WELLINGTON, Fla.--Silva Martin of Cochranville, Pa., won the Intermediate I Freestyle CDI3* on the 11-year-old Blueberry Hill on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Silva Martin on Blueberry Hill (Photo by Susan Stickle)Martin scored a a personal best 72.915 percent.

The chestnut mare, by the Jazz son Boston, is lightly competed, having only three CDI tests on her record.

This was her first international win.

Bianca Berktold on Imperial, already double winners this week, also laid down a career best score, of 72.53 percent, to finish second, and Lauren Knopp was third with 69.15 percent on Amadeus De Massa.

Sunday also featured more qualifying rounds of both the Lövsta Future Challenge Young Horse Grand Prix Series and the Summit Farm Future Challenge Young Horse Prix St. Georges Series.

 

DANISH-BORN American rider Charlotte Jorst, who has enjoyed grand prix triumphs this season with her top horse Kastel’s Nintendo, proved that she has a worthy successor in her small tour horse Zhaplin Langholt.

Jorst won the Summit Farm Future Challenge riding the 9-year-old to 74.146 percent, almost five percentage points clear of the field.

Both Jorst and second-placed Michael Klimke of Germany, who scored 69.264 percent on Harmony’s Astro, qualified for the final on March 25.

Anna Marek was third with 69.087 percent on Donauwelle P.

Jorst bought Zhaplin Langholt as a 5-year-old but injuries and juggling international travel have meant that she has only been riding him consistently herself for the past 12 months or so.

“He’s just incredible,” she said. “He’s great in the ring, has a great mind and great gaits. He is the complete package. The past three months he’s been coming along like crazy. He’s so willing and already piaffes and passages, so I think he’s going to be my next top horse.

“The trot is always the easiest for him; you can just collect him, and he comes back in balance,” said Jorst. “He’s so willing and wonderful. He really is like Nintendo: he likes being in the ring. He gets in there and he grows and looks at people and thinks they’re all there for him.”

“I’ll let him lead me, because I don’t want him to get injured,” she said. “That step from the I-1 to the grand prix is always so treacherous, so I’m just going to take it really easy. Even if it takes him another year, I’ll do that, because he’s so special. Hopefully I’ll bring him to grand prix; he has his one-time changes, so it’s just about putting it all together.”

“It would just be to get him in the rings and get him around, not do too much, because I don’t want to ruin him. If we could do Aachen in the Prix St. Georges, that would just be unbelievable. To ride into that stadium with that horse, I could just lay down and die afterwards. It would be the best day of my life,” said the 57-year-old.

In the big tour class, Alice Tarjan unveiled yet another superstar to come out of her stable.

She rode her 8-year-old Jane to win the Future Challenge with 71.529 percent.

Frederic Wandres of Germany was second on Harrods 3 with 70.793 percent, and both Jorst and Wandres qualified for the finals.

Devon Kane rode Gyllebo’s Vamos to 64.146 percent and third place.

“I haven’t really done anything with Jane because it took a little while to bring her along,” said 42-year-old Tarjan. “Usually we do young horse classes but she didn’t really show until I did two I2’s with her this year. The plan is to get some miles on her, because she’s spooky, and she’s never been anywhere.

“She went around the beginning really spooky and impressed," said Jorst. "But once she goes to work, man, the horse goes to work, and she’s so honest. It’s so nice to ride a horse like that that’s just easy and straightforward.