Nick Haness wasn’t so sure about being the first Tier I rider to enter the ring for the championship round of the Platinum Performance/USHJA 3’6”/3’9” Green Incentive Championship.

“I doubted myself and secretly told my friend Kate Conover that going first you can’t win,” he admitted afterwards.

But the Temecula, California, rider was wrong. He and Glade Run Farm LLC’s Circa set a standard that proved to be unbeatable in the clean-slate championship round. They scored a 93 from judges Brian Lenehan and Rob Bielefeld, a 92 from Bob Crandall and Shane George, and a 92 from Mark Jungherr and William Sparks to win the championship.

“I proved myself wrong, so I apologize for that comment,” Haness said with a grin. “I was told by [Circa’s trainer] Tom Wright, who’s a great trainer and horseman, that I was too slow to the first jump in the first round, and I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. So I went in and just picked up a good canter, and from that point forward she was amazing.”

Haness credited the 8-year-old mare’s expression, her canter consistency and snappy legs. “She’s more of a slow and consistent horse, and I try to go for it,” he said.

Watch their winning round, courtesy of USHJA:

This year the championship format changed slightly. The 3’6”/3’9” championship was held all on one day, in the Rolex Stadium. Ken Krome and Meghan Rawlins built the course.

“Everyone came into this week not sure how it would go,” Haness said of the class’ venue change from the Walnut Ring to the Rolex Stadium. “I, for one, was in favor of this change. I think the Rolex is a great venue to compete in. The stadium is beautiful and great. The views are great, and I think the horses actually feel pretty comfortable in this arena. They gave us a nice little holding area down below, so after you warmed up you could sort of get the horse down the ramp and step into this little lower arena and get them acclimated. They could take a look around and I think that many, many horses went great today. I think in years past you had a little bit more, as I call them, tragedies happen on course and there were very few this year. I feel like the whole class was solid.”

Of 82 entries, only one rider retired, and none were eliminated. Eleven horses pulled a rail.

Haness qualified all five of his mounts for the afternoon’s championship round, but he said he has a special relationship with the 8-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casall—U2 II). Last year Circa was the leading mare in the Platinum Performance/USHJA 3’/3’3” Green Incentive Championship, a title she earned again this year. She also finished as reserve champion at Devon (Pennsylvania) behind Frosted, who was second in this year’s championship with Jennifer Hannan.

“Circa is a very special horse to me,” said Haness, 36. “I imported her when she was 5 years old and sold her to the family that owns her now, the Karet family, under Tom Wright and Glade Run Farm. And so it’s been very rewarding to be a part of her journey, and that makes it extra special for me. I do catch ride a lot of horses and she’s one I share a special bond with, so it makes these victories even more special.”

Second-placed Hannan was thrilled with Frosted’s performance.

“ ‘Frosty’ is just kind of a class act all the way around,” Hannan said of Rindy Dominguez’s 10-year-old Holsteiner by Connor. “He’s a stallion, but you would never know, and everything about him is a pleasure, honestly. He tries his hardest every time, and he’s a great competitor.”

The top three horses all came out of the 3’6” section of the championship, including Daniel Geitner’s third placed mount, Animated.

“My horse—‘Patrick’ is his barn name—is just a sweetheart,” Geitner said. “He trail rides. He loves a venue like this. He’ll get a little bored in a small ring, but at a venue like this where you can gallop, he’s right at home. It’s pretty neat: I imported him as a 6-year-old, sold him to my neighbor, and she showed him and developed him in the last few years. He just came back into my life this winter.”

Breeding fans will be excited to hear that Circa and Frosty have a foal on the way, being born via surrogate.

“We’re pretty excited about the future,” Haness said.

Find full results here.

The Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Championship Week continues Wednesday with the first round of the 3’/3’3″ Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship.

Be sure you’re following along with the Chronicle on Facebook and Instagram @Chronofhorse. You can also read full analysis of hunter championship week in the Sept. 23 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine