Major League Show Jumping Action Lifts Off at Flintfields Horse Park
The final week of international sport at the 2024 Traverse City Horse Shows made its grand entrance during the iconic American Gold Cup Week on Thursday as a field of top athletes landed in Northern Michigan. Hot off the heels of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Traverse City the week prior, competitors are once again primed for a week of elite action during Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ), culminating with the coveted American Gold Cup on Sunday.
The pinnacle of the season at Flintfields Horse Park, the week features five-star and two-star competition. In addition to the $340,000 American Gold Cup, the schedule also features the $300,000 CSI5* ClipMyHorse.tv MLSJ Team Competition in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring. Heading into the weekend, action heats up on Friday with the $181,170 CSI5* Cabana Coast Qualifier.
During opening day, the USA’s Kristen Vanderveen captured the first international victory of the week as she led the way in the CSI2* Two-Phase Opener aboard Bull Run’s Charis. A ‘catch-ride’ for Vanderveen, Charis, owned by VW Sales, is the normal ride of Hunter Holloway (USA). The eight-year-old took the win in 33.24 seconds. Five-star competition concluded the afternoon and saw Spencer Smith (USA) complete the CSI5* Two-Phase Opener course in the fastest time aboard on the Ashland Farms and Don Stewart’s 11-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, HHS Seattle. Against a field of 70 horse-and-rider starting combinations, the pair’s performance in 33.58 seconds proved unbeatable.
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