McKayla Langmeier (USA) returned to the Old Salem Farm International Arena on Friday to claim several top placings, including her second victory of the week, at the 2023 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows. She proved uncatchable aboard Rafferty Farm LLC’s 10-year-old Oldenburg mare Chadina in Evergate Stables’ $40,000 New York Welcome Stake presented by Jumpr App with a double-clear time of 33.510 seconds, securing the win against a field of 45 entries representing 12 countries.
Course designer Alan Wade of Ireland set a challenging course featuring 16 total efforts and a time allowed of 77 seconds, narrowing the initial field to just eight horse-and-rider combinations in the jump-off with faults spread evenly around the track. Jump-off pathfinder Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) set an early time to beat with SMG Sport Horse LLC’s 11-year-old Zangersheide stallion Otto BH, stopping the clock in 35.210 seconds.
Derbyshire ultimately dropped to third as Langmeier and then Georgina Bloomberg (USA) caught her time. Riding her own smooth track, Bloomberg piloted Sempa Fidelis, a 14-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Gotham Enterprizes LLC, to a second-place finish in a time of 34.680 seconds.
“I watched Amanda go before me, but I stuck to the plan I had going in,” Langmeier said. “I thought my turn back to the liverpool was quite tidy, and I knew I could slice the turn into the second-to-last vertical. We had some great riders in the top ribbons, but I wasn’t too worried about going so early in the order. My mare is so good at following me and just turns when I ask her to, so that really creates a smooth jump-off ride.”
source: Press Release