Danielle Urban Shines in Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Individual Final with Ellickson L’Amant van de Zeilhoek
To close the final chapter of the Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships during the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & hotel, professional athlete Danielle Urban of Elkhorn, NE, jumped to gold in the Individual Final for 1.30-1.35m/1.40-1.45m riders.
Out of the original starting field, only four combinations cleared Anderson Lima’s (BRA) first-round track to contend one last time in the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino International Ring. In an impressive feat, Urban was first to attack the course and left all rails standing in an uncatchable 35.16 seconds to end the weekend with a zero-fault score across multiple rounds of jumping.
At the start of the class, six pairs sat on a score of zero faults accumulated over the prior two phases, but Lima built additional difficulty into each course as the week went on. Urban piloted the Ellickson Equestrian-owned eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Diamant de Semilly) Ellickson l’Amant van de Zeilhoek to another perfect round in order to claim the title, the first of her career.
“This is my first time doing this championship,” she explained. “We’ve had students at our barn compete in them, but this is my first time competing in one myself. It’s been a really fun experience coming here as a Zone 6 representative and getting to meet other people from Zone 6 that you wouldn’t normally get to see.”
The partnership that proved the most to her over the course of the week however, was the one she has formed with her winning mount, a horse she has brought up the levels herself over the past year.
“We’ve brought her up through her seven-year-old year and then this year we have started doing some 1.35m-1.40m grand prix,” Urban explained. “She’s a quick and careful horse, so I thought this would be a great place for her to come and be competitive; to really shine in something.
“She’s so dependable that I knew this would be a great competition for her,” she continued. “I was a bit cautious at the beginning of the jump-off because it started with three vertical fences, but once I felt her get over the first few fences I knew I could let her go a little and she would be right there for me.”
Rebecca Gutstein of Glencoe, IL. donned the runner-up ribbon after clocking in the second-best effort on Masoranta, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by VDL Maserati. They broke the podium-deciding timer in 42.289 seconds for silver. Clocking in at 36.247 seconds with one rail on the floor, Alina Zappone of Winnetka, IL, rounded out the top three in bronze with Jack The Ripper 111, a 15-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Der Senaat 111.
Part of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Program, the Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships are open to professionals, juniors and amateurs, offering team and individual competition and an opportunity to qualify for continued education with top national and international industry experts. The championships are held regionally and have called Traverse City Horse Shows home once again this year.
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