How well does McLain Ward need to know a horse before he wins a grand prix class on it? Apparently, not too well, since he and Capitano won the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon the very first time he rode him.

Usual rider Danielle Torano was supposed to ride Capitano on the night, June 1, in the Devon Horse Show’s Dixon Oval in Devon, Pa. But while she was riding the lanky bay gelding around the schooling ring, just minutes before he was scheduled to go in the order, she had a funny feeling.

It turns out that Torano is three months pregnant. “I knew I wasn’t focused enough. I was too worried. My doctor said it was safe to be riding up to this point, but I was struggling with when to stop. But when I got on tonight, I knew immediately it was time,” she said.

Torano hopped off Capitano, and she and husband Jimmy asked Ward if he’d be willing to ride him around. “I thought McLain was the only one who would even consider doing it,” said Torano. “Capitano’s totally straightforward, and you can completely trust him. I thought McLain rode him perfectly–it was really fun to watch.”

Despite having steered Capitano over just a few jumps in the schooling area, Ward cantered into the Dixon Oval and turned in a smooth, clean round over Olaf Peterson Jr.’s first-round course.

And he returned to best nine others in the jump-off, turning in a jump-off time 3 seconds faster than second-placed Max Amaya on Church Road. “I’ve seen Capitano go a lot, so I knew he was honest, scopey and well trained. I figured it would be a chance to win a little more prize money, and it worked out better than I could have imagined,” Ward said with a wry grin.

“The nice thing about that kind of situation is that there’s not a lot of pressure. You ride off feel, because you’ve got nothing else to go on, and a lot of times, that works even better,” he continued. “I felt like I had nothing to lose.”

Danielle’s due date is Dec. 13, but Jimmy jokingly declared they’re not going to name the child McLain, despite the circumstances.

And Ward didn’t play it safe in the jump-off–he went for broke. One rollback inside turn to the second oxer was the winning move no one else attempted. The only one who even came close to Ward’s time of 37.62 seconds was grand prix rookie Addison Phillips, just 16, on Trezebees.

Phillips had already had a phenomenal Junior Weekend at Devon (see p. 46) and topped it off by blazing around the grand prix jump-off. She attempted a modified version of Ward’s inside turn–while he cut to the inside of two jumps, she galloped through the gap between them, dodging the shrubberies decorating them. The daring move paid off with a quick time of 37.89 seconds, but a flat-out gallop to the last vertical brought that rail down, leaving her in fifth.

All week, Ward and Laura Chapot traded wins in the open jumper division, racing for the coveted leading open jumper rider title. And when Chapot and Little Big Man qualified for the grand prix jump-off, the stage was set for a speed duel. But the firey little chestnut gelding–known for his athletic leaps and huge gallop–was off his game a bit.

“I thought I was conservative in a few places. I didn’t take as many risks as I might have. I was happy with him, but I thought he was maybe not quite as sparky as he usually is,” Chapot said.

Chapot’s time of 40.93 seconds gave Amaya a goal to shoot for. “I just wanted to go as fast as I could and do all the inside turns. I’ve watched Laura for many years, and she’s a fast rider. I never beat her, so I knew I had to go fast. So, I went as fast as I could because it was the only chance I had,” he said.

His clean jump-off in 40.61 seconds was just fast enough to best Chapot but didn’t come close to besting Ward and Capitano. Amaya wasn’t too disappointed–it was his biggest result yet on the game bay Irish Sport Horse he’s been riding for three years. “He’s matured a lot, physically and mentally,” Amaya said. “He’s starting to learn the job better, and he’s trusting me a lot more. Now, he’s starting to learn how to go faster with a bigger stride, but not getting flat.”

Ward and Chapot’s competition continued into the finale of the show, the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stakes. Ward won the class on his own Goldika, clinching the leading rider title. But Chapot and the game Little Big Man claimed second, earning them the open jumper championship.

Can Anyone Beat Him?
Just as the jumper riders were duking it out, Scott Stewart and Lousie Serio were doing head-to-head battle for tricolors in the hunter divisions on May 28-June 3. In the end, they finished tied for the grand hunter championship with Music Street and Gray Slipper.

“For me, it’s great to win it, but it’s wonderful to be tied with Scott. I love the camaraderie of that. The picture that we get of the two of us out there [in the award ceremony for the grand championship] with our horses will mean a lot to me, and I’ll have it forever,” Serio said.

After having made history last year by claiming championships in four out of five divisions, Stewart knew he’d be his own toughest act to follow. “I was nervous because last year was so good that it was hard to come back. I thought I would probably have not such a great Devon. But the horses were wonderful,” Stewart said.

Music Street’s co-grand championship and second year green tricolor added to Federal Hill’s first year green championship and Good Life’s regular conformation tricolor. He also rode to reserve championships with Compliment in the green conformation division and Chopard in the regular conformation division.

With nine horses showing in the professional divisions, Stewart had busy days. The sheer volume of his string didn’t distract him from giving each one the ride they needed, however.

“Fortunately, I’ve had most of them since they were 2 or 3. They all showed through Florida, so we have quite a routine established for them, and I know them all well. I have a great staff who know the horses very well and ride them for me,” he said. That help included Kate Cardalico, whose special favorite is Good Life, partner Ken Berkley, the barn staff, and friend Scot Evans, who helped from the ground at Devon.

Music Street, who does double duty in the amateur division with owner Krista Weisman, has been in Stewart’s barn for many years but has just recently stolen the spotlight. “He was great as a first year horse, but now, I think, he’s a little fitter and stronger, and he’s actu-ally got even more jump now than he had,” Stewart said.

“He’s always quiet. You never have to pick up the reins–he’s so relaxed. He’s probably the easiest horse I have to ride–he has a great rhythm.”
In contrast, Good Life is a little more challenging. “He’s very sensitive. You can point him at a crossrail, and he’ll jump the top of the standards. It’s all about getting him to take a breath and relax. He’s an overachiever,” said Stewart. He’s owned the 9-year-old since he was 2, and started showing him in the hunter divisions as a 4- and 5-year-old.

The bay gelding moved quickly to the open jumper division with Stewart and did well there as well. But an injury took him out of the ring for a year, and he’s returned to the hunter rings with a vengeance, taking Devon’s regular conformation tricolor. “He has a tendency to over-jump, and be a little too powerful, but he had some very good classes and was much better than I even thought he’d be,” Stewart said.

Stewart’s at his best bringing horses up into the hunter ranks from very young prospects, and it looks as if his Devon future should continue to be bright, since horses from his program won each of the three sections of the young hunter under saddle at Devon. He rode Quattro, Berkley rode Night Life, and Cardalico rode Sportin Life to the blues.

Never Give Up
Tim Goguen helped cut Stewart’s winning streak by guiding Boulevard Deir to the green conformation championship. This is a new partnership for Goguen, so he was pleasantly surprised by the win.

“He’s been great, but this ring can be tough, especially on Memorial Day with all the people by the rail. But he rose to the occasion and went beautifully. In the first class, he was very direct and easy,” Goguen said. Boulevard Deir won both the model and the over fences class the first day and followed that up with two more blue ribbons over fences.

Boulevard Deir, a striking black gelding, was imported last year and showed lightly. Goguen saw him in Wellington, Fla., at the Winter Equestrian Festival, where he was showing with Tommy Serio for owner Robbie Hunt. “He’d been here for a little bit but hasn’t shown much and didn’t have a lot of show mileage,” Goguen said.

Janet Read bought Boulevard Deir, a 6-year-old Westphalian, and Goguen showed him the last week of the WEF circuit, in March. They had just two more shows together before Devon. “I think his mind is just very easy to deal with. That, at the end of the day, is going to make him outstanding. He wants to win and please,” Goguen said.

Boulevard Deir was Goguen’s only ride at Devon, so he made the ride count, dueling against Stewart in the green conformation division. “Scott’s always hard to beat–he’s got a lot of nice horses,” he said. Boulevard Deir and Stewart’s ride, Compliment, traded wins. “It was a tight race, but you never give up. After I won the first class, I thought ‘This could happen.’ “

While Boulevard Deir’s winning has just started, In Disguise is no stranger to the championship award ceremony. In 2004, “Odie” took the regular conformation hunter championship with professional Shachine Belle. But in the meantime, he took time off due to an injury and didn’t show last year. He’s returned in fine style, and this time owner Ellen Toon rode him to the amateur-owner, 36 and over tricolor.

“It’s just amazing to have him. You just get him within range of the jump and he jumps beautifully. There aren’t that many horses that do that. I’m very lucky to have him,” Toon said.

They started the division off right, winning the first class, but it all went downhill in the second class, where Toon had to circle and was out of the running. “Yesterday was definitely dicey. In the second class, nothing went well,” Toon said. “After I circled, he had one of his best rounds, so that’s how it goes. I was pretty upset with myself. They work hard, and when you don’t step up as a rider, it’s frustrating.”

But on the second day, Toon and Odie were back on track, and a first and a third clinched the championship. “I felt much more comfortable. He was perfect,” Toon said.

While it’s Toon and Belle who get the spotlight of riding Odie, Toon makes it clear that there’s a hidden secret to their success–her husband and trainer Jimmy. “He does everything for that horse. He found him as a 3-year-old and has brought him along,” Toon said. “He gets so nervous about it, and he’s the one who had to bear the brunt of my being upset after it didn’t go well.”


Little Mares Jump To Big Wins
Paige Johnson had the unenviable task of being the first to jump-off in the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon, and she placed seventh with Lancier 4 with just the last rail down. In the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, she had another jump-off rail down. But even though she had to settle for third in the class, she and La Martinee held on for the division championship.

“She’s fairly new for me, and she’s a lot of fun. What you see is what you get with her; she’s very straightforward,” Johnson said of La Martinee, an 8-year-old mare. She bought the feisty bay last year and started showing her right away in the high amateur division at WEF.

In the SJHF Classic, Johnson and La Martinee got pipped by another small, fast mare. Whitney Weeks rode Subliem to the win, with a speedy clear jump-off. Weeks, just out of the junior ranks, has had Subliem a year.

“She’s been my first real jumper to do the highs on, and she takes care of me,” Weeks said. “My other jumpers were always safe and bombproof, but not very competitive. She’s so fast and powerful. I had to learn how to be more accurate and ride fast and be competitive. But I couldn’t ask for a better horse to learn that on than her. She could probably do it all herself, and sometimes it seems like she does!”

Johnson and Weeks know that riding a temperamental mare might be a challenge, but it’s a worthy one. “You have to learn how to complement them. They know what they’re doing. You have to just stay out of their way. It has to be a real partnership,” Johnson said. “And with these little mares, you have to be so careful with your position. If you lean one way, they’re going that way.”


Gray Slipper Has A Grand Week
Bridget Hallman has been showing at Devon for more than 10 years, but she’d never won a blue ribbon until this year. She and Gray Slipper addressed that lack in spades, as they cruised to three wins in the amateur-owner, 18-35, division, clinching not only the division championship, but also the grand amateur-owner hunter tricolor.

“I’m still a little bit in shock. He was awesome in every class. I’m ecstatic,” Hallman said. “This is the horse show everyone wants to come to. Just to win one class is amazing–to be champion is overwhelming.”

Hallman had some big shoes to fill after trainer Louise Serio had guided Slipper to their second consecutive Devon regular working hunter championship, tying with Music Street and Scott Stewart for the grand hunter title.

“He’s just an awesome athlete,” Serio said of the 10-year-old, gray gelding. “He steps up to the plate every time he walks into the ring, and those were big, hard courses. The jumps were big, and the lines were long.”

Course designer Phil DeVita built testing hunter courses. “The distances were long, and the oxers were wide. We had more broken lines and longer lines. It was a real scope test this year,” Serio said.

Hallman felt the pressure of following in Serio’s footsteps on Slipper. “I kind of thought, ‘She’s won everything–I don’t know if I can repeat it.’ She wins a lot with him, and I just try and keep up. I just try and ride half as well as she does,” Hallman said.

But Gray Slipper is just the horse to depend on in such a situation. “He knows his job so well, and I just let him do his job. He is the ideal amateur horse. I stayed pretty relaxed all weekend and didn’t let my nerves get to me. He was riding so nice, that I was really
having fun in the ring,” Hallman continued.

Hallman spotted Slipper in a field six years ago, and bought him as a green 4-year-old. Serio has brought him up through the ranks, and Hal-lman has shown him in the adult amateur and amateur-owner divisions throughout.

“I feel like every year I’ve had him, he’s gotten better and better. I knew when we got him, when he was young, he was always a good horse. Every year, he matures, and now he’s becoming such a great horse. He just lofts over the jump–you just have to stay on.”