Sarah Segal Sails to the Win With Boreale de Fondcombe in the $116,050 Douglas Elliman CSI3* Grand Prix
Another week of international competition came to a close during HITS-on-the-Hudson V at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York on Saturday, July 27 and got off to an exciting start. Exhibitors and spectators alike gathered around the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium for the $116,050 Douglas Elliman CSI3* Grand Prix. The action-packed class acted as the highlight event during the second of three sold-out weeks of horse showing, which make up the Hudson Valley Jumping Tour® Series. At the conclusion of two thrilling rounds, it was the U.S. national anthem that played for Sarah Segal after a triumphant performance aboard Boreale de Fondcombe.
Ken Krome’s (USA) technical first-round track tested the field of 40 elite athletes representing seven nations. As rails fell across the course, even some of the most seasoned combinations were challenged to produce a clear effort. As the sixteenth rider on the start list, Segal was the first to jump fault-free. She was followed by five additional riders who also managed the feat and brought the total in the jump-off to six. As the pathfinder for the short course, Segal laid down a blazing effort in 33.52 seconds to leave the other athletes chasing her time. In the end, she ran away with the victory.
“I actually thought it was going to be hard for my horse because there were a lot of really steady lines and her stride is so big,” admitted Segal of her initial impressions of the first-round course. “The jumps were set sort of on bending lines, so that helped a little bit; it wasn’t just straight ahead. I thought my horse really tried to listen to me. She is very strong-minded and she always wants to go and jump, so she was really, really listening and with me the whole round.”
Boreale de Fondcombe is a relatively new mount for Segal, who just took over the ride about six months ago. While the experienced 13-year-old Selle Français mare (Tinka’s Boy x Calvaro), owned by Horatio Street Ventures LLC, boasts several grand prix wins on her resume, Segal has been working on developing a strong partnership in her own right.
“She’s obviously an amazing horse and I’ve just been trying to get to know her; she was awesome today,” said Segal of Boreale de Fondcombe, who was previously campaigned by French rider Marie Pellegrin. “She’s really careful and fast. She’s also incredibly brave. She’s everything, the whole package.”
Segal, who trains out of Chris Kappler, Inc. at their Chartwell Equestrian base in Pittstown, New Jersey, is a frequent competitor at HITS Hudson Valley. After earning the biggest prize in the $116,050 Douglas Elliman CSI3* Grand Prix, it was the cherry on top to another successful week at the venue.
“It’s great to have such a nice show in this area,” she shared. “Hudson Valley is a part of the country that I really love being in, so I’m really happy to be able to be here in the summer.
There are definitely a lot of horses here, which speaks to all the improvements that the HITS team has made. They are getting a great response from people coming, and I know they have even more plans, so that’s really exciting too.”
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