Whitney Weeks couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend. She and her Subliem didn’t accrue a single fault over four rounds of competition at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament to top the $40,000 Beacon Hill High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Grand Prix today, Nov. 2.  Clementine Goutal and Rastella kept the rails up all week, finishing just a hair slower than Weeks in the Thursday’s speed round to accumulate .5 penalty points and take second.

“Before the last round I was so worried about having a jump down because I led by less than a time fault,” said Weeks, 21. “I was really nervous and in the first round I was really tentative she absolutely helped me out. This round I loosened up and did my job for her.”

Weeks trains with Joe Fargis, whom she describes as instrumental to her success. “He’s very calm and direct,” said Weeks. “He doesn’t fill my mind with a lot of clutter.  He makes everything sound easy.”  

This is Weeks’ second big win in a row, having captured the amateur-owner championhip at the Washington International Horse Show (D.C.) with Subliem last week. 

“I have a younger horse I’m working with, and to have another one like Subliem to ride with when you’re working with a younger horse is so great for your confidence,” said Weeks, 21. “She makes you feel like a better rider than you really are.”
 
Colby Eisen’s favorite part of winning the $5,000 low jumper/amateur-owner classic Rosanne de Withoeve wasn’t the check or the accolades, but the prize that came with it.  “I just won my first scrim at Blainville [Que.] and this is my first cooler,” she said with a smile.

But Leonardo Palacios made Eisen work for her cooler.  He set a demanding track that only two riders managed to negotiate fault-free. Emily Pope and Seize The Moment picked up four faults in the jump-ff to take second.

A student at the Ethel Walker School (Conn.), Eisen trains with Eric Hasbrouck at shows. She inherited Rosanne from her older sister, Bailey, and hand-me-down she couldn’t have been happier to receive. “All my horses have been hers first,” said Eisen. “But it’s perfect, I got very lucky to have them.”

Riders in the $10,000 medium junior/amateur-owner grand prix faced another unforgiving course, with tough combinations that sent rails—and a few riders—flying.  Caitlin Ziegler took the top check, after she and her Mayhem bested the field of 32.  Amber Henter couldn’t quite catch Ziegler, taking second aboard Royal Discovery.

“There were a lot of people crashing,” said Ziegler, who trains with Cookie Beck. “I just wanted to be smooth and consistent.”

A relative newcomer to the jumper ring, this year marks Ziegler’s first appearance at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “All the atmosphere makes me want to go faster and do better.” 

Ziegler and Mayhem paired up this summer at Spruce Meadows (Alta.). The pair clicked right from the start, winning a 1.20-meter class.