“With Special Lux, if you make a jump-off, going slow is not an option,” said Jonathan McCrea.
So, when he joined six other riders for the jump-off of the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Bromont CSI3*-W, McCrea went with Special Lux’s top gear and they ended up winning.
Jonathan McCrea on Special Lux as they jumped to the top of the $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Bromont CSI3*-W. Photo by FEI/Debby Jamroz
The picturesque Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park played host to the launch of this season’s Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. A starting order of 19 horse-and-rider pairs contested Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge’s track.
The 1.60-meter course, with 13 obstacles and 16 jumping attempts, featuring long, galloping lines, wide oxers, and large, sweeping turns that utilized the expansive, outdoor arena, prompted riders to remark that it was certainly “big enough” during the course walk. In particular, a demanding, vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination, off a tight, right-hand turn, near the final portion of the track would go on to force multiple rounds to record at least 4 faults.
Seven riders returned for the short course: Alison Robitaille on Ace; Andrew Kocher and Uppie de Lis; Keean White and For Freedom Z; McCrea and Special Lux, Ljubov Kochetova of Russia and Balou du Reventon; Todd Minikus and Babalou; and Leslie Howard with Gentille van Spieveld.
The short track of seven obstacles with eight jumping efforts utilized a tight rollback turn from a vertical to another vertical, set at an awkward angle. The top of the jump-off order—Robitaille, Kocher, and White, couldn’t cross the timers without dropping rails. And as McCrea entered the ring, he knew he had to keep the jumps standing, but with a competitive time that would put the pressure on Minikus, who rode late in the order.
“I knew with Todd and Leslie coming behind me, I had to put the hammer down. Right before I went in, my wife [Christina McCrea], who rides with me and against me, said to me as I came down the hill [into the ring], ‘There are no clears.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I could go for a clear [but if] I take one off, a slow 4 [faults] is not going to go well.’
“She said, ‘You know, the horse you’re on is fast. Try and put the pressure on Todd. He has a lot of experience with that horse, and he’s won a lot.’ So going for a slow, clear round wasn’t an option. Knowing my horse as well as I know him, you go to win. I’m lucky to have a horse as careful and fast as him,” Jonathan said.
And true to form, Jonathan masterfully navigated the rollback turn slightly wider than the former competitors in order to set himself up for an angled slice over the vertical to make a direct, eight strides to the following oxer.
“On those kind of rollbacks with him, I like to go a little wider to go back in a little closer to jump it,” Jonathan said. “He’s very careful on the vertical.”
Kochetova followed Jonathan’s fast, double clear, and although she managed to keep the rails standing, her time of 51.26 seconds was far behind Jonathan’s 42.24 seconds. “[Balou du Reventon] is my best horse right now, and he’s getting enough experience and getting better,” Kochetova said. “I hope we can qualify for the World Cup Final. We’ll try.”
All eyes looked to Minikus to better Jonathan’s time. In April, the United States Equestrian Federation had named Minikus and Babalou to the short list for the Rio Olympics. But after narrowly missing the U.S. team, Minikus has shifted his sights toward the Longines FEI World Cup™ Final. Chasing Jonathan’s time, Minikus made a tighter rollback turn that then forced the rail. He did have the time at 41.29 seconds, but the four faults kept him off the podium with a fourth-place finish.
The final rider in the jump off, Howard had seen both clear rounds and made the conscious decision to ride for the runner-up position with a clear round at 49.58 seconds.
“I saw both Ljubov and Jonathan go, and I knew if I tried to catch Jon, there’d be a good chance I would have a rail because my horse is not as naturally fast as his,” said the two-time Olympic medalist. “I got to see Ljubov go, and I thought I could shave off a little time off hers. They’re both similar horses [mine and Ljubov’s]: big, scopey, slow moving horses. And I thought maybe a little neater turn here and there, I could shave off her time. So it was really advantageous to be able to see both of them go, and it worked out well for me.”
World Cup Quality
Jonathan’s mount is no stranger to winning the bigger classes. Originally purchased from Billy Twomey, Jonathan’s friend from his original home country of Ireland, about three years ago, the Irish Sport Horse gelding was already competing at the Nations Cup level for Ireland with Twomey’s colleague, Anthony Condon.
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“Anthony did a great job with the horse,” Jonathan said. “I got lucky when I heard about him—I tried him, liked him, and he’s been great. The first year I had him, he won a bunch after just getting thrown in at the deep end. [In 2013], we placed in the World Cup qualifiers in Washington and in Kentucky.
“We had a successful Wellington and did his first Nations Cup for America in Mexico, where he was clear and 4 [faults] on the team and third in the grand prix. Then at Spruce Meadows he was second in the $400,000 grand prix the first week. He’s not a stranger to winning and jumping these classes.”
But in the middle of the 2014 season, Special Lux incurred a stifle injury that required surgery and an entire year off from competition. The majority of that time, Jonathan and his team of veterinarians and grooms carefully rehabilitated the talented horse. When Special Lux returned to the competition ring, he won two back-to-back grand prix classes at HITS Saugerties and Tryon CSI3* (N.C.) to mark the occasion.
“I am not the most stylish rider in the world, and he jumps a little unorthodox but he thrives off a gallop,” Jonathan said. “I wasn’t brought up in the United States with the equitation and I tend to ride what I feel. It’s a real partnership, but we tend to get it done.
“I was surprised when I walked the course that it was big. The course builder did not go soft today. I felt relaxed and my horse was jumping good. He felt good in the jump off, and we stayed relaxed.”
McCrea will next head to Saugerties, N.Y., with other horses in his string before a stint in Europe, gearing up for the Spruce Meadows Masters CSIO5* at the start of September. But with the win today, plans for Special Lux will most likely adjust to maximize World Cup points with an eye to the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup Final in Omaha, Neb., on March 27-April 2.
“It’s everybody’s goal [to qualify], but I try to go one day at a time,” he said. “Tomorrow morning, I’ll get up and hope my horse is sound and healthy. Obviously with 20 points in the bag, it’s something I have to take a look at and pay attention to and especially on home soil—to have the World Cup Final in North America is the ultimate advantage. I’ve never been in position to win the first Qualifier [of the year] so now I have to give it more attention and obviously I’d love to go.”
Results
1. Special Lux (Jonathan McCrea), USA, 0 faults/42.24 seconds (JO);
2. Genille van Spieveld (Leslie Howard), USA, 0/49.58 (JO);
3. Balou du Reventon (Ljubov Kochetova), RUS, 0/51.26 (JO);
4. Babalou (Todd Minikus), USA, 4/41.29 (JO);
5. Uppie de Lis (Andrew Kocher), USA, 4/42.91 (JO);
6. Ace (Alison Robitaille), USA, 4/45.41 (JO);
7. For Freedom Z (Keean White), CAN, 12/43.71 (JO);
8. Calanta (Charlie Jacobs), USA, 1/85.71.
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Calendar – Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League
East Coast
Bromont, QC (CAN) July 31, 2016
North Salem, NY (USA) Sept. 18, 2016
Washington, DC (USA) Oct. 29, 2016
Lexington, KY (USA) Nov. 5, 2016
Toronto, ON (CAN) Nov. 9, 2016
Wellington, FL (USA) Feb. 5, 2017
Ocala, FL (USA) March 12, 2017
West Coast
Langley, BC (CAN) Aug. 28, 2016
Sacramento, CA (USA) Oct. 8, 2016
Del Mar, CA (USA) Oct. 22, 2016
Calgary, AB (CAN) Oct. 29, 2016
Las Vegas, NV (USA) Nov. 19
Guadalajara (MEX) Jan. 28, 2017
Thermal, CA (USA) Feb. 11, 2017
