Not even his famously fast barn mate Conor Swail could catch James Chawke on Saturday, April 6, at the Blenheim Spring Classic 1 in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
$15,000 1.40m Markel Open Jumper Classic, and in quick succession, followed up that win with the top spot in the $32,000 CSI2* 1.45m Winning Round Classic.
In the Winning Round Classic, Chawke’s victory came aboard his own 10-year-old Zangersheide mare, Daido van’t Ruytershof Z. The pair saw one rail fall in the first round, but thanks to the winning-round format, they had the opportunity to start on a clean slate over the Jaime Morillo-designed jump-off track.
Chawke was the fifth of 10 to come back for the second round, and, with the time to beat set at 43.17 seconds by Swail and Theo 160 – and with Swail still to also return on Vital Chance de la Roque – Chawke knew he needed to crank up the speed.
“When you’ve got Conor [Swail], Cassio [Rivetti] and Kyle [King] in the class, you’ve got to go pretty quick!” said Chawke, who went quickly indeed, stopping the clock in a winning 40.85 seconds.
Swail and Theo 160 held onto second place, and Swail also took home third with a time of 43.80 seconds aboard Vital Chance de la Roque.
“Conor and I have been working together for over 10 years at this stage, so he’s always very supportive,” said Chawke. “I mean, he won yesterday; I won today. I was second to him yesterday; he was second to me today. To beat him is not easy.
“[Daido van’t Ruytershof Z] is very competitive,” continued Chawke in speaking of the mare that he purchased at the end of 2023. “I just got to know her a little bit at the [Desert Horse Park]. She was really good there; she won quite a few classes.”
Now, Chawke will set his sights on next week’s CSI3* competition at the Blenheim Spring Classic 2 with both Daido van’t Ruytershof Z and his other winning mount on Saturday, Nacara van Berkenbroeck Z.
Rivetti Wins 2* Grand Prix
From a starting field of 24 horse-and-rider combinations, seven emerged clear in round one to advance to the jump-off designed by Jaime Morillo and set on the Oaks International Grand Prix Field at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park.
When Rivetti returned to the ring as the fourth to jump off, a clear round had yet to be produced, but he and Chagall de Toscane quickly showed the rest of the field how it was done. The duo stopped the clock in what would prove to be an uncatchable time of 33.34 seconds.
April 7, 2024 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – The first week of spring competition at Blenheim EquiSports came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday afternoon, April 7, as Brazil’s Cassio Rivetti and Chagall de Toscane jumped to victory in the $62,500 CSI2* Blenheim Spring Classic 1 Grand Prix.
From a starting field of 24 horse-and-rider combinations, seven emerged clear in round one to advance to the jump-off designed by Jaime Morillo and set on the Oaks International Grand Prix Field at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park.
When Rivetti returned to the ring as the fourth to jump off, a clear round had yet to be produced, but he and Chagall de Toscane quickly showed the rest of the field how it was done. The duo stopped the clock in what would prove to be an uncatchable time of 33.34 seconds.
Ireland’s Conor Swail and Count Me In were the next in the ring, and they came the closest to catching Rivetti as they breezed through the timers in 33.53 seconds – less than two-tenths of a second off Rivetti’s pace. With Rivetti and Swail taking the top two spots, third place went to frequent Blenheim EquiSports top contenders Nicole Haunert and My Lady Lavista.
“The first two jumps on the course were big,” said Rivetti. “It was a nice jump-off with good riders, and very fast. It was a nice course to jump.”
Rivetti’s winning mount, Chagall de Toscane, is owned by HF Farms LLC and is most often ridden by Rivetti’s student, amateur rider Laura Hite. However, with Hite away from the show for the week, Rivetti took the reins.