Jessica Springsteen (USA) and Naomi van het Keizershof. (Winslow Photography LLC)
$35,000 C. Jarvis Insurance Two Phase Csi5* At Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Release
ARCADIA, Calif. – Olympic athletes returned to Santa Anita Park for a whole new experience since the venue last hosted showjumping at the 1984 Games, as the Lugano Diamonds Split Rock Jumping Tour (SRJT) set the stage for the inaugural Santa Anita CSI5*-W in partnership with 1/ST. The week welcomed a star-studded lineup of top athletes and horses with Wednesday, opening FEI competition with the $35,000 C. Jarvis Insurance Two Phase CSI5*. An impressive starting list of 69 horse-and-rider combinations, representing 15 nations, included Olympic champions and Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final winners. Ultimately, it was Jessica Springsteen (USA) who blazed to the top on Stone Hill Farm’s Naomi van het Keizershof (Cardento 933 x For Pleasure), finishing a full second ahead of the pack to earn the week’s first FEI victory.
Anderson Lima (BRA) set the track with 7 jumping efforts in the first phase and 7 efforts in the second phase where athletes could continue on regardless of faults. Ireland’s Conor Swail set an early pace aboard Mannon Farm’s Vital Chance de la Roque (Diamant de Semilly x Rivage du Poncel), securing a nice turn into the C. Jarvis Insurance oxer just out of the corner on the rail – an area that proved difficult for many. The pair also sliced tightly into the final vertical going away from the ingate to finish in 33.97 seconds. Swail’s lead seemed steady until Richard Vogel (GER), hot off of a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ win just four days prior at the Stuttgart German Masters, entered aboard Phenyo van het Keysersbos, but their 34.10-second finish would fall just short.
Thirteen combinations would continue before Springsteen entered, giving a strong start into the second phase with neat rollbacks at every opportunity across the track, flying to a new leading time of 32.37 seconds – more than a second and a half faster than Swail. Clocking in at 34.08 seconds, Savannah Jenkins (USA) and Bresil de Carnaval Santa Rosa gave a strong effort that would move them into third place, but their podium placing was short-lived as U.S. Olympian Laura Kraut (USA) soon followed with Tres Bien Z (Toulon x Nabab de Reve), owned by St. Bride’s Farm. The duo would slide just between the top two, Springsteen and Swail, with a time of 33.53 seconds that was good enough for second place. The top four was set and would remain unchanged through the 22 remaining combinations with Springsteen taking the win, Kraut earning second and Swail in third.
“I was really happy I went into the lead after my round, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a win,” Springsteen said of the 46 combinations to follow. “It’s such an incredible venue. It’s my first time competing in California. I started riding out here when I was really little, but I’ve never competed here so I’m excited to be out here – the view is incredible.” ‘
Competition will continue through the week as athletes look towards the $125,000 Lugano Diamonds 1.50m Welcome CSI5*-W on Thursday in qualification for the $400,000 FEI Jumping World Cup™ Los Angeles CSI5*-W, presented by Lugano Diamonds, on Saturday, November 23.
About Split Rock Jumping Tour (SRJT): Founded in 2015, the SRJT has revolutionized the way the sport of show jumping is presented in the U.S., creating a truly “unparalleled show jumping experience” for competitors, sponsors and spectators alike. More information on the SRJT can be found at https://splitrockjumpingtour.com/.
