The $25,000 Pennsylvania Big Jump was a bit of a drama-filled event.  Veterans McLain Ward and Goldika 559 prevailed in a three-horse jump-off over young up-and-comers Brianne Goutal and Michael Morrissey.

But there was a lot of action in the first round, too.  Course designer Michel Vaillancourt built a really tough triple combination, with a triple-bar in, two tight strides to a vertical and another tight one stride to another vertical.  The B and C elements of this combination fell like rain all night.

The last line of the course also caused problems, a narrow oxer set across the ring, then a bending five strides to a long one-stride combination of vertical-oxer, set along the side of the ring.  Ian Millar was looking to have a clear round that resembled an equitation round when Redfin slammed the brakes on at the A element. 

And one of the most-watched combinations of the night, Darragh Kerins on his new ride, Carlsson vom Dach, came to grief here.  Carlsson was the ride for Will Simpson on the gold-medal U.S. team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong and was purchased by Hunter Harrison of Double H Farm immediately after the Games for Kerins to ride.  They were having a clear go until the last line, when Carlsson didn’t think he could get the one stride in the combination done and stopped at the B element.  Kerins regrouped and circled, but on their second attempt, Carlsson jumped way up over the B element and crashed through it with his hind end.  They left the ring without jumping the last oxer.

Rebecca Johanson-Hofmann of Salt Lake City, Utah, got the crowd on the edge of their seats as she lost her stirrups halfway around the first course.  It looked as though she had a tack malfunction as her stirrups leathers literally fell off the saddle.  She didn’t miss a beat and rode Corona to a round with just two rails.  She was met with lots of applause for her cool and calm performance.

Morrissey was the first to show a clear round could be done, as ninth in the order.  Goutal quickly followed suit, leaving the crowd to wonder if it would be a Generation X jump-off.  But Ward’s immaculate round on Goldika meant they’d have some seasoned competition.

When Morrissey pulled an early rail in the jump-off and Goutal did the same, the door was wide-open for Ward and the 16-year-old mare Goldika.  They sped around the course with Goldika’s usual determined flair and left all the jumps in the cups.  They were also almost 2 second faster than Goutal, who placed third as the fastest four-faulter.

Earlier in the day, Louise Serio thoroughly enjoyed being crowned the grnad hunter champion and leading hunter rider.  “This leading hunter rider award is something I’ve always wanted to win and I’ve never gotten it done,” Serio said.  “Now, old as I am, I’ve gotten it done!”

Serio earned the grand hunter title on Bryan Baldwin’s Castle Rock, an elegant gray gelding who topped the regular working hunter division on his way to the grand tricolor.  Baldwin bought Castle Rock last November; Holly Orlando had had the ride last year.  “He’s got great presence and every time he goes in the ring, he tries to win,” Serio said.

Serio posed with Gray Slipper for the presentation photo since Castle Rock had already shipped to Baldwin’s farm in Florida, since he’s done for the year.  Baldwin kept the horse fit this summer when he had a break from showing and plans to show him in the adult amateur classes next year.

In other hunter action, the venerable Mandarin claimed the regular conformation hunter tricolor with Peter Lombardo in the irons, while Peter Pletcher rode As Always to the green conformation hunter tricolor.