Harrisburg, Pa.—Oct. 20
When Leslie Howard trotted into the ring at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Thursday night for the $40,000 Big Jump class, her mom was watching online as an already special day for the family got even better.
“My mom is 100 years old today,” Howard, of Newtown, Conn., said with a grin. “She’s watching, so this will be a good birthday present. We have a big party on Sunday when I get home, I’m looking forward to that.”
Leslie Howard won the $40,000 Big Jump open jumper class on by a 100th of a second, on her mother’s 100th birthday! Photo by Ann Glavan
A field of 36 horses contested the timed first round of the $40,000 Big Jump jump-off class Thursday night, and 11 of those pairs qualified for the short course.
Howard broke the beam with Quadam just one 100th of a second quicker than the young Irishmen Daniel Coyle and Ridley—it seems a bit of luck from her mother’s centennial celebration was with Howard in the arena.
“That was close! It does’t get any closer than that, that was very exciting. I just carried a nice tempo the whole way, and the last horse did that inside turn,” Howard said, referencing Coyle’s second ride in the jump-off, Fortis Fortuna, who was on pace to win the class before pulling the final rail down.
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“I did look at [that turn], but I didn’t do it because I didn’t think I had to do it to win, and that last horse did it and [Coyle] got it done, but he was sort of unlucky. I got lucky, and he got unlucky.”
Howard has been riding the 10-year-old Quadam for less than a year for owner Laure Sudreu.
“[Quadam] is a lovely horse, he’s won a couple of grand prixs this year, and I just started the ride in May,” Howard said. “He had been competing very successfully in the young riders with Richard Neal.”
With his victory in Thursday night’s class, Quadam is finished competing at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, but on Saturday Howard looks to repeat her 2015 victory in the $100,000 Grand Prix de Penn National with Gentille Van Spieveld.
Andy Kocher has notched a second win in as many days in the Pennsylvania National’s first couple of open jumper classes—after winning the $10,000 Dash For Cash aboard Zantos II on Wednesday (and placing second aboard Ciana), it was Ciana’s turn to take the top call in Thursday’s $5,000 open jumper speed class. Photo by Ann Glavan
Hunter Holloway and VDL Bravo took the top call in Thursday’s $3,000 Under-25 welcome class. Photo by Ann Glavan
See all of the Chronicle’s Pennsylvania National coverage. Click here for full results from the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, and don’t forget to check out the Nov. 7 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse for more in-depth coverage from the show!
