HARRISBURG, Pa,--Taylor Kraft, 18 of Bernardsville, N.J., won Phase I of the USEF Junior Jumper National Championships on Volt du Thot on Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
Taylor Kraft on Volt du Thot (Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)A field of 38 of the country’s top junior jumpers contested the Phase I speed track set by Manuel Esparza, and when Kraft entered the ring as the 26th to jump, the time to beat had been set at 62.461 seconds by Carlee McCutcheon and MTM Unexpected.
Thanks to Volt du Thot’s large stride and a well-executed track, Kraft shaved more than seven-tenths of a second off of McCutcheon’s time,, stopping the clock in 61.725 seconds.
Hannah Hoch of Whitefish Bay, Wisc., was the very next to jump, and riding Shariva, she moved into second in a time of 61.948 seconds, giving Kraft the win, with Hoch second and McCutcheon, of Aubrey, Texas, third.
“I'm really grateful to be able to be here!” said Kraft, who is competing at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show for the first time. “It definitely feels amazing to start out with a win. It’s one of my first times showing in an indoor like this, so it was really fun to be able to challenge myself a little bit with this new type of course. The environment here is so nice, and they put on such a beautiful competition.”
KRAFT will now set her sights on the $15,000 USEF Prix des States Team Championship and Individual Championship Phase II on Friday, Oct. 15, beginning at 4 p.m.
Following the conclusion of Friday’s modified Nations Cup format class, the top 60 percent of riders will advance to the Individual Championship Phase III on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
There, the rider with the lowest number of combined penalties after all three phases will be crowned the 2021 individual champion.
“I’m feeling a little bit hopeful heading into tomorrow, and I’m definitely ready for the next two phases,” said Kraft.
From Oct. 14-23, the 75th-annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show will host more than 1,200 of the best hunter, jumper and equitation horses and riders from across the nation. I
n addition to the USEF Junior Jumper National Championships, highlight events of the 2021 horse show include the /USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final on Sunday, Oct. 16, and the $100,000 Grand Prix de Penn National on Saturday, Oct. 23.
To learn more, visit www.PAnational.org.
