Glynn wins DC II Devoucoux
Hope Glynn and Balios Z (Flying Horse Photography)
Sonoma Valley Stables’ Hope Glynn followed her stellar Desert Circuit I performance by winning her second $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix in a row at DC II, taking the blue Feb. 1 on Sloan Lindemann-Barnett’s Balios Z.
The Penngrove, CA-based rider triumphed over a field of 41, scoring an 86 in round one and an 83 in round two, for a total of 169. Far West Farms’ Jenny Karazissis of Calabasas, CA, came in second on Noelle Wolf’s Bay Lane, scoring an 81 and 83.5, tallying out at 164.5 in the 3’3” class.
Karazissis stepped in to ride Bay Lane for an injured John French. “I rode the horse for the first time yesterday,” Karazissis said. And the two improved as they went along, sitting fifth after the first round and moving up to second after round two. “I was really happy with the performance, and John was sitting there watching, so that was added pressure to do well.”
Bridgeport Farm’s John Bragg of Rancho Santa Fe placed third on Riesling, owned by Lucy Anderson. That pair had an 82.5 and 81.5, for a combined total of 164.
Glynn also rocked fourth on Emma Townsend’s CR Haribo. “To top it off, it’s my daughter Avery’s birthday today, and my father’s too, so it was a nice win,” said Glynn, who won the Desert Circuit’s first $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix during DC I riding Campari. Earlier in the day Sonoma Valley Stables also enjoyed victory at the 3’ level. Fourteen-year-old Sarah Ryan, a student of Glynn and husband Ned, won the $1,500 HITS Hunter Prix on her horse Gabriel.
Jenny Karazissis and Bay Lane (Flying Horse Photography)
Both classes are qualifiers for finals that will take place in Saugerties, NY, Championship Weekend, Sept. 7-8. Every Devoucoux Hunter Prix is a qualifier for the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final in Saugerties. Both Glynn and Karazissis are trying to qualify and intend to make the trip east this fall.
As with the DC I Devoucoux Hunter Prix, the DC II event was also held in the Outside Course – newly configured with an elevated galloping track around the outside of Hunter Rings 3 and 4. The riders have embraced the Outside Course concept, and management is making sure as many exhibitors as possible get a turn in the special ring.
“Last week, they had the juniors in there, and this week it was the open classes, so it’s really been nice the way they’ve utilized it,” said Karazissis, who also placed ninth on Amanda Sadowski’s Kiss and Tell.
Course designer Rian Beals of Saugerties, New York took care to ensure the Desert Circuit II course offered new challenges. “They brought in hay bales and logs, and we had the option to actually jump off the bank, which was kind of fun,” Glynn said, noting that she didn’t choose that option in this class, but tried it earlier in the week. “It’s such a big ring, there are so many different options and this course was very different from last week’s. The thing that’s most interesting to me is it takes the horses a little by surprise because they’re looking for a fence, they’re not looking for the long gallop.
John Bragg and Riesling (Flying Horse Photography)
“The fact that they brought in new elements was nice, because the horses that have shown all week had something to look at,” added Glynn. “Sometimes at 3’3” the horse aren’t as impressed, but because of the different types of jumps and the long gallops, it impresses them.”
On the 3’ course Ryan captured scores of 82 and 83 for a total of 165 and the win. “It was very exciting for me,” said Ryan, of Napa, California. “Last year was my first year with Gabriel. We were just figuring each other out, but this year I felt he was ready to move up, and today he was very brave.”
“She rode great,” said Glynn. “It was the exact same course as the Devoucoux – they just lowered the jumps. It was a tough course for the kids, but they got some very high scores and did really well.”
Erika Scherer was second with Kendra Arnold’s Godspeed and Yvette Lang-Einczig was third aboard her own Rio Negro. Rounding out the Top five was Brook Sassa in fourth with Tracy Baer’s Widget, and Marta Mazess in the irons of Erica Ancier’s Bellagio in fifth.
Riders at the 3’ level will continue to have weekly opportunities to qualify for the HITS $250,000.
