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Leslie Howard Wins $85,000 Grand Prix De Penn National at Harrisburg

Olympic veteran and World Cup winner Leslie Howard of the USA won the $85,000 Grand Prix De Penn National, the showcase event of the 70th Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Saturday, October 17th with the 9-year-old Belgian warmblood Gentille Van Spieveld (Heartbreaker x Capital).

Four riders from an initial start list of just 20 entries managed to get around Designer Michel Vaillancourt’s 1.60 meter course clear to qualify for the jumpoff round. It wasn’t until the seventh horse in the order, that a clear round was posted on the scoreboard. Peter Lutz and Robin Du Ponthual, owned by Katherine Gallagher and Michael Meller was the first clear. They were followed by the next in the order, Laura Chapot with Quointreau Un Prince, jointly owned by the rider and McLain Ward. It took five more rides before Canadian Jordan MacPherson posted another fault free round with Aldine, owned by SVED Stables. Howard, the 14th rider on course, guided the nine year old bay gelding, owned by GJ Stable, to a faultless performance, making four to return to jump off against the clock.

Lutz returned first in the second round and luck was not with him as his mount had two rails down for an eight fault penalty in a time of 43.92. Chapot, always a speed threat, was next in the ring and she did not take her foot off the gas, but her time of 40.79 came with four faults at the penultimate fence. MacPherson was the third to attempt the course and she turned in a clear, steady round, no penalties in a time of 44.31. This left the door open for Howard, and she walked right through, breaking the timers in 43.71 seconds to win the class.

Howard has won many national and international grand prix classes throughout her storied career, but she’d never before claimed the Grand Prix de Penn National title, and was thrilled to finally be able to add this Grand Prix to her list of wins. “Finally, I get to make the wall,” she said. “I came to this show when I was 11 on a large pony, and I am 59 so I have been here a lot. The first year I rode in the Grand Prix would have been Chase The Clouds, so that would have been 1979. I just kept on trying, so, finally!

“I’m very excited about this horse. He is very green,” continued Howard. “I got the ride about a year ago and he’s done nothing but what I have asked him to do. I have really high hopes for him. He’s been learning the ropes. I have always had a tremendous amount of confidence in the horse because he is so scopey. He is like a big puppy dog, all big and cumbersome, but now he is getting quicker and more coordinated. He wants to do the right thing. I think he’s the horse for the future.”

By virtue of their win, Howard was named Open Jumper Champion. Laura Chapot was named Leading Lady Jumper Rider as well as Leading Open Jumper Rider due to her top placings through the week.

-Source: Classic Communications

Full results of the $85000 Grand Prix de Penn National:

Plc

Horse / Sire x Dam

Rider / Owner

R1

TA:68

JO

TA:50

Prize Money

1

 

79

GENTILLE VAN SPIEVELD

HEARTBREAKER x TEQUILA VAN SPIEVELD

Leslie Howard (USA)

Gj Stable

0

67.490

0

43.710

$28,050.00

2

 

32

ALDINE

Vitesse K x Voldine

Jordan Macpherson (CAN)

Sved Stables

0

65.430

0

44.310

$17,000.00

3

 

19

QUOINTREAU UN PRINCE

DIAMANT DE SEMILLY x MELODIE DE SAFRAY

Laura Chapot (USA)

Laura Chapot & Mclain Ward

0

64.220

4

40.790

$12,750.00

4

 

18

ROBIN DE PONTHUAL

ELF D’OR x IO DE LA GRANGE

Peter Lutz (USA)

Kathryn Gallagher & Michael Meller

0

66.190

8

43.920

$8,500.00

5

 

53

GRAND CRU UP VIJF EIKEN

CONTACT VD HEFFINCK x Quinette vd Heffinck

Vanessa Mannix (CAN)

Vanessa Mannix

1

68.400

$5,100.00

6

 

62

STAR POWER

QUICK STAR x MAXIM

Jonathon Millar (CAN)

Team Works

1

69.000

$3,825.00

7

 

10

SIMBA DE LA ROQUE

KANNAN x OPEUM DE CHAMANT

Conor Swail (IRL)

Susan Grange

4

63.860

$2,550.00

8

 

26

ZANDER

CANTOS x SACHA

Beat Mandli (SUI)

Grant Road Partners Llc

4

64.400

$2,125.00

9

 

68

VDL WIZARD

GENTLEMAN x PRETTY

Callan Solem (USA)

Horseshoe Trail Farm, Llc

4

65.850

$1,700.00

10

 

29

QUESTER DE VIRTON

KASHMIR VAN T SCHUTTERSHOF x NANOU DES HAYETTES

Meredith Darst (USA)

Meredith Darst Llc

8

64.570

$1,700.00

11

 

24

AMARETTO D ARCO

DARCO x TATOUAGE D AVONTUUR

Katherine Dinan (USA)

Grant Road Partners Llc

8

65.810

$850.00

12

 

47

FINOU 4

FOR PLEASURE x CONCHITA

Aaron Vale (USA)

Thinks Like A Horse

8

66.870

$850.00

13

 

6

INDIGO

INDOCTRO x AEA DUTCH LOREL

Margie Engle (USA)

Griese/Garber/Hidden Creek/Gladewinds

8

66.990

14

 

115

S & L SAGE

WANDOR VAN DE MISPELAERE x BONBON VII DE NINIVE

David Raposa (USA)

S & L Farms

9

69.120

15

 

12

AIR FORCE ONE

President x Quat’sous

Kama Godek (USA)

Kama Godek

12

65.530

16

 

109

DONAR

Thunder vd Zuuthoeve x Thalys du Ri d’Asse

Adrienne Iverson (CAN)

Redfield Farm

12

66.830

17

 

60

MCB MAYA

CORDENTO 933 x ROXANNE

Conor O’regan (IRL)

Robert Jornayvaz

19

77.030

18

 

57

CALL ME HANNES

CASSINI II x SESTRIERE

David Beisel (USA)

Harlow Investment Enterprises, Llc

20

67.760

 

113

MACARTHUR

CONCORDE x UNKNOWN

Michael Hughes (USA)

Christina Fried

Ret

 

101

SPLENDOR

LESTER x BIENVENUE

Maggie Jayne (USA)

Pony Lane Farm

Elim

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