Molly Ashe Cawley and Berdien are presented as winners of the $120,000 B&D Builders CSI3* Grand Prix by the Phipps Family. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Press release from Traverse City Horse Shows
Molly Ashe Cawley and longtime partner, Berdien, added another international victory to their long list of accomplishments together during the second week of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF), presented by B&D Builders, at Traverse City Horse Shows. The U.S. rider and 13-year old Zangersheide mare owned by Louisburg Farm led the way in a victory gallop after the $120,000 B&D Builders CIS3* Grand Prix took center stage at Flintfields Horse Park on Sunday.
Cawley and Berdien (Bustique x Querlybet Hero) have a storied history that includes wins up to the five-star level. “Our partnership started when she was seven, and she gives it her whole heart every time,” said Cawley. “She’s such a good turner, so when she whipped back on those big verticals today, I thought I would probably make up what I needed to make up."
“She’s on the latter side of her competitive career,” said Cawley of Berdien. “I’d say this was a big class for her but she always rises. The rest of my string are young ones coming, so hopefully next year we’ll have more of them stepping up into these classes.”
From a field of 30 horses tackling tracks designed by Mauricio Garcia (PUR), only five advanced to the tie-breaking jump-off. The short course proved an even bigger test and offered a head-to-head battle to the crowd that gathered on the banks of the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring; Cawley and runner-up Zazou Hoffman (USA) were the only two athletes to produce a double-clear effort.
Molly Ashe Cawley and Berdien. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Cawley and Berdien stopped the clock at 36.75 seconds, while Hoffman broked the timer beam in 37.64 seconds riding 13-year-old Selle Français mare, Bloom du Plessis, owned by The Bloom Group. Eighteen-year-old Zayna Rizvi (USA), piloted 14-year-old SBS mare, Exquise du Pachis, to the fastest time of the day, but pulled one rail to finish on four faults in third for owner Optimus Agro.
Cawley noted that spending her summers in Traverse City is an easy choice, but one she had to skip during the 2023 season due to her undergoing back surgery. “There’s so many improvements since I was here last; the stabling is amazing, the town is a lot of fun and the show is great for the horses and riders.”
Before Cawley celebrated a grand prix blue, her 16-year-old daughter Taylor won two junior jumper classics earlier in the day in the Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel International Ring, making the afternoon a winning one for the whole family.
“I can retire soon thanks to her,” joked Molly with a proud-mom smile. “She’s such a brilliant rider, and it’s fun to be a part of it and watch her grow and succeed in the sport.”
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