Miami, Fla.—Apr. 3
Spectators wearing bikinis lined the ring and seagulls cried overhead as some of the top horses and riders in the world took the stage at the $127,000 American Invitational. The Invitational looked very different as it was incorporated into the schedule of the Longines Global Champions Tour in its Miami stop, and the international domination of the top three placings reflected a new face for the class that’s an integral part of U.S. show jumping history.
Scott Brash of Great Britain led the international charge, winning the class in a thrilling jump-off over the Qatari rider Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani and German star Daniel Deusser. U.S. riders Paige Johnson, Schuyler Riley and Georgina Bloomberg flew the U.S. flag in fourth, fifth and sixth.
Brash shipped Hello Forever, a new horse to his string, over from England just for the GCT in Miami. He showed just why he’s spent more than a year as No. 1 in the Longines FEI World Rankings as he piloted the chestnut to a ruthlessly efficient jump-off round to take the top check.
Scott Brash and Hello Forever on their way to $127,000 American Invitational victory.
The key turn was a rollback from the Longines oxer to a vertical set along the wall of the ring, and Brash didn’t leave any room to spare in that turn. Al Thani was right on his heels aboard Concordia, but he ended up 1/10th of a second slow.
“I just tried to stay smooth as smooth as I could and as tight as I could and tried to see what my horse could do,” Brash said. “It worked out in the end. I did think that Sheikh Ali was going to get me at the end there. It was very, very tight.”
Sheikh Ali Bin Khalid Al Thani on Concordija
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The reigning World Cup Final winner, Daniel Deusser, took a good shot on Pironella, but conceded that the mare’s lack of experience meant he was quite happy with third place.
Daniel Deusser and the impressive young mare Pironella, second in the $127,000 American Invitational.
Hello Forever, a 9-year-old Oldenburg by For Pleasure, caught Brash’s eye last year while competed at the national level in England. His sponsors, Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, bought the gelding for him four months ago and they’ve been getting to know each other since.
“He’s still very young and not too experienced,” Brash said. “He’s a fantastic horse, very confident.”
Brash usually spends much of the winter competed at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., but this winter he chose to stay home and enter the European indoor shows. He’s building a new farm near London and wanted to be close to home to monitor its progress and plan.
It was Brash’s first time competing in the American Invitational. The class, which started more than 40 years ago, has traditionally been held as a finale to the Winter Equestrian Festival. “We’ve read about the class, but never been here to jump in it,” Brash said. “It’s a very prestigious event and it’s nice to be here and be a part of it.”
The Invitational, part of the U.S. grand prix schedule since 1973, has traditionally been held in large stadiums and usually features a predominantly U.S. starting field that earned the right to jump courtesy of their results over the course of the winter circuit.
But this year its organizers decided to combine the Invitational with the first U.S. stop of the popular European-organized GCT tour in nine years. So, the class was held in the wide-open space right on the beach of South Beach, in the light of the day and with a decidedly international bent to the starting list.
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“The Invitational first started out as, after the end of the circuit, as a class rewarding the riders at the end of a long circuit—which then wasn’t so long,” said Michael Morrissey of Stadium Jumping , the organizer of the Invitational. “That’s what the goal of the Invitational was. Now, I want the Invitational to grow with the sport, and this is a great way to let it grow.”
Stadium Jumping and GCT combined efforts to bring the Invitational and the accompanying two-star and five-star GCT classes to South Beach. A wide stretch of public access beach was leveled, a subflooring installed, and then GGT footing installed for both the competition and schooling arenas.
The horses are stabled in the parking lot of the public beach access, and the one long side of the ring is open to the beach. Curious beachgoers lined the fence all day, hanging sunburnt elbows over to watch the action and snap photos.
Want to see more of the amazing venue? Check out our photo gallery!
See full results of the $127,000 American Invitational.
Paige Johnson jumped into fourth in the $127,000 American Invitational aboard her Dakota.
Schuyler Riley and Dobra de Porceyo claimed fifth in the $127,000 American Invitational.
Schuyler Riley was thrilled with Dobra de Porceyo’s clear first round in the $127,000 American Invitational.
