Corrigan’s Stallion Takes $20k Hunter Derby
The Chagrin Hunter Jumper Classic presented by the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund closed amid cheers, tears and rave reviews.
The Chagrin Hunter Jumper Classic presented by the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund closed amid cheers, tears and rave reviews.
The 10-day horse show leading up to the Cleveland Grand Prix July 15 celebrated nearly 70 years with sold-out stabling space for horses and beautiful weather conditions at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills.
The grand finale of the competition was the $50,000 Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund Cleveland Grand Prix, which ran for the 53rdtime. An estimated 4,000 spectators turned out to cheer on a field of 27 horses.
The Eric Mayberry-designed course of 16 jumping efforts caused faults for all but four horses, who had clear rounds.
First in the jump-off was Cooper 166, an 8-year-old Holsteiner, ridden by Lauren Hester of Lexington, who had a speedy clean round in 46.047 seconds.
Next in the jump-off was 26-year-old Taylor Land of Atlanta, Ga., astride her 9-year-old German sport horse, Liroy 30.
Land said she was able to watch Hester’s round and felt she could go faster with Liroy’s level of experience, so she left out some strides and rode tight turns. It paid off as they took over the lead, finishing in 42.760 seconds.
Land’s lead held as Evita and Thaisa Erwin refused out, and the fourth horse to qualify, Venus, ridden by Hector Florentino, pulled a shoe at the end of the first round and could not return.
Venus is a horse Florentino was riding at the Classic to gain experience in preparation for the Pan American Games, where he plans to ride for his native Dominican Republic.
Land placed second in the 2009 Cleveland Grand Prix as a young amateur rider. She had since graduated from college, turned professional and now rides with her parents, Jay and Kim, at their Pinetree Farm.
Earlier in the week, Land won the $10,000 Open Speed Stake and was second in the $10,000 Welcome Stake with Falco V, who she scratched from the Cleveland Grand Prix after she walked the course.
Megan Bash, owner of Cleveland Equestrian training stables in Newbury Township rode Dayla to 11thplace in the Grand Prix.
Corrigan’s Hunters Win
In the hunter ring, professional rider Havens Schatt from Kentucky won the top hunter prize in the $20,000 International Hunter Derby aboard the black Hanoverian German-bred stallion, Diatendro, owned by Kelley Corrigan, formerly of Bainbridge Township.
The stallion won $6,000 and took home the green hunter 3-foot-6-inch championship.
“We purchased him at the PSI auction in Germany last year. It was at that time we heard our friend Mike Rheinheimer had passed, so we named the horse after him —we tried Mike, but he was a Mikey,” Corrigan said.
She also won grand champion amateur owner hunter aboard her 8-year-old German-bred, Intergalactic. Corrigan rode him to the performance hunter 3-foot-3-inch championship as well.
Chagrin Valley riders did well against national competition and the list of champions and reserve riders includes many children and adult winners. For more full results on the show, visit horseshowsonline.comand chagrinhunterjumperclassic.com.
