Harrisburg, Pa.—Oct. 13
Heading into the final test for the Dover Saddlery/USEF Medal Final, J.J. Torano lay in second place behind Ariana Marnell, and judges Rachel Kennedy and Tammy Provost assigned the six top riders a real challenge. They had a long test, with a hand gallop, two counter-cantered fences and a halt, and the kicker? The riders had to do the whole thing sans stirrups.
And Torano put in a foot-perfect work-off, finishing with a halt about two strides after the last jump.
When Marnell faltered in the counter-canter, 14-year-old Torano rose to the top, becoming the youngest rider to win the final. (George Morris won in 1952 when he was 14, but Torano is a few months younger than he was when he won.)
“It’s unreal to know that I won the Medal Finals [at] this age,” said Torano, Wellington, Florida. “It definitely feels good.
“On that horse, coming back for a test I feel really confident knowing he can do anything I ask him for,” he continued. “Holding the counter leads was one of the strong things I did in there, then definitely the halt after the last jump was probably the best thing in the test.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Torano tacked up Favorite Edition Z for the class, whom judges Rachel Kennedy and Tammy Provost selected as the Best Equitation Horse. Torano started riding him in January of this year.
Watch their winning final test, courtesy of USEF Network powered by ClipMyHorse.tv:
“He did the equitation finals last year,” said Torano. “His first horse show was actually the Hampton Classic [New York] last year. He’s been perfect since I’ve been with him and had him the whole time. And Missy [Clark] and John [Brennan], with him being in their barn in the North Run team, he’s come to it quickly.”
Torano trains with his father, Jimmy Torano, as well as Clark and Brennan. He said he felt really prepared for the class thanks to his coaching.
“For sure it’s a lot of practice and repetition, mainly we don’t know what to expect coming here but we practice a lot what could be asked to do, a lot of counter-canter and just the simple thing likes basics with the horse,” said J.J.
Sydney Raidy, New York City, lay fifth after the second round and moved up to second after a good test.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I really just wanted to play it safe, keep everything very tidy and clean and just get so much done,” said Raidy who trains with Frank Madden and the Capital Hill team. “We’ve had so many lessons at home learning about what the smartest choices are when you’re in there because it’s so easy trying to get nervous do something hard. So I just wanted to walk, get my counter lead, get it done, find my distances, which I did.”
She credited her partner Mac One III with helping her to the reserve championship. “He’s actually won the Medal Finals along with a million other accomplishments,” she said. “He’s just incredible. I think the best way to describe him, when I first started riding him and I was trying to figure it out and Frank said to me, it’s as if you’ve been driving a BMW and you’re in a Ferrari. It’s a lot of power and you feel it. He’s just—he’s out of his own league.”
Maddie Tosh came into the final test in fourth. She ran into a little trouble with the counter-canter—she landed it and her mount swapped off so she had to do a simple change—but when other riders also faltered she moved up to third. She tacked up her partner Dakari, aboard whom she won the Washington International Equitation Final.
“I’ve had him for quite a while now and all of our first big wins together have also been his first time and our first time so I think we really know each other really well,” she said. “We have a lot of trust in each other and he’s just the best partner I could ask for.”
Missed a round? We’ve got a commentary from the entire class here.
Find full results here. Check out all the Chronicle’s coverage from the Pennsylvania National here. Check out the November 18 issue of the Chronicle of the Horse magazine for analysis from the competition.