East Dorset, Vermont – Cynthia McGrath of Hummelstown, PA, won the $10,000 Manchester Designer Outlets Welcome Stake on Thursday, August 9, during the final week of the Vermont Summer Festival, which continues through August 12 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.
The Thursday featured class saw five entries advance to jump off over the Kenny Krome-designed short course, with Lincoln Russell of Columbus, NC, setting the early time to beat at 48.47 seconds with Gaverdi Z, owned by Juan Ortiz.
Just two riders later, Ashley Foster of Brookeville, MD, made short work of Russell’s time. Following double clear jumping efforts in both the $10,000 Vineyard Vines Welcome Stake and the $30,000 Manchester & The Mountains Grand Prix during week five, Foster and Deliante M, owned by Rolling Acres, delivered a repeat performance for week six, tripping the timers in 41.14 seconds to take over the lead.
It was only McGrath and her mount Caruso, owned by Wynnwood Farm, LLC, who would topple Foster’s time, crossing the finish line in 39.82 seconds to take the win, relegating Foster to second and giving Russell the third-place honors.
“I walked the course and immediately loved it for Caruso,” said McGrath. “It was a great course for him because you could have a big open step and still make some nice turns; it was his type of jump-off. He just knew the drill. Sometimes he’s not focused and wants to play. He was so focused out there today.”
McGrath, who is trained by her husband and Thursday’s fifth-place finisher, Richard McGrath, only recently made the move up to the grand prix level with Caruso after competing the 11-year-old gelding successfully in the amateur-owner jumpers.
Cynthia McGrath of Hummelstown, PA, and Caruso won the $10,000 Manchester Designer Outlets Welcome Stake on Thursday, August 9, during the final week of the Vermont Summer Festival at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
“I’ve been bouncing back and forth between the amateurs and the grand prix,” explained Cynthia. “This circuit in Vermont, I’ve been focusing on the grand prix. It’s been a pretty smooth transition because we did some of the bigger amateur classes. It’s really just me getting through my nerves and getting a little more rideability with him.”
For the win with Caruso on Thursday, Cynthia was presented with a $1,000 gift card to the Manchester Designer Outlets, in addition to her share of the prize money. As the second-place finisher, Foster was also presented with a $250 gift card to J. Crew.
“I’m so excited to go shopping!” said Cynthia, who has been attending the Vermont Summer Festival for nearly 20 years. “It’s so great that the whole town gets behind this. We love coming here. The staff has just been so accommodating and so wonderful. It’s amazing that after six weeks, everyone is still so gracious and so easy to work with. Everybody just works together. It’s just such a nice feeling!
“I’ll you what as well, the footing has been spectacular this year,” continued Cynthia. “It’s been great; my horses love it. The first week that I was here, I felt like I was riding on a cloud. The horses felt amazing.”
August 11, 2018 – East Dorset, Vermont – Marylisa Leffler of Brookeville, MD, claimed the final grand prix victory of the 2018 Vermont Summer Festival season with the win in the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Saturday, August 11. The six-week, 25th annual Vermont Summer Festival concludes on Sunday, August 12 in East Dorset, VT.
Course designer Ken Krome saw five horses jump clear over his first-round track to qualify for the short course, with Leffler and her mount, Luminous, returning as the second entry to jump-off. They set the time to beat at a quick 40.26 seconds, putting the pressure on the riders to come, Jonathan Corrigan with two entries and Kevin Mealiff.
Corrigan, of Southampton, NY, returned next with his first mount, Loughnavatta Indigo, owned by Twin Oaks Stables, but the pair saw one rail fall for four faults in 39.95 seconds and the eventual fourth place finish. The next in the ring, Mealiff, of Lake Worth, FL, finished clear but more than a second off of Leffler’s time, tripping the timers in 41.30 seconds to ultimately end up in third with Audi’s Dimple, owned by Maarten Huygens.
It all came down to the previous week’s grand prix winners, Corrigan and Javas Keltic Mist, who topped the $30,000 Manchester & the Mountains Grand Prix on Saturday, August 4.
Marylisa Leffler of Brookeville, MD, and Luminous won the $50,000 Vermont Summer
Celebration Grand Prix on Saturday, August 11 in East Dorset, VT.
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
“That one turns so well,” said Leffler of Corrigan’s final mount, Javas Keltic Mist. “I know I have the foot speed – mine is fast – but I knew I had to keep up and keep moving, knowing that [Javas Keltic Mist] turns so well.”
While Corrigan and Javas Keltic Mist replicated their double-clear performance from the preceding week, Leffler and Luminous’s foot speed proved to be enough, as Corrigan crossed the timers in 41.14 seconds to finish in second.
“We’ve been knocking at the door a little bit the whole time here!” said Leffler, who finished in third with Luminous in the $30,000 Manchester & the Mountains Grand Prix. “For the jump-off, I walked an inside turn, but it felt kind of awkward; I thought, ‘I think if I just fly and keep all the jumps up, I have a chance today.’
“Luminous is kind of like a little race car,” continued Leffler in speaking of the nine-year-old warmblood mare owned by Rolling Acres. “The faster that you go with her, the better that she is.”
Marylisa Leffler of Brookeville, MD, and Luminous were joined in the winner’s circle by Jennifer Glass
of the Vermont Summer Festival, Beto Silva, and Patty Foster.
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
In recognition of her win, Leffler was awarded a scrim by Mona’s Monograms, as well as a crystal trophy. In addition, the Vermont Summer Festival recognized her groom, Beto Silva, with the weekly Grand Prix Groom Award in honor of his hard work preparing Luminous for competition. Silva was presented with a monogrammed jacket and coolerette from sponsor Glenn Geary of Horsewatch.
