very special with both my parents here and most of my family and this is such a special place to win. I couldn’t be any happier!”