PrintJennie Brannigan may have been destined to win the inaugural Galway Downs CCI*** from the start.
Considering the incredible double-clear round she pulled off in show jumping today, Nov. 7, in Temecula, Calif., it was clear that the fates were on her side. She thinks her late horse Cooper might have been pulling some strings for her as well.
Brannigan and Cambalda were in the lead heading into show jumping on their dressage score of 46.0, but they didn’t have any room for mistakes. Even though second-placed Tamra Smith had to scratch Kristi Nunnink’s Corner Street before this morning’s jog, third-placed Alexandra Slusher and Last Call had put in a flawless round and were less than a rail behind them.
So when Brannigan missed to fence 5, the CWD oxer, and Nina Gardner’s 8-year-old Thoroughbred-cross gelding made a magnificent leap over the fence, coming down hard on the back rail, the crowd gave a collective gasp. But the rail didn’t fall—in fact, when it was inspected just after Brannigan and “Ping” crossed the finish line right on the optimum time, it was found to be perched precariously on the edge of its cups.
“When that jump stayed up, I just knew it was Cooper,” said Brannigan of the advanced partner she had to euthanize in December after an injury, several surgeries and founder. “There was no doubt in my mind that was him looking out for me.”
Brannigan and her veterinarian David Bogenrief donated a cooler bearing Cooper’s name as one of the prizes for the inaugural CCI*** at Galway Downs, so it was only fitting that Brannigan herself was its first winner.
“[Losing Cooper] was the worst thing that’s ever happened, and I miss him so much, so to win this means everything to me," said Brannigan, who’s now based in West Grove, Pa., but calls Temecula home. "I said to Allie [Slusher] the other day, 'If you win, can I have his cooler back?' I’m not really a very emotional person, and I don’t think a lot of people usually see that side of me, but I bawled coming through the finish line."
It’s been a big year for Brannigan. This was the fourth Federation Equestre Internationale win for she and Ping in 2010, and she’s learned a lot in the process.
"I’ve always struggled with this horse in the sense that he’s always behind my leg,” she said. “On the flat and in the jumping I’d say he’s weak behind. So that miss was completely my fault. But he’s come so far. He went from being something I wanted to sell two years ago to something I don’t think you’d ever want to sell! I can’t wait to see what he ends up being like even in a year. He’s really opened my eyes to the fact that horses do change."
Slusher Stakes Her Claim
Slusher, of Auburn, Calif., was thrilled to end up second in the three-star, so winning the CCI** was just the cherry on top of her weekend. She and Juicy Couture pulled one rail but still held onto the lead they’d established in dressage, finishing on a 53.2.
Like Brannigan and Ping, Slusher and her chestnut mare took awhile to hit their stride together.
“This weekend totally came together, and she was so mature and tried so hard every day,” said Slusher. “It’s been a long journey with her, so I’m absolutely thrilled.”
