In her hometown and with her father, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, cheering her on, Georgina Bloomberg couldn’t be beat at the Metropolitan National, held at Pier 94 in New York, N.Y., Nov. 3-7.

Aboard Nadia, Bloomberg, 21, topped the $100,000 Metropolitan Cup, a modified World Cup-format competition for open jumpers. And earlier in the evening of the final day, she also led the victory gallop in the $50,000 Liberty Cup Junior/Amateur-Owner competition with Action

“This was very special. The only other time my father’s watched me ride is the Hampton Classic [N.Y.] a couple of years ago, and I kind of mucked it up,” said Bloomberg, smiling. “So it feels good to pull through tonight.”

After the four rounds of the Metropolitan Cup, both Bloomberg, with Nadia, and Kent Farrington, aboard Madison, had accrued 3 faults and jumped double-clear rounds in the final leg to face off for the title.

Farrington jumped first, and Alexa Weeks’ feisty bay mare pulled rails at the first two fences, leaving the door open for Bloomberg.

With a determined ride, Bloomberg carefully negotiated the shortened course with precise turns and enough speed to ensure a competitive time. Her father and friends gave her a standing ovation after she crossed the timers with a clear round.

“It was my first grand prix victory. Our goal for the year was to try and get a grand prix win, so this was a great one to win,” said Bloomberg, who’s been in the grand prix ranks for two seasons. “I think it was just meant to be. And to have my family and friends here and all my supporters was wonderful.”

Since she already had the Liberty Cup title under her belt, Bloomberg went into the Metropolitan Cup jump-off already satisfied with her horses and her riding.

“Before the jump-off, I took a few minutes and reflected on the day. And I knew the worst I could be was second at that point, and it was great,” said Bloomberg.

“I knew that anything could happen,” she added. “Kent is a very fast rider. When he had the first two rails, I knew what I had to do. And, again, I could have gone for the slow clear and had the last two jumps down. You never know. It was just meant to be–it was my day.”

Bloomberg said she was fortunate to jump clear in Saturday night’s first round when the 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood felt a little fresh.

“After the first round, when she was a little strong and I had a few lucky rubs, I took a few minutes and gave her a really good flat,” said Bloomberg. “She really wanted to go, so I think that helped. She actually felt great in the second round. I couldn’t ask for more.

“She’s my most rewarding horse,” Bloomberg added. “I got her as a 6-year-old and made her myself. [Trainer] Jimmy [Doyle] put so much work into her and really believed in her since day No. 1. I started her in the low preliminaries. And this is the first year she’s done any of the open classes.”

In general, the riders enjoyed this modified World Cup format–run as a three-phase competition over three days at 1.45 meters (4’9″)–although it was slightly difficult for the spectators to follow on the final evening.

“I like the format,” said Bloomberg. “It works best with two horses, so I was lucky that I had two. But I really liked it. It’s something different.”

Not Much Different

In contrast to Bloomberg claiming her first grand prix victory, Leah Schwendeman continued her domination in the amateur-owner hunter, 18-35, division with an impressive victory at the Metropolitan National. The Belleville, Ill., rider won all three over fences classes on La Cara, her 10-year-old, Dutch Warmblood mare, on the way to the grand amateur-owner title.

“The fall tour has pretty much been something out of a dream,” said Schwendeman, who trains with Heidi Austin-Fish. “We were grand champion at the Capital Challenge [Md.] and then we won all four classes and we were grand champion at Harrisburg [Pa.]. She was a little fresh, so we only won one [class] at Washington, but we managed to pick up the reserve championship. Here at the Metropolitan, we won all [three] again, so it’s been an amazing run.”

Tracey Weinberg, Lovettsville, Va., and San Siro have also had an amazing run, but it’s been over the course of six years and has included multiple championships at the fall indoor shows.

After a hack-off with last year’s Metropolitan National champions, Kim Quinn and Gershwin, for the amateur-owner, 36 and over, championship, Weinberg added another tri-color to their resume.

“My boy, San Siro, has this affinity for New York City,” said Weinberg. “He’s been here three times in his career, twice at Madison Square Garden. The first year there he was reserve champion, and the second year there, in 2001 the last year the show was there, he was champion. And he comes here for the first time and duplicates that. I think there’s something about the Big Apple that inspires him. You can feel him blow his chest up when he steps off the van, like a raging lion. It’s the funniest thing because he’s pretty nonplussed about most things these days.”

San Siro, 12, is probably the only horse at the Metropolitan National who spends the majority of his year in a field. But Weinberg decided that San Siro needed a break from the road and life as a show horse, so she turned him out for about eight months. With the help of trainers Joe Fargis and Ramiro Quintana, Weinberg brought the bay gelding back to form for six shows, including two indoor shows: Capital Challenge, where he was reserve champion, and the Metropolitan.

“He deserved time off,” said Weinberg. “He’d done everything, and I was concentrating on the jumpers. I wanted him to be a real horse. He’s always been in a show program, and he was getting a little bored. So we got him a girlfriend and kicked him out and pulled his shoes. And he’s come back with a different perspective, I guess.”

San Siro, who lives at Stoneleigh Farm in Middleburg, Va., Fargis’ base of operations, has also benefited from a new environment that’s centered on the jumpers.

“His conditioning program is identical to what the jumpers do,” she said. “So I think that’s attributed to him coming back with a new sense of self. People say the horse has never looked better because his muscles have redeveloped.”

Weinberg said she can feel San Siro jumping better and enjoying the show ring once more, and that means everything to her.

“I think he’s fresh again. He’s going home, and Joe’s pulling his shoes on Tuesday, and we’ll let his coat grow in a little bit, and he’ll go out for another six or eight months,” she added. “And I’ll do the same thing with him next year. I’m trying to preserve him so I have him forever.”

A Winning Partnership

When Scott Stewart broke his ankle at the Capital Challenge in October, his partner, grand prix jumper rider Ken Berkley, stepped right in to fill Stewart’s boots. And, without missing a beat, the duo of Stewart as trainer and Berkley as rider earned tricolor honors at the Capital Challenge, the Pennsylvania National, Washington International and the Metropolitan National.

By virtue of his performances with Krista Weisman’s For The Music, Berkley earned the regular conformation hunter championship, the grand hunter title and the leading hunter rider award at the Metropolitan.

“This has been fantastic,” said Berkley. “I’ve never really been a leading hunter rider at any major show, and to be champion at Capital Challenge, a few points off the top rider at Harrisburg, and then leading hunter rider at Washington and grand champion at New York–are you kidding? This is by far the best indoors I’ve ever had.”

Stewart, Flemington, N.J., returned to the saddle for the Metropolitan and guided Carolyn Kelly’s Dynamic to the first year green hunter championship, one of two horses he piloted at his first show back in action.

He said his return to riding came just a little sooner than he’d anticipated. “But I only rode the six rounds,” he said, laughing. “That’s all they’d let me do!”

For Stewart, sitting on the sidelines, although difficult, offered some time for reflection.

“I think the thing that stands out, the thing that’s most exciting about all this, more than my comeback or my championship, more than Ken’s catch-riding, is the quality of the horses that we’re showing. We’ve had most of them since they were 3-year-olds, so it’s totally rewarding to see them win, no matter who’s riding them.”

After Emily Williams went off to college, Elizabeth Towell, 25, Camden, S.C., picked up the rides for trainer Tom Wright at All Seasons Farm in Cincinnati, Ohio. The partnership paid dividends at the Metropolitan National, where she rode their Prot駩 to the green conformation hunter championship.

And to add to the excitement, Towell picked up a last-minute catch ride on Lisa Cudahy’s Just Jack for the reserve championship.

Towell, who had a brilliant junior hunter career, said her perspective has changed since then. “As a kid, you say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m champion at indoors. No big deal.’ Now you realize how special it is, and you appreciate even more now,” she said.

Prot駩 and Towell clicked right away when the two first met at the Blowing Rock Horse Show (N.C.) last summer. “Clara [Lindner] couldn’t ride that day, so Tom grabbed me and asked me to ride her,” said Towell. “He said, ‘That was great; maybe we can do it again.’ So it fell into place, and I rode her at Trader’s Point [Ind.] and Capital Challenge.”

Wise horsemen sometimes shy away from choosing chestnut mares because they’re often considered “hot,” but Towell sees it differently.

“I have to say, I love chestnut mares,” she said with a smile. “These chestnut mares really come through for me. High Hearts, Juliette, Cargita, who I won my first grand prix on, and this mare. Some really important horses in my career have been chestnut mares.”

Towell has enjoyed working with Wright and is looking forward to continuing their partnership at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) circuit this winter.

“I’m so fortunate. Tom is an amazing teacher,” said Towell. “I’ve learned so much from him. I love it, and the lessons he gives. I showed some horses for him [in the past], but Havens Schatt helped me. So I’d never worked with him before. That’s what makes it so fun–you always keep learning.”