Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Back-to-Back Wins For the Cardinal at Home

Sophomore Claire Margolis won High Point Rider honors on Saturday and Sunday

The Stanford Equestrian Team rounded out the fall show season with a pair of wins, as it hosted its first pair of home horse shows at the Stanford Red Barn on November 10 and 11. On Saturday, the Cardinal's returning riders showed their strength, taking eight wins and posting a score of 45 points (out of a possible 49), taking the championship over UC Santa Cruz (24pts), Sonoma State (22pts), Cal Poly SLO (21pts), and UC Davis and UC Berkeley (both with 14pts).


Sophomore Erin Gray tied for High Point Rider on Saturday with two wins in Novice

In addition to the team championship, Stanford claimed dual High Point Rider honors on Saturday with sophomores Erin Gray and Claire Margolis both winning their fences and flat classes (Gray in Novice and Margolis in Open). A favorite draw of the day was Stanford’s Kamari (the 2011 Zone 10 Green Hunter Champion), pulled by both Margolis and senior Alison Smith, who rode the small hunter to a win in Intermediate Flat, with freshman Bailey Martinez finishing right behind in second. Sophomore Tori Greenen also contributed a second place to Stanford’s team total with her ride in Advanced Walk Trot Canter.


Freshman Haley Harrington won Stanford's second class in a row on Toby

While Margolis, Gray, and Smith all have experience showing for the Cardinal at the 2012 National Finals, the team’s first year riders demonstrated the hunt seat squad's overall depth, continuing Stanford's strong showing on the flat. Freshman Haley Harrington won her section of Novice Flat after posting a strong second place finish the previous weekend at Santa Cruz. Though Harrington came to Stanford with experience on the Arabian horse circuit, she has been working hard to make the transition to hunt seat equitation. Freshman Hannah Grace was also a winner, earning a blue ribbon with her ride in Beginning Walk Trot Canter.

Stanford capped off the successful day with a win in Walk Trot by Wei Ling Heng. Hailing from Malaysia, Heng finished fifth at the National Finals last year and is about to qualify for the Regional Finals in the class. However, the team’s new, hard-working Walk Trot riders include senior Eliza Richartz, who joined the team in spring of 2012 and finished fourth at Stanford on Saturday in her first home show.


The Stanford team after day 2 win

On Sunday, the team got off to a good start with Margolis doubling down on her High Point Rider honors. She took first on the flat and second over fences in Open, putting 12 points on the board for Stanford. Martinez and Smith reversed their one-two punch in Intermediate Flat with the freshman taking first on Sunday and Smith riding in second. Freshman Holly Grench made her competition debut for Stanford, earning a second place with her ride in Novice Flat on teammate Ellen Kettler’s Ace of Spades.

Senior Alison Smith on Stanford's Kandinsky ("Ronny") and freshman Bailey Martinez on Kartouche ("Handsome")

After some difficult draws by her teammates in subsequent classes, Greenen put Stanford back into the running in Advanced Walk Trot Canter, winning another red ribbon for the Cardinal. Senior Gladys Delgadillo had a great ride on Stanford's Chili, finishing fourth in her first-ever Beginning Walk Trot Canter class. Stanford’s up and coming Walk Trot riders, Richartz and sophomore Natasha Aguirre, rounded out the day with two ribbons, leaving the Cardinal undefeated for the season. Look for Stanford's hunt seat team to return to competition on January 12, 2013 at UC Davis.


Senior Eliza Richartz and Sophomore Natasha Aguirre