July 28, 2013 – East Dorset, Vermont – 16-year-old Cloe Hymowitz, of New York, NY, collected her second victory in a row in the $5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic held Sunday, July 28, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT.

Having claimed victory in the $5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic one week earlier with Caleta, Hymowitz returned to the grand prix ring during week four to again take the win, this time riding Bon Vivant.  Hymowitz and Bon Vivant edged out 26 horse-rider combinations for the win, taking the lead late in the jump-off with a double clear round in 38.08 seconds, two seconds ahead of early pacesetter Adeline Audette riding U2U.  With only two riders left to go, Catherine Tyree came close to catching Hymowitz’s time with Marengo, but 38.85 seconds would eventually leave Tyree in second place.  The final challengers, Gabrielle Hero and Pugnax, were on pace for the win, but a heartbreaking rail at the final fence saw them finish in seventh place.

Hymowitz had only just arrived in Vermont in the early morning hours, flying in specifically for the $5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic in an effort to earn qualifying points towards year-end finals.

“I came in this morning at 5:30 and got on him and went!” said Hymowitz.  “It’s definitely hard, especially when you haven’t ridden for a while.  I got here in the morning and rode him this morning, then jumped a couple jumps this afternoon and went in the class.  I’m lucky enough that he took me around that nicely!”

Hymowitz was understandably thrilled with how Bon Vivant, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood owned by Rose Hill Farm, performed in the ring on Sunday afternoon.

“He was great in there,” praised Hymowitz.  “He’s one of the most amazing horses to ride. He goes without you even asking him to.  You just let go of his mouth and he’ll run to any distance and jump.  He can turn on a dime.  He’s very exciting to ride and a really fun horse.”

While some competitors found the courses set by Conrad Homfeld, 1984 Olympic team gold and individual silver medalist, difficult, Hymowitz welcomed the challenge and was pleased with her improvement from the previous week.

“The course designer was really smart to start the first round off with a bending line,” explained Hymowitz.  “It’s very tough.  We had trouble with that last week, so I’m glad we fixed that.  Both rounds went really well; the courses rode really smoothly.”

An effortless first round performance put Hymowitz and Bon Vivant through to the jump-off, where Hymowitz aimed to set a fast pace early on in her track.

“The strategy was, basically, if I got a really forward gallop to the first jump, that’s the type of gallop to keep; to fly in the air and give him space to be forward to each jump,” she explained.

Hymowitz and Bon Vivant made their competition debut together at the 2012 Vermont Summer Festival, and have enjoyed plenty of success over the past year.  The pair earned multiple Children’s Jumper victories at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, finishing as reserve champion in the Children’s Jumper 15-17 division week four and clinching back-to-back Children’s Modified Jumper championships in weeks six and seven.

Next up on the competition schedule for Hymowitz and Bon Vivant is an appearance at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY.  Following that, the duo will travel to Europe for the first time, where Hymowitz aims to improve her riding before year-end finals and returning to Florida.

“We’re going to take him to Vienna and Austria and show him for two weeks there,” said Hymowitz of Bon Vivant.  “I’m really excited.  This is my first time going over to Europe.  I’ve heard how nice it is and that there’s exciting things to do there and that the show grounds are so beautiful.”

Hymowitz’s victory was preceded by the $1,500 Marshall and Sterling Children’s Jumper Classic, when Tye Donaldson and his own Dunja rode to first place.  The $2,500 Marshall and Sterling Adult Amateur Jumper Classic was the next title contested with Alissa Kinsey and her own Grisset jumping to victory.

The final jumper classic of the day was the $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic.  Katie Tyler and her own Seattle 6 secured the final blue ribbon handed out during the fourth week of the Vermont Summer Festival.

The Vermont Summer Festival, celebrating its 20th anniversary in its current Manchester location, offers more than $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont. The six-week circuit will continue through August 11 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.

The first five Saturdays of the Vermont Summer Festival feature a $30,000 Grand Prix.  The $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix will be held during the sixth and final week on Saturday, August 10.  The weekly $10,000 Open Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, is held each Thursday.  The hugely popular $5,000 3’3” Hunter Derby is also held each Thursday for the first five weeks, with week six featuring the $15,000 Hunter Derby.

The Vermont Summer Festival is a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).  For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit
www.vt-summerfestival.com.

 

$5,000 NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
	Rider	Horse	Faults	Time
1.	Cloe Hymowitz	Bon Vivant	0:0	38.08
2.	Catherine Tyree	Marengo	0:0	38.85
3.	Adeline Audette	U2U	0:0	40.13
4.	Nina Montross	Caprifol	0:0	40.48
5.	Christina Antonucci	Lisalba	0:0	41.27
6.	Ashley Foster	Carlot	0:0	43.71
7.	Gabrielle Hero	Pugnax	0:4	36.67
8.	Sima Morgello	Zopala	0:4	40.95
9.	Jack Morgan	Talinka 5	0:8	43.37
10.	Elizabeth Mahoney	Quadrifolio	0:17	56.54