While several veteran pairs did their best to claim the victory in the $75,000 Agero Grand Prix on the final day of the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament, it was Devin Ryan and the aptly named Eddie Blue who continued a recent winning streak to take the top honors.

Despite the horse’s relatively young age, Ryan has guided the 8-year-old gelding to the winner’s circle frequently this summer, besting more seasoned competitors at top venues including the $100,000 I Love New York Grand Prix at Lake Placid in July and the CSI3*-W 1.50-meter $45,000 Open Welcome Quebec Original at International Bromont just a few weeks ago.

Devin Ryan on Eddie Blue at Silver Oak. Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography

“Today, I said to myself before I entered the ring, think smooth and soft, don’t try and pull him around—let him follow my hand. And I did that and the jumps showed up,” said Ryan, 34. “Eddie has a massive stride. I think I left out one stride in every line—more so than anyone else,” he added. “Galloping to the big jumps on a big field went to my advantage.”

Ryan found Eddie as a 4-year-old in Europe and bought him as a prospect with owners Laurie and Steve Laraby from Double L Show Jumpers. “They bought him for me to develop and he has proved himself this season,” Ryan said. “He’s getting quicker off the ground and improving in the jump-offs. He’s gotten faster through the season. I’ve gotten better with him, getting him to know him more and more.”

Ryan described Eddie Blue as “the horse of the future—a special horse—he has demonstrated that he is every part of it, especially in today’s grand prix.”

Renown course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. returned to Silver Oak after a hiatus last year to attend the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. In discussing Sunday’s grand prix track, Petersen described his philosophy for the week: “Always in my courses, I like free, forward riding—always forward moving, like the nature of our sport,” he said. His course plan would reward riders who asked their horses to gallop between fences. His goal was to test rideability of the horses who would be asked to jump an oxer-vertical-vertical combination, which he described as “a bit tricky because the riders are taught control and come back, but I want them to go forward.”

On designing courses for the Silver Oak grass field, Petersen concluded, “it’s a big field. We want the horse to gallop. Don’t jump one and pull—rather, jump one and go. That’s really my philosophy of the sport.”

In the first round of competition, Filip de Wandel and Jingo Didieu D’arras were trailblazers in the order of go and delivered a clear round. Amber Harte was the second to go clear on Austria 2, the speedy Holsteiner mare, earning a spot in the jump-off. Brianne Goutal and her Nice De Prissey earned the third clear.

Nine rounds later, Ryan and Eddie Blue clocked around the course clean and then late in the class, Willie Tynan piloted KEC City Limits, who had earned fourth in the Welcome Stake earlier this week, to another clear round. Last to go in the first round, defending champions Kevin Babington and Mark Q, put in the final clear to bring the jump-off number to six.

De Wandel and Jingo Didieu D’arras returned for the jump-off and finished the short track in 53.10 seconds, but with an unfortunate rail.  Next to return, Harte and Austria 2 rode a forward 46.44-second time, setting the time to beat. Shortly after, Goutal and Nice De Prissey jumped a solid clear round in 46.99 seconds.

Ryan and Eddie Blue delivered a forward paced, foot-perfect effort and shot to first at 45.26 seconds. Both Mark Q and KEC City Limits had 8 faults each to round out the top six placings.