Nick Haness was unsure about being the first Tier I rider to enter the ring for the championship round of the 3’6″/3’9″ Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Incentive Championship.
“I doubted myself and secretly told my friend Kate Conover that you can’t win if you go first,” he later admitted.
But the rider from Temecula, California, was wrong. He and Circa, of Glade Run Farm LLC, set a standard that proved unbeatable in the championship round. They received a 93 from judges Brian Lenehan and Rob Bielefeld, a 92 from Bob Crandall and Shane George, and a 92 from Mark Jungherr and William Sparks to win the championship.
“I’ve been proven wrong, so I apologize for that comment,” Haness said with a grin. “(Circas trainer) Tom Wright, who is a great trainer and rider, told me I was too slow on the first jump on the first lap and I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. So I went in and just picked up a good canter and from then on she was fantastic.”
Haness attributed this to the 8-year-old mare’s expression, her cantering ability and her nimble legs. “She’s more of a slow and steady horse, and I try to go for it,” he said.
Check out their victory lap, courtesy of USHJA:
This year the championship format was changed slightly. The 3’6″/3’9″ championship was held on one day at Rolex Stadium. Ken Krome and Meghan Rawlins built the course.
“Everybody was unsure this week how it was going to go,” Haness said of the class’s venue change from Walnut Ring to Rolex Stadium. “I, for one, was for the change. I think the Rolex is a great venue. The stadium is beautiful and great. The views are great and I think the horses are actually pretty comfortable in that arena. They gave us a nice little holding area downstairs so that after they warmed up, you could kind of bring the horses down the ramp and step into this little lower arena and let them acclimate. They were able to look around and I think many, many horses ran great today. I think in years past there have been a little more, what I call, tragedies on the track and this year there have been very few. I think the whole class has been solid.”
Of the 82 participants, only one rider dropped out and no one was eliminated. Eleven horses pulled a pole.
Haness qualified all five of his horses for the afternoon championship round, but said he has a special connection with the 8-year-old Holstein mare (Casall—U2 II). Last year, Circa was the leading mare in the 3’/3’3″ Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Incentive Championship, a title she won again this year. She also finished runner-up in Devon (Pennsylvania) behind Frosted, who finished second in this year’s championship with Jennifer Hannan.
“Circa is a very special horse to me,” said Haness, 36. “I imported her when she was 5 years old and sold her to the family that owns her now, the Karet family, under Tom Wright and Glade Run Farm. It’s been very rewarding to be a part of her journey and that makes it very special to me. I ride a lot of horses and she’s one I have a special connection with, so that makes these wins even more special.”
Second-placed Hannan was impressed with Frosted’s performance.
“‘Frosty’ is just an all-around class horse,” Hannan said of Rindy Dominguez’s 10-year-old Holsteiner by Connor. “He’s a stallion, but you never know it, and honestly everything about him is a joy. He gives his best every time and is a great competitor.”
The top three horses all came from the championship’s 3’6″ class, including Daniel Geitner’s third-place horse Animated.
“My horse – ‘Patrick’ is his stable name – is just a sweetheart,” said Geitner. “He rides. He loves places like this. He gets a bit bored in a small ring, but on a site like this where you can gallop, he feels right at home. It’s pretty cool: I imported him when he was six years old, sold him to my neighbor, and she has been showing and developing him for the past few years. He just came back into my life this winter.”
Breeding fans will be excited to hear that Circa and Frosty are expecting a foal born to a surrogate mother.
“We’re pretty excited about the future,” Haness said.
The full results can be found here.
Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Championship Week continues on Wednesday with the first round of the 3’/3’3″ Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship.
Follow the Chronicle on Facebook and Instagram @Chronofhorse. You can also read a full analysis of Hunter Championship Week in the September 23 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine.
