Ireland’s Simon McCarthy rode to victory on opening day of international competition at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in the USA.
He topped the $32,000 CSI3* Speed aboard Narcotique v/h Dingenshof to kick off the 11th season of GLEF and top show jumping at Flintfields Horse Park.
The mid-summer series features six weeks of FEI competition running until August 10, showcasing an FEI Nations Cup CSIO3*, the FEI North American Youth Championships and the return of Major League Show Jumping CSI5* competition to Traverse City.
Twenty-nine year-old McCarthy set the pace as the first to enter the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, leaving the rest of the field to chase him over Mauricio Garcia’s course.
The only competitor to come close to his time of 60.60 seconds was American Charlotte Jacobs riding 10-year-old Irish-bred gelding Thomascourt Ballypatrick.
Jacobs clocked 60.68 seconds to take second. Fellow American Daisy Farish and Etonemoi del Cabalero finished third in 62.37 seconds.
McCarthy, who with Narcotique v/h Dingenshof has notched 14 international victories, more than half being over speed tracks, said:
“She’s very fast at this level, so even going first didn’t affect us too much. I stick to my own plan with her and I’m very grateful for the results she has given me.”
