HARRISBURG, Pa.--Zone 4 won the $15,000 Prix des States Team Championship for the second year in a row on Friday evening, Oct.10,  at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg.

JJ Torano on Lyon 50 anchored the Zone 4 team with two clear rounds. (Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)The team of Gabriella Curry, Lily Epstein, Amy Krebs and JJ Torano, of Zone 4 representing Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina,  finished on zero fauls for the win.

Krebs and Torano were also a part of the 2024 winning team.

Winning the silver medal with 12 faults was the Zone 2 team of Rylynn Conway, Adriana Forte, Tarin Kiely and Clara Propp represting Pennsylvania, How Jersey and New York.

The Zone 7 team of Campbell Brown, Avery Griffin and Michaela Munson representing Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas won the bronze with 20 faults.

“The group of kids that we’ve had coming up around the last two years are just very, very strong,” said longtime Zone 4 chef d’equipe Kim Land. “They’re well trained; they’re well mounted. They work very hard at the sport. They spend a lot of time doing it.”

“It’s been a build toward this success that we’ve had over the last two years, including the gold at the North American Youth Championships as well with this team," said Land. "These kids also have competed together. That synergy that happens when you have a team spirit like that, it really serves the group, and they feed on each other. There’s an energy that’s created that just doesn’t happen any other way.”

 

BY THE END of the first half of the two-round, modified Nations Cup format competition, Zone 4 had already shot to the top of the leaderboard on a score of zero.

Prix ded States trophy presentation (Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)The Zone 2 team, led by Krista Freundlich, and the Zone 7 team, led by Martien van der Hoeven, both went into phase two on 12 faults.

In round two, Curry on Esto de Viscourt went first for Zone 4 over the course designed by Oscar Soberon, and she had her second clear round of the night.

“The first round, Esto jumped fantastic,” said Curry of the 11-year-old Selle Français gelding that she has ridden since earlier this year. “There were a couple of little dicey spots, because, as our first one in, I only got to watch one. So, other than that, he jumped fantastic, and he felt great. Going into the second round, I knew just how to keep him straight, and he already knew where he was going, so I just slowed myself down and felt great. We’ve jumped a lot of big classes, and he just gives me so much confidence and really tries his heart out.”

Next for Zone 4 was Krebs on Jabantos, the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding that she also rode to the gold medal in 2024, and while Krebs two fences down in round two, her first round clear was instrumental toward Zone 4’s ultimate fault-free finish.

“We have quite a history together. I got him when he was 6,” said Krebs. “I did like the 1.15m on him, and he’s taken me so far. He’s exceeded all of our expectations. He’s the best partner that I could ever ask for. He’s really amazing.”

Epstein on Zjechov wemt next for Zone 4, and she bettered her first-round, four-fault round to go clean.

“In round one, one of the jumps I had down because he anticipated left,” said Epstein. “So, then in round two, I knew that I needed to hold him straight there more, and then they all came together very nicely. Having the team event is really special.”

When Torano went, the gold was already clinched for Zone 4, but Torano still wanted to have a clean round for his individual standings.

“It was nice knowing I had a little bit of breathing space in both rounds with how much we were ahead, so I didn’t feel like it was a ‘I have to jump clear’ type of round, but obviously I wanted to,” said Torano who is now in third place in the individual standings heading into Saturday night’s final phase.

Holding the lead on a score of 0.87 points is Avery Griffin of Austin, Texas on Oh My Star Van Strytem, and Curry on Esto de Viscourt is second on an incredibly close 0.88 points.