Scott Stewart may have claimed his fifth consecutive leading hunter rider title at the Devon Horse Show, but it didn’t come without a fight. Californian John French flew in and gave Stewart a run for his money during the professional hunter divisions, May 28-30 in Devon, Pa.
Stewart always comes to Devon loaded for bear, with multiple horses from his impressive string of mounts entered in each division. This year, however, the star of Stewart’s show was a new one even for him. Fellow rider and good friend Holly Orlando asked Stewart on Monday morning, the first day of the show, if he’d ride Highland Park in the regular conformation division. Orlando trains the horse, but was looking for another jockey. Stewart said yes, hopped on Highland Park, jumped a few jumps, and went in the ring.
Highland Park promptly won the first class, and went on to claim not only the regular conformation championship, but also the grand hunter tricolor. “He was my easiest one,
Stewart said with a smile. “It’s a first for me, for sure.”
Orlando trains Highland Park for his owner, Laura Lee Montross, and Montross also shows him in the adult amateur division. But Highland Park—at a substantial 17 hands—is a little too big for Orlando’s comfort level. Jimmy Torano, from whom Montross bought the big bay, usually shows him. But Torano judged during the Devon junior weekend, so couldn’t show. Orlando looked to Stewart.
“I think he’s a great rider, and I thought he’d be suitable for the horse,” Orlando said.
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Stewart and French fought an epic battle all week, trading wins. French and Andiamo won the regular working title by just a one-point margin over Stewart and Dynamic. And French guided Scout to the green conformation championship over Stewart and Perfectionist. French’s fellow Californians, Peter Lombardo and Mandarin, pulled out all the stops to win the final stake class in the regular conformation division, but it wasn’t quite enough, as Stewart and Highland Park took the championship and relegated Lombardo and Mandarin to reserve.
Stewart wasn’t to be beaten in the first year green division, which he won aboard Molly Ohrstrom’s Ovation. But neither French nor Stewart factored in the second year green division, where Jennifer Alfano rode Rock Star to edge out Jennifer Bauersachs on Sterling for the championship.
French couldn’t have been happier with his first Devon appearance in 20 years. An East Coast native, French grew up in Maryland and showed at Devon as a junior and young professional. But in the 80s, he moved to California, and came east only for the fall indoor shows. This year, however, trainer Archie Cox decided to bring a full contingent of clients and horses out for Devon and asked French to join them to ride a few. The trip proved worthwhile as student Lucy Davis took the grand junior hunter and best child rider titles during Devon junior weekend.
French and Peter Lombardo kept Cox’s spirits high with their two championships and one reserve between them. “I didn’t expect to do this well at all,” French said. “I haven’t been here in 20 years, so my goal was to just come and have fun and do as well as I could.”
Check in on Friday morning for coverage of the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon, including story and photos, and then again on Saturday evening for coverage of Devon’s amateur hunter and jumper divisions.
