Devon, Pa., May 30-June 1
Touchdown’s show record before the Devon Horse Show was pretty short. In fact, he almost didn’t even qualify to show in the professional divisions. But after Devon, his résumé is much more distinguished, as Scott Stewart rode the flashy chestnut to the grand hunter and regular conformation hunter tricolors.
“He really could be a pre-green horse,” Stewart said. “But he’s got such a great mind that we just started him in the green conformation in Florida and then did a few regular conformation divisions. His jump is amazing, and he’s got such a great balance that he’s so easy to ride. You don’t have to touch the reins; he’s really direct for a young horse.”
Touchdown, 6, won every over fences class in the division, won the model and was third in the hack on his way to a commanding capture of the grand championship.
Touchdown knew his way around the Dixon Oval even before Stewart hopped on him for the first class on Monday. Stewart’s student, Tori Colvin, rode him to the large junior hunter, 15 and under, championship during Devon’s junior weekend on May 27-28. “Tori’s rounds probably helped me; doing the junior hunters got him really confident in the ring,” Stewart said.
Watch Touchdown’s winning regular conformation hunter stake class round, which scored an 87…
Stewart first spotted Touchdown as a 2-year-old in Germany, but the Oldenburg (Quattro-B—Schila) was on his way to a dressage career. “He wasn’t available then, but then they decided he didn’t have the movement for an upper level dressage horse,” Stewart said. He imported Touchdown, then a stallion, castrated him, and jumped his first jumps in July of last year.
Touchdown’s show debut was at the Capital Challenge (Md.) in October, where he showed in the future hunter division. Stewart then showed him in the green conformation division one week during the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.), then stepped him right up to the regular conformation division. “In Florida, he’d have a good round but then jump a couple of funny jumps just because he was so green,” Stewart said. “But in the last few weeks he’s really gotten more consistent.”
Sleepless In Devon
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Touchdown might have been the leader by points at Devon, but if you counted the scores earned in each round and the amount of buzz going around the showgrounds about a horse, Come Monday was the true leader. The elegant bay mare and John French cruised to three first year green wins over fences—all of them with scores in the 90s.
French spotted Come Monday in January—Rolf Bauersachs had imported her, and she’d just gotten out of quarantine. French talked his client Gail Morey into buying her, and French promptly shipped her back to the HITS Desert Circuit (Calif.) showgrounds and won three consecutive first year green hunter championships with her. Davlyn Farms then bought Come Monday. French showed her once more, in Week 5 of Thermal, and they were champion again. But after that, Davlyn Farms trainer Christa Endicott took over the ride.
Two weeks before Devon, Endicott called French and asked him if he’d like the ride at Devon. “Of course, I jumped at the chance!” French said. He’d originally planned to leave Devon after his junior student, Olivia Esse, was done showing, but he stayed to ride Come Monday.
During junior week, French thought “Gracie” might like a change of scenery. “It was so hot. I told Christa, ‘I think Gracie should go to the [local layover farm at Troy Hendricks’ farm] and get turned out for a bit.’ She was too busy to deal with it, so I arranged for her to get shipped there, and I went over to take care of her myself. I rode her and set up a little course to get the feel of her again,” French said.
Once Gracie had shipped back to the showgrounds, French had trouble keeping himself occupied with just the one horse to show. “You put a lot more pressure on yourself when you’re not so busy!” French said. “I didn’t sleep last night—I was just thinking, ‘One more class.’ ” That one last class went just as beautifully as the two before it had, and Come Monday claimed the stake win with a score of 92.
A Winning Legacy
Hunt Tosh came to Devon without his superstar of last year, Lone Star, the 2010 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals winner. But he’s got two great young horses that are doing their best to step into his shoes.
Cold Harbor won two classes and placed second in the stake to clinch the green conformation hunter tricolor, while Good Humor topped the second year green division with a win in the handy class and other ribbons.
“Cold Harbor was a little bit overwhelmed in the first class on Monday, but he did win the model and the under saddle that day, which gave a good start,” Tosh said. “Then he settled in and went beautifully.” Cold Harbor is just 6; Tosh imported him in January for owner Douglas Wheeler and rode him to the green conformation circuit championship at the HITS Ocala winter circuit.
“He could technically be a pre-green horse, but he tries to do everything so correctly, and he’s really talented,” Tosh said.
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Good Humor, 9, has been in Tosh’s barn for three years, and he’s brought him up from a pre-green hunter to the second year division. He’s aptly named, according to Tosh. “His barn name is even ‘Happy,’ because he just is,” he said. “He’s always so consistent; he’s a real steady eddy. With Cold Harbor, I might not know what to expect because he’s greener, but I know Happy will get here and do his job.”
Winning at Devon is a special thrill for Tosh. “I still remember being a little kid and watching all the fabulous horses and riders go in this ring,” he said.
A Home For Life
Jen Alfano has waited many years for Jersey Boy to develop consistency. She’s always joked that the derby specialist is hard to beat when he’s on but can also have his less than stellar moments. But at Devon, Jersey Boy decided the time was nigh to put on a show, and claimed two wins and a second place over fences to take the high performance hunter championship.
“The only mistake he had this week was mine,” Alfano said with a wry grin, referring to a dramatically missed distance in the handy round. “I was really going for it in the hand-gallop, and maybe I should have pulled on the reins a little bit!”
Jersey Boy wins so much that it’s hard to remember he’s still just 9. He made a big Devon debut in 2008, claiming the second year green championship. Alfano has worked hard to develop the chestnut, who has a lovely jump but a bit of a quirky mentality, into the winner that he is.
“He’s a funny horse. Last year at Devon, I don’t think we got a single ribbon in the regular working hunter classes, but then he won the derby,” Alfano said.
“We spent a lot of time and heartbreak with him, dealing with lots of spooking and spinning,” said trainer Susie Schoellkopf, showing a true depth of emotion about the horse. “We’ve been offered a lot of money for him, but he will always be Jen’s horse. He will be with us forever.”
