Peter Breakwell and YJC Graduate Lucas (Landphoenix I x Lukull). McCool Photography.

San Juan Capistrano, CA – March 30, 2013 - The $40,000 Blenheim Spring Classic I Grand Prix, presented by the Orange County Register, welcomed twenty-two horse and rider participants onto the International Field at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park.  The Peters were in stride today – Peter Cottontail handled Easter brunch for exhibitors, Canadian Peter Holmes set an inviting course and New Zealander Peter Breakwell took home the top prize.

Seven riders piloted their mounts without fault to secure a spot in the jump-off. And of that group only two were double clean, Breakwell and second place finishers Michelle Spadone aboard Tembla (Morgan Hill Partners, owners).  Both of these top riders now call California home.

“My plan was to go fast, I didn’t know if I would be fast enough. But everything just kind of worked out,” explained Breakwell.

Continue reading Peter Breakwell & YJC Graduate Lucas Claim Victory in the $40,000 Blenheim Spring Classic I Grand Prix

John Pearce and YJC Graduate Chianto (Carano x Primus AA) won their second Smartpak Grand Prix of the HITS Desert Circuit winter season yesterday. The duo rode to a win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, over a star-studded jump-off. ©Flying Horse Photography

THERMAL, CA (March 9, 2013) – It was big and it was fast! Forty-nine horse and rider teams competed for top slots in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, Friday. Seventeen made the jump-off, with times getting progressively faster and building to a bang as the last pair to take the field, John Pearce and Chianto, knocked it out of the park for the win in 42.68 seconds.

Pearce, who lives in Bermuda Dunes, California, and rides for Canada, was able to shave fractions of a second off the ride that immediately preceded his – a tour by Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Windward Farm’s Unbelievable in 42.82 seconds, who took second place. Michaels-Beerbaum was also third on Octavia Farm’s Malou, in 44.38 seconds.

It was the second SmartPak Grand Prix win this winter for Pearce and Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm and Allison Moore. The duo won the $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, on February 24.

“It was just a great jump-off, right down to the wire,” Pearce said. “I went last, and the times just kept getting faster and faster. When Meredith went before me and was winning I knew I’d have to push as hard as I could.” Pearce’s strategy was to “gallop to the first line, which nobody else did. Out of the gate, I was flat out, and that’s what made the difference.”

Continue reading John Pearce and YJC Graduate Chianto Make it Two, with Another Win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix

Josephina Nor Lantzman and Chello Z topped a field of 52 to win $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal before the HITS Desert Circuit takes a week off and returns with four more weeks of competition February 19. ©Flying Horse Photography

(Ed. Note: Chello Z placed 5th in the YJC Western League Finals as a 5YO, & 7th as a 7YO.)

THERMAL, CA (February 12, 2013) – A week of thrilling show jumping competition culminating in the $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis,  brought HITS Desert Circuit III to wrap Sunday, concluding the first half of the 2013 winter circuit.

The grace note grand prix of Desert Circuit III was a show closer, with a tight contest that had spectators on the edge of their seats as 52 battled it out for the blue. Testing their skill over another scopey, technical course by Mexico’s Florencio Hernandez, five made it to the jump-off, but it was Del Mar’s Josephina Nor-Lantzman, riding her own Chello Z that took the top prize.

The 12-obstacle round one course was as much a test of mental concentration as physical agility and stamina, with some very technical questions. There were 15 jumping efforts, including three doubles and two very tight turns, with a tough line from an oxer at 10 to an oxer-vertical in-and-out at 11 a-b.

Continue reading Josephina Nor-Lantzman Cracks the Code to Win the $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with YJC Graduate Chello Z

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and YJC Graduate Cantano (Cascavelle x Acord II)made a triumphant return to the grand prix ring this weekend with a win in the $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal. Team Beerbaum had a great weekend and swept the top three spots. ©Flying Horse Photography

(Ed Note: Cantano placed in the Final of the YJC Western League as a 7YO with Susan Hutchison. The pair went on to place 1-3 in 25 Grand Prix before Cantano was sold to Octavia Farms LLC)

THERMAL, CA (February 4, 2013) – It was a triumphant return to Southern California for Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Cantano, owned by Octavia Farms, LLC, with a win in Sunday’s $30,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis. The pair topped a field of 42 entries and produced the fastest of two clears among eight jump-off contenders.

Indeed the trophy ceremony wound up a Team Beerbaum affair, as student Saer Coulter of Stanford, California, and Don VHP Z placed second with the afternoon’s only other double-clear. Meredith’s husband Markus Beerbaum finished third on Lancero. Both Coulter and Markus Beerbaum’s horses are owned by the Coulter family’s Copernicus Stables.

Continue reading Victory Marks Triumphant Return for Beerbaum and YJC Graduate Cantano