Show jumping competition returned to the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring as the Traverse City Tournament of Champions kicked off a thrilling week of world-class competition. The $36,600 Elk Rapids Marina 1.45m CSI 3* welcomed top international athletes. In the end, just three Irish pairs managed clear rounds over the tactful course, and it was ultimately Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Indra van de Oude Heihoef who emerged victorious out of a competitive group of horse-and-rider combinations.
Canadian course designer Peter Grant (CAN) set forth a challenging 12-obstacle course that featured an oxer-vertical double combination early on, and ended with a long approach to a two-stride to a vertical, which caused many rails down. As a result, only three athletes cleared the course without error, ultimately securing them the top three spots on the podium, including Sweetnam (IRL), Simon McCarthy (IRL) aboard Gotcha and Jonathan McCrea (USA) with Gazelle ES, all representing their home country of Ireland.
Sweetnam (IRL) and his longtime mount Indra dan de Oude Heihoef, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by the Blue Buckle Group, were second in the ring to try their hand at the technical course and became the pathfinders for the remainder of the class with a clear round and quick time of 67.76 seconds. Sweetnam (IRL) spoke highly of his partner and believed her competitive and careful nature truly shone in Thursday’s speed class.
McCarthy (IRL) entered the ring prepared to challenge Sweetnam’s fast and precise round with Gotcha, a 10-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Rock Ridge Farms. The pair were hot on Sweetnam’s heels, but would ultimately finish with a clear round just seven-tenths of a second behind the leading horse and rider combination with a quick time of 68.46 seconds.
Source: Press Release