Jessica Mendoza stands with groom Zoe Caldicott for presentation. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Press release from Traverse City Horse Shows
International competition during the fourth week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, commenced on Thursday afternoon in the $32,000 CSI3* Speed Classic. GLEF IV represents the fourth in six consecutive weeks of FEI competition during the summer series at Flintfields Horse Park. After forty horse-and-rider combinations took to the track, Great Britain’s Jessica Mendoza and the appropriately-named In the Air claimed top call.
Course designer Marina Azevedo (BRA) built for a field that included seasoned veterans, including Show Jumping Hall of Fame rider Margie Engle (USA) and 15-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final contender Richard Spooner, as well as rising stars like two-time FEI North American Youth Championships individual gold medalist Zayna Rizvi.
Jessica Mendoza & In the Air. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photograph.
Twelve pairings found their way fault-free over the one-round speed test. The longtime lead of the class went to Nikolaj Hein Ruus (DEN) who sat in the top position until Mendoza made her bid. Mendoza, 28, shaved two seconds from Hein Ruus’ previous leading time of 67.69 seconds to land clear over the fences and fast on the clock in 65.58 seconds.
“She is an absolute freak,” Mendoza laughed of her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Air Jordan x Indoctro). “She is so careful and all she wants to do is have clear rounds, so it really is a pleasure to ride her. Today, she was pretty fast all the way around, and there was an inside turn we took to the second to last fence that I think made the difference.”
Nikolaj Hein Ruus and Naranjo. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Mendoza fondly nicknamed the mare a ‘mom’s club horse’, after a group of her client’s mothers invested together to make the partnership possible. Shortly before the 2024 winter season, Mendoza quickly discovered the mare’s special qualities and quickly made big plans for her long-term career.
“I think she will do five-star grand prix and everything,” she admitted. “I’m taking it step by step because she is so careful and sharp that I want to make sure I’m producing her right, even though she’s eleven-years-old. Everything I ask her to do she does with ease.”
Zayna Rizvi and Oryzon van het Schaeck. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Hein Ruus ultimately settled for the second-place position with Naranjo, a 17-year-old Selle Français gelding (Robin Z x Quappa) owned by Francisco Pasquel. Rizvi, 18, earned a spot for the USA in the victory gallop as she navigated a clear time of 68.12 seconds in the irons of Oryzon van het Schaeck, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Zirocco Blue x Vagabond de la Pomme) owned by Flying Z LLC.
Three-star competition will resume on Friday as the action ramps up in the $32,000 CSI3* Welcome Stake in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring.
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