Wayne, Illinois, USA – July 07, 2024 – The final day of action for Summertime I at the Hits Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois, concluded with the $15,000 Horseflight Jumper Classic on Sunday morning, July 7. Held in the Douglas Elliman Stadium, the competition featured a field of talented horse-and-rider combinations vying for top honors.

Caelinn Leahy (USA) of Maple Park, Illinois, emerged victorious aboard Hennessy, Andrew Bourns’ 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Eldorado vd Zeshoek x Verdi TN), after delivering an impressive double-clear performance and a jump-off time of 41.221 seconds.

“Hennessy is kind of my longtime partner,” commented Leahy. “I’ve had her for about two years now. She’s a great mare, super speedy. If I stay out of her way, she’s going to leave the jumps up and be really fast.

“She actually is a sale horse, so we’re trying to find her her next great home,” she continued. “Because she’s such a winning horse, I hope she can teach someone else how to go fast, have fun, and win as well. In the meantime, I just get to enjoy her and have a great time.”

Second place went to Michael Tokaruk (USA) aboard Poden Farm’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Zacharov x Mermus R), Goblet. The pair was the first to tackle the jump-off and set the pace with a time of 43.930 seconds, which ultimately was good enough for the runner-up spot.

Rounding out the top three was Adeline Rohrbach (USA) on her own 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Carinjo x Carlos DZ), Cooper 211. Rohrbach delivered the final double-clear round of the morning, crossing the timers in 44.009 seconds to secure third place.

“I think it was an awesome course,” said Leahy. “I thought it was super smooth. There were lots of nice single jumps, but they were still at funny enough angles and a little bit awkward, asking questions. All the lines were great. I thought the combination set off the rail was a great question. Hennessy handled it really well. She naturally has a big open stride, so the smooth, open, and forward course really suited her.”

Being from the area, the HITS Chicago Lamplight Equestrian Center is an important stop on Leahy’s show calendar.

“I love Lamplight,” she expressed. “I grew up here, so this is kind of like my home show. The facility is gorgeous, especially this time of year. Management is doing a fabulous job making improvements and creating a show that people are excited to come back to. I love the way they redistributed the prize money, because it’s great for professionals and amateurs trying to get experience jumping good courses and being able to win some prize money back. I really appreciate how forward-thinking management has been.”

The $15,000 Horseflight Jumper Classic was just one of many events on the action-packed Sunday schedule. In the subsequent $5,000 Adequan/NAL/Jr/Am 1.25m/1.35m Jumper Classic, Nicole Noland of Frankfort, Illinois, won on her 14-year-old Selle Français mare by Djalisco Du Guet, Valladam, with a double-clear effort and a time of 32.865 seconds.

Final Results – $15,000 Horseflight Jumper Classic

1) Caelinn Leahy (USA) & Hennessy – 0 / 0 – 41.221

2) Michael Tokaruk (USA) & Goblet – 0 / 0 – 43.932

3) Adeline Rohrbach (USA) & Cooper 211 – 0 / 0 – 44.009

Source: Press Release from Hits Horse Show

Photos: © HITS Horse Shows/ Phoenix Jeannides

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