Ricardo Alberto Villa and J. Lo Win the $2,000 Open 1.30m Jumper Stake

John Brown and Ballon Bleu D’Arco Claim the $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake Win

For Immediate Release

Lily Yampolsky for TIEC

Mill Spring, NC – November 5, 2022 – Mackenzie Levine (Charlotte, NC) and her own Patton took the top call in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Meg and Damian Fine Homes & Equestrian Properties with an overall score of 165. Tori Bentley (Tryon, NC) and Valerie Breslow’s 2011 Oldenburg gelding Le Grand 43 (Levisonn x Lambada) took home the reserve honors with a score of 164. Adria Pierson (Lancaster, SC) and  Meredith Mateo’s 2012 Dutch Warmblood gelding Sebastian (Q.Breitling x Una Donna J’Adore) rounded out the top three after earning a score of 149.

Mackenzie Levine and Patton
©Avery Fletcher for TIEC

Seth Clayton’s (Ocala, FL) course was contested by eight entries, with Levine and her 2010 Belgian Warmblood gelding (Unknown x Unknown) moving up from the second place position with a 83 in the classic round to the top spot after earning an 82 in her handy round.

Tori Bentley and Le Grand 43
©Avery Fletcher for TIEC

“My first round, I just wanted to put in a nice smooth round with him. He’s a really great horse and I trust him, so I just wanted to keep going and do nice turns and have nice jumps. For the handy, since I was jumping the first jump straight from a canter, I just wanted to start with a nice canter, and keep that all the way through.  I wanted to have nice tidy turns, and he’s very handy, so I just trusted him all the way through.”

Adria Pierson and Sebastian
©Avery Fletcher for TIEC

Levine and Patton have been a pair for a bit now, and their strong partnership shone through in the ring. “His barn name is Tank and I’ve had him for a year. He is so wonderful and the sweetest horse. He’s very trustworthy and brave and we love him a lot.”

Mackenzie Levine and Patton in their presentation ceremony.
©Avery Fletcher for TIEC

Levine lives close to TIEC, so she and her mount Patton are frequent competitors at the facility. “I love [TIEC],” Levine explained, “the facility is so beautiful. TIEC does a great job with all the classes and there are always fun courses and a great atmosphere. It just puts on a really great show.”

For full results from the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Meg and Damian Fine Homes & Equestrian Properties, click here.

Ricardo Alberto Villa and J. Lo Win the $2,000 Open 1.30m Jumper Stake

November 6, 2022 – Ricardo Alberto Villa (Campobello, SC) and Horse Cents, LLC’s 2014 Dutch Warmblood mare J. Lo (Bubalu VDL x Alexis) took the win in the $2,000 Open 1.30m Jumper Stake with a time of 30.941 seconds. Taking home the second place honors was Megan Rosenthal (Charlotte, NC) and Fairy Tale Farms, LLC’s 2007 Warmblood gelding Caliente (Cormint x Gota) with a time of 33.376 seconds. Finishing in third was Meredith Bryans (Newborn, GA) and her 2007 Czech Warmblood gelding Guidam SID (Unknown x Unknown) with four jumping penalties in the preliminary round and a time of 67.708 seconds.

Ricardo Alberto Villa and J. Lo in their presentation ceremony
©Avery Fletcher for TIEC

For full results from the $2,000 Open 1.30m Jumper Stake, click here.

John Brown and Ballon Bleu D’Arco Claim the $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake Win

November 4, 2022 – The $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake win was awarded to John Brown (Mill Spring, NC) and Ponce Tidwell Jr.’s 2013 Belgian Warmblood stallion Ballon Bleu D’Arco (Amaretto D’Arco x Papilon) with a time of 33.343. In second place was Stephen Pack (Columbus, NC) and JET Show Stable’s 2012 Dutch Warmblood gelding HudsonBridge Tag (Andiamo x Dollar Bridge) with a time of 38.571 seconds. Rounding out the top three with a time of 37.298 seconds and four jumping faults was Megan Rosenthal (Charlotte, NC) and Fairy Tale Farms, LLC’s 2007 Warmblood gelding Caliente (Cormint x Gota).

John Brown and Ballon Bleu D’Arco in their presentation ceremony
©Bailey Beck for TIEC

For full results from the $5,000 Horseware Ireland Welcome Stake, click here.

Hunter Highlights:

Avery Morgan (Waxhaw, NC) and Brooke Billesdon’s Plot Twist were awarded the champion rosette in the USHJA Hunter 2’6 Division, with Marguerite Bryan (Clemson, SC) and Shannon O’Brien’s Revelstoke earning the reserve honors.

Lily Watson (Toano, VA) and Mynda Rainwater-Budd’s Without Limits won the Opportunity Cross-Rails Division championship, with Emily Collier (Mount Carmel, TN) and Courtney Weagle’s 24 Carrot earning the reserve championship.

Jumper Highlights:

The Big Ass Fans Open Jumper 1.20m Division championship was won by Heather Bound’s Harry and Kristen Cox (Orlando, FL), with Angela Hayton (Easley, SC) and her own Fortuna De Riverland finishing with the reserve honors.

The St. Luke’s Hospital Junior/Amateur Jumper 1.20m Division champion was won by Pilar Ojeda (Waxhaw, NC) and her own Jagermeister, with Double C Sporthorses’ Jascalla Grandia and Christina Couper (Charleston, SC) earning the reserve championship.

For full results from Tryon Fall Finale 1, click here.

The Tryon Fall Finale Series continues through November 13th, featuring two weeks of B/Level 3 Hunter/Jumper competition. For more information about the 2022 fall competition calendar, visit Tryon.com/compete.

Photos ©Natalie Suto Photography for TIEC (Bailey Beck and Avery Fletcher as noted). These photos may only be used once, in relation to this press release. Official show photos can be viewed and purchased at www.Tryon.com/photos. With questions, please contact media@tryon.com.