Press release from HITS

It was a day of speed and precision on Friday, September 6, 2024, for the $40,000 Go Rentals CSI4* 1.45m Winning Round during HITS Championship week at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York. The class marked the third four-star competition in the division, whichis the  highlight in the action-packed week of elite hunter and jumper sport, representing the culmination of an incredible summer season. After two exciting rounds of jumping, it was Simon McCarthy (IRL) and Gotcha that got the top prize.

Olaf Petersen Jr.’s (GER) 1.45m course featured 16 efforts across 13 obstacles, which included a soft bending line of double combinations — an oxer-oxer double to a vertical-vertical double at fences 7ab and 8ab respectively. Based on the winning round format, the top twelve competitors returned in reverse order of merit on a clean slate, regardless of how many penalties were incurred in the first round. Ten of the original 24 starting horse-and-rider combinations managed to jump fault-free. Megan McDermott (USA) and her amazing partner Nintendo picked up one time penalty, and while they would have advanced to the second round, McDermott elected to save Nintendo for another day and withdrew. Amanda Derbyshire (GBR) and Otto BH were the fastest four-faulters from round one, joining the mix to race for the win.

Derbyshire kicked off round two with a brisk trip through Petersen Jr.’s second-round course, stopping the clock clear in 41.14 seconds. Just three trips later, however, Antonia Pettersson Häggström (SWE) and Tom Hanks took over the lead in 40.98 seconds.Unfortunately her lead didn’t last long and a few rides later, the lead changed hands once again as Irishman Jordan Coyle and King Kannan GP, a nine-year-old KWPN gelding (Kannan x Warrant) owned by Elan Farm, crossed the timers in a blazing 38.96 seconds. Jimmy Torano (USA) almost caught Coyle with his own Kochio Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Kannan x Diamant de Semilly). They finished just fractions off the pace in 40.40 seconds. The penultimate combination on course, McCarthy laid it all on the line with Gotcha, and their time of 38.50 seconds proved unbeatable. That relegated Coyle to second place and Torano to third, while Pettersson Häggström and Derbyshire completed the top five.

“The courses this week have been super,” enthused McCarthy of Petersen Jr.’s tracks. “Olaf has always been one of my favorite designers. It’s a very big ring, so I think it can be a bit difficult to build well, but he’s been doing an amazing job. 

“I watched Amanda [Derbyshire] go first in the second round, and I thought that her time would be very difficult to beat,” he continued. “Then Jordan [Coyle] beat it by two seconds. I knew that, basically, from the start to the finish, there were no questions other than going flat out, and luckily, everything came up quite well for me. Gotcha kind of saved me a little bit when I galloped at the Voltaire jump across the middle and really sliced it. I don’t think she saw it until the last second, but she was really good there to jump it, so I owe it all to her. I’m just her passenger.”

McCarthy has been Gotcha’s “passenger” for three years now, and the two have formed quite a formidable partnership. Their list of impressive placings spans from coast to coast in the United States, as well as to Mexico, Canada, and Europe, with their victory in the $40,000 Go Rentals CSI4* Winning Round just the latest notch in their belt.

“She’s always very competitive, especially at this level, and she’s been my number one horse for a while now, so hopefully we can keep her like that,” said McCarthy of the 13-year-old Holsteiner mare (Stakkato x Cassini I) owned by Rock Ridge Farms. “She loves going fast. The faster you go, the more careful she gets. She doesn’t like being told what to do other than to go fast.”

After spending time at HITS Hudson Valley throughout the season, Gotcha’s win ends McCarthy’s FEI campaign at the venue on a high note. He will now turn his attention toward the national classes during the Championship week, especially the $50,000 Douglas Elliman/Maria Mendelsohn National Grand Prix on Sunday, September 8.

“We’ve had a great week so far in the FEI classes, and now I’m excited for Sunday’s national grand prix,” he expressed. “The facility here is amazing. There’s a lot of space to ride and the schedule is always pretty good. They don’t keep us here too long, so it’s nice we get to go home and enjoy the rest of the day. Wordley Martin has done an amazing job with the footing as well, so it’s nice to see such good riders here coming and supporting the show.”

Four-star action comes to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday, September 7, as the best of the best take on the $250,000 Core Specialty Insurance CSI4* Grand Prix. National classes during HITS Championship week also continue through Sunday, September 8.