Philip McGuane and My Lady van de Krekel Lead the Way in the $35,000 Go Rentals CSI3* Winning Round During HITS Hudson Valley Championship Week
It was another installation of top-notch international show jumping on Friday, September 5, 2025, at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York. The $35,000 Go Rentals CSI3* Winning Round was the highlight event of the day in a long list of feature classes throughout the aptly named Championship Week, which boasts an FEI CSI3* division as well as a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation. This time it was Philip McGuane and My Lady van de Krekel that ruled the day after two exciting rounds of competition.
The unique winning round format whittles the starting field down to the top 12 horse-and-rider combinations regardless penalties. They then returned in reverse order based on their first-round score. First in the ring, Sam Walker (CAN) started with a clear round across Alan Wade’s (IRL) track with Carruso PJ. In the end, there were nine other clear rounds, plus a one-fault and four-fault effort that completed the 12 returning duos. Walker elected to withdraw his entry from the jump-off leaving 11 to duke it out for the top prize.
Wade’s short course combined challenging rollback turns with stretches of gallop, demanding a daring performance from start to finish. Megan McDermott (USA) was the first to race through the jump-off and leave all the poles in the cups with Da Vinci DV Z, stopping the clock in 35.35 seconds. The time to beat got faster and faster as Samuel Hutton (GBR), McKayla Langmeier (USA), and Michael Duffy (IRL) put the pedal to the metal. Then it was Nayel Nassar (EGY) and his five-star partner Coronado, the 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding (San Patrignano Cassini x Acord II) owned by Evergate Stables, that wowed the crowd, leaving out strides and breaking the beam in 33.03 seconds.
It looked like Nassar had sealed the deal until Evergate stablemate Philip McGuane (IRL) turned on the after burners with My Lady van de Krekel, an eight-year-old KWPN mare (Aganix du Seigneur x Numero Uno) owned by Evergate Stables LLC, racing to a time of 32.55 seconds and just pipping Nassar for the top spot. Last to go, Daniel Bluman (ISR) gave it a shot with Malina, his own eight-year-old KWPN mare (Aganix du Seigneur x Mylord Carthago HN), but their time of 33.21 seconds saw them finish third.
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