Traverse City, Michigan, USA – July 12, 2024 – International competition at the second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, continued on Friday with the $32,000 Ingram Family Welcome CSI 3* taking center stage in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring. Thirty entries tackled the first round, but Cathleen Driscoll (USA), an athlete who is well-familiar with the GLEF winner’s circle, ultimately took top call with Idalgo.

The win is one of countless top finishes for Driscoll—always hungry for a victory—has acquired at the northern Michigan venue after winning the Leading Rider Bonus in 2023, but the first of the 2024 season.  

“Idalgo is a horse I took over last fall, so we’ve been together about nine months,” explained Driscoll. “I think it takes me about that amount of time to really get to know a horse, so I think we are starting to get on the same page now. He was second in the four-star grand prix here a few weeks ago as well. 

Driscoll returned midway through a large jump-off field consisting of 13 combinations and quickly stole the lead from fellow American rider Molly Ashe Cawley (USA).

Cawley, riding Don Stewart’s Berdien, had set the tone as the first to return over the short course. In her typical daring fashion, Driscoll left it all on the field and shaved tenths of a second off Cawley’s time to stop the clock in 37.140 seconds with 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Catoki x Quidam de Revel). 

Cawley’s time of 37.5 seconds held until the end as she claimed the runner-up honors with Louisburg Farm’s 13-year-old Zangershide mare Berdien (Bustique x Querlybet Hero).

The victory gallop featured all female riders as Samantha Schaefer (USA) took third place on Bonne Chance’s 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, James Bond HX (Douglas x Cash), with a time of 39.110 seconds. 

“It was a jump off that suited him well,” she reflected on Mauricio Garcia’s (PUR) jump-off track. “It had a lot of areas for a big gallop and not so many related numbers, which is where he can be fast because he has a big stride but is a bit slow across the ground. It was one of those jump-offs where things didn’t quite come up perfectly for me, but he did a very good job of helping me out where I needed him to.”

Driscoll, who has progressed from groom to five-star rider over the past five years, expressed her gratitude to the team at Plain Bay Farm and is looking forward to another exciting fall.

“It’s been very exciting to see my position grow at Plain Bay and to get to work under Henry and Katie Prudent,” she explained. “It’s a fantastic role I have right now and a fantastic group of horses. I’m hoping to get this horse a bit more mileage in these jump offs and then I am looking to have him as my horse for the [American] Gold Cup in the fall.”

Final Results – $32,000 Ingram Family Welcome CSI 3*

1) Cathleen Driscoll (USA) & Idalgo – 0 / 0 – 37.140

2) Molly Ashe Cawley (USA) & Berdien – 0 / 0 – 37.500

3) Samantha Schaefer (USA) & James Bond HX – 0 / 0 – 39.110

Source:  Press Release (edited) from Traverse City Horse Shows

Photos: © TCHS / Andrew Ryback Photography / Megan Giese Photography

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