April 14, 2024 – Katy, TX – Andres Torres Hernandez has had self-described “up-and-down” results throughout the 2024 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, but he and Vivant Comedy PS finished the three weeks with the show’s highest possible “up”: victory in the finale $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix.
On Saturday, April 13, in an exciting conclusion to open jumper competition at the 78th annual show in Katy, TX, 18 entries took on the 1.50m course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral. In front of an enthusiastic crowd, that technical track with a tight time allowed narrowed the field down to five to return for the jump-off.
“The most important thing, I think, was the time allowed,” said Hernandez, referencing the first round that saw three riders jump clear only to finish with time faults. “I was last in the first round, and I saw many guys with time faults, so I was thinking, ‘I need to go fast in the first round!’ I think that was the most difficult part in the first round.”
Once through to the jump-off at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, speed was still very much the name of the game. Frequent Pin Oak grand prix victor Nicolas Gamboa was the first to return, and he and NKH Vittorio S sped over the course in 33.114 seconds but with one rail down, leaving the door open for the remaining contenders.
Genevieve Munson and Natalee Haggan each also saw one rail fall before Gamboa returned again, this time aboard his winningest mount, NKH Mr. Darcy. With the NKH, LLC-owned gelding, Gamboa showed a clear round was possible, stopping the clock in 35.446 seconds to take over the lead and to put the pressure on for Hernandez.
And Hernandez rose to the occasion. The Mexico-based rider and Vivant Comedy PS flew over the final Hilcorp Energy Company oxer in 33.448 seconds to secure the win and to give spectators a thrilling ending to a great night of competition.
“I feel great. This has been an amazing, amazing day,” said Hernandez. “To finish like this is just amazing.”
Hernandez has been partnered with his winning mount, his own 9-year-old Oldenburg mare Vivant Comedy PS, for the past four years, and he has been carefully producing her throughout that time.
“She just started doing the grand prix this year,” said Hernandez of the mare who also turned in a clear round in the Pin Oak Week II $50,000 R-C Ranch Grand Prix. “She’s just amazing. We love her. We love her in the barn.”
For Hernandez, winning with Vivant Comedy PS at Pin Oak is extra special, as much of his family – including his wife, kids, parents and sisters – was able to be there with him.
“In Mexico, sometimes I have to go alone [to shows] or just with my wife,” concluded Hernandez. “I like a lot being here at Pin Oak. The footing is really good. All of the people have been very nice. I like also that all my family can be here with me because we’re all together. That’s the main thing I like here – that we can be all together.”
For full results of the $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix, click here.
April 13, 2024 – Katy, TX – Jef Lauwers and Hallpass ended the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show the same way that they started it: with a USHJA International Hunter Derby victory.
After having earned the win in the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, sponsored by Augusta Pines Farm, during Pin Oak Week I, Lauwers and Hallpass returned to also take home the top spot in Friday’s Week III $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, sponsored by Memorial Park Hunters.
This time, the competition moved indoors under the lights of the Main Ring at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX, where 30 entries took on the first-round course designed by Meghan Rawlins.
As the 13th pair in the order, Lauwers and Hallpass shot straight to the top of the leaderboard with scores from the two judging panels of 86 and 87 – plus four high-option bonus points added to each score – for a first-round total score of 181.
Coming the closest to Hallpass’ score in the first round was Ivy League, owned and ridden by Jennifer Alfano. Alfano and the 7-year-old Warmblood gelding earned scores of 83 and 85, plus two high-option bonus points, for a first-round score of 172. Sitting in third place at the end of the first round, with a score of 167, were Alwaleed Alrashid and Versailles, owned by Lyla Brady.
With the top 12 returning in reverse order of their standings for the handy round, the top three spots ultimately remained completely unchanged. With Versailles, Alrashid earned scores of 81 and 87, plus three high-option bonus points, for a second-round score of 174 and an overall third-place total of 346.
Alfano and Ivy League also earned a second-round score of 174, giving them a total score of 346 and cementing their second-place finish.
As the last to return, Lauwers and Hallpass only further lengthened their lead. Scores of 87 and 88, plus all four high-option bonus points, gave them a second-round score of 183 and the win with an overall score of 364.
“[Hallpass] is my knight in shining armor,” said Lauwers of the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, owned by Sue Copeland. “He just comes out, and he starts jumping. He jumps better and better and better. He’s a great derby horse. That’s why we have him here.”
When not in the show ring with Lauwers, Hallpass can be found at home with Copeland, who keeps the horse fit on the flat and over smaller jumps before turning him over to Lauwers for derby classes.
“He doesn’t really travel with me,” explaind Lauwers. “He stays here, and he loves Texas. He loves his mom. She rides him every day, and then I get to ride him here at Pin Oak. It’s been really cool to have a horse like that that just comes out and steps up and does his job.”
Lauwers continued, “I love it here [at Pin Oak] because it feels like it’s one big family. I think the Texas people really stick together. We all come together, and we have different stories to share [from the winter spent on different circuits]. It feels like a community to come back to. It’s nice to have a hometown show where we all have fun. The ambiance is great, so it’s just fun to be here.”
Following a successful three weeks at the 78th annual Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, Lauwers will now spend a few weeks at home in Magnolia, TX, with PJP Farm before setting his sights on his summer goals.
“I think I’m going to try to take [Hallpass] to Derby Finals this year,” said Lauwers. “He’ll probably come and meet me up north maybe [at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, MI]. We’ll warm him up there, and then we’ll get ready for Derby Finals. It’s fun to have a horse like that that you know and that you can count on. He just always is the same. He comes out super. At the beginning of the week, he comes out like, ‘Ugh, you’re not my mom! Why are you kicking me!’ But then he loosens up and his jumping great. It’s like autopilot; you can just cruise over big jumps.”
Also recognized during the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby was this year’s Best Turned Out Derby Horse award recipient, C’est La Vie, ridden by Emma Rupinski. For the honor, C’est La Vie’s team was presented with the Paula Sparks Perpetual Trophy.
To view full results of the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, click here.
April 12, 2024 – Katy, TX – Of the five grand prix classes held thus far at the 2024 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in Katy, TX, four of them have been won by Nicolas Gamboa, including Thursday’s $25,000 Monarch Stables Grand Prix.
Gamboa has now earned an impressive nine Pin Oak grand prix wins since securing his first-ever grand prix victory at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center only two years ago. His victory in Thursday’s class came aboard his winningest mount throughout those two years, NKH Mr. Darcy.
Gamboa and the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding, owned by NKH LLC, were one of 17 entries in the class and one of six to jump clear over the first-round course designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral.
From there, Gamboa and “Darcy” showcased what has become their signature speed, stopping the clock in 35.702 seconds for the win. Second place with a time of 36.844 seconds went to Martien van der Hoeven and Chance Encounter, owned by Marlac Ventures. Finishing in third was the only other grand prix winner so far this Pin Oak circuit, Avery Griffin, this time aboard Bodega Semilly, owned by PBC Equine Investments, LLC.
“I wanted to be quick, but I didn’t want to take everything out,” said Gamboa of his jump-off plan. “There were obviously some places to go inside and some places to go around. Normally, you would think inside is quicker, but I chose to go around there. I think it paid off in the end that I could keep cantering and didn’t have to slow down. I didn’t watch everybody in the jump-off go, but I think Darcy just kind of flowed very nicely and evenly everywhere. He was the one that won the class for us today.”
Gamboa continued, “Bernardo [Costa Cabral] is obviously one of the best course designers in the world. He does a fantastic job everywhere. Pin Oak is extremely lucky, and all of us in Texas are extremely lucky to have him here. He did a great job for a Thursday grand prix, setting us up for the rest of the week. I personally did not jump the [Welcome Stake] yesterday, but I watched a few go, and I thought this was just a little bit bigger, a little bit more technical. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic course with enough questions. He for sure didn’t pull out all the tricks today, but you can see his mind thinking on what he wants to do for Saturday’s [$100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix].”
That $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix is what Gamboa will set his sights on next, as the class marks the highlight finale of three weeks of top hunter/jumper competition at the 78th Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. The evening’s grand prix festivities will kick off on Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. with entertainment from the Diaz Family, followed by the first horse on course at 7:30 p.m. Spectator admission and parking are free, and all are invited to attend.
April 11, 2024 – Katy, TX – Victory in each of this year’s three Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Welcome Stakes has gone to a different horse each week, but all with the same rider: Martien van der Hoeven.
On Wednesday, April 10, van der Hoeven completed his clean sweep of the classes with a win in the $15,000 Rendezvous Farm Welcome Stake aboard Mr. Jackson B.
On his way to the win, van der Hoeven was one of 16 entries to contest the course set by renowned course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral. From there, van der Hoeven and Mr. Jackson B were one of six entries to advance to jump off in the Main Ring at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX.
A slick inside turn helped them jump to the top of the leaderboard by a nearly four-second margin, stopping the clock in a winning 40.699 seconds. Second place with a time of 44.677 seconds went to Rachel Lindsay and her own Cokidoo, and Matt Cyphert and Paddington, owned by The Paddington Group, finished in third with a time of 49.732 seconds.
“Bernardo [Costa Cabral]’s amazing,” said van der Hoeven. “We’re so lucky to have these [course designers] for the three weeks here at Pin Oak. I thought the first track was very nice for who was here – the horses, the level. The jump-off today was a little bit more for me to test what Mr. Jackson could do. We tried an inside turn that I don’t know if anyone else did. It worked out for us today which sort of helped and helped us win the class, but had it not, I don’t think it would have been a discouraging moment either. I think it would’ve been something we could have learned from, so it was a really good jump-off for us to sort of see where we’re at.”
Gauging where they’re at is important, as van der Hoeven and the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding – owned in partnership with Maarten Huygens – have been partnered for just a few short weeks.
“Mr. Jackson B is new to the string; we just got him as we left Wellington,” explained van der Hoeven. “He’s a little green, but we’re very excited about what he could possibly turn into. Mr. Jackson still rides a little green in between the fences; I wouldn’t say that we have all the gears working quite yet, but once he gets to the jump, he has all the ability. It feels like he really has the potential to jump much bigger. He does it right. We just have to sort of work through a little bit of the kinks.”
For van der Hoeven, the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show has presented a great opportunity to work out those kinks, and, as a Texas resident and a competitor at Pin Oak for more than 20 years, van der Hoeven is proud to support the U.S. Equestrian Heritage Competition.
“I think the significance of Pin Oak is not just that it’s a historic show that’s been here for a long time, but also it benefits the charities, the Texas Children’s Hospital, which I think is important,” concluded van der Hoeven. “It’s two-fold. I think the show is very good for the Texas professional community and having a show of this standard. It keeps us relevant, and it keeps us ascending in the sport. Then on top of that, it’s great be able to help the charity and be a part of that as well.”
For full results of Wednesday’s $15,000 Rendezvous Farm Welcome Stake, click here. Competition at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show continues through Sunday, April 14, with highlights of Week III including the $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix on Saturday, April 13, beginning at 7 p.m.
April 7, 2024 – Katy, TX – Nicolas Gamboa has now earned an impressive three grand prix wins since the 2024 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show began on March 26, and on Saturday night, April 6, he not only notched his third victory of the show series, he picked up both first and second in the $50,000 R-C Ranch Grand Prix.
On the way to his one-two finish, Gamboa accounted for three of the 23 entries in the Pin Oak Week II featured event at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. The first-round course, designed by Oscar Soberon, narrowed that starting field down to 10 horses – and two entries for Gamboa – for the jump-off, and from there, it was an exciting race against the clock.
The very first pair to return for the short course, Natalee Haggan and MTM Hyperion Z, laid down a clear round and set the time to beat at a competitive 40.589 seconds. Four trips later, it was Gamboa’s turn aboard NKH Vittorio S, and a slick inside turn helped shoot the duo straight to the top of the leaderboard with a time of 37.801 seconds.
That time would prove uncatchable, and only Gamboa himself would come within striking distance. Aboard NKH Mr. Darcy, he stopped the clock in 38.783 seconds to take second place, relegating Haggan and MTM Hyperion Z, owned by MTM Farm, to third.
“I think Oscar [Soberon] did a great job with the jump-off,” said Gamboa, who rides for October Hill Farm. “You had to make sure that you didn’t overdo it too early. With ‘Vitto’ I kind of got to [the inside turn I had in mind] a little bit faster than I wanted, so I didn’t quite do the turn the way I wanted. I kind of slipped in between a gap. It was a little bit last-minute thinking there. Then, we were a little bit angled into the combination, but he really worked hard and made it happen.”
Gamboa continued, “With Darcy, I’ve known that horse a little bit longer, and he’s so rideable. He lands and turns. So that [turn] was kind of right there; it’s a given with that horse, but obviously, Vitto just got a little bit the better of Darcy today.”
Gamboa has been partnered with NKH Vittorio S, owned by Neil Knox of NKH LLC, for roughly a year, and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding has been on the cusp of a big win for some time.
“He jumped a big class [at the Las Vegas National in November 2023]; that was kind of our first bigger show together,” said Gamboa. “He’s kind of always been knocking on the door…Finally, I think at this show, we put some of those pieces together and figured out the jump-off.”
Gamboa continued, “I think Vitto and Darcy are very similar in a lot of ways but also vastly different in a lot of ways. Darcy’s very athletic, very catty, but a little bit smaller and a little bit shorter with a lot of heart. Vitto has just got such an athletic body and such a massive stride. He’s so quick across the ground. He has all the scope in the world it feels like. Both horses try so hard, and they want to win just as much as I do. It’s always a nice feeling.”
With Saturday’s win added to his increasingly impressive resume, Gamboa has now earned eight grand prix victories at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show just since 2022.
“It never gets old,” concluded Gamboa. “The feeling is always incredible – knowing that the horses are performing well and that we’re doing everything right at home and at the shows and that the whole team is performing well. It’s great to be able to get this [win] back to the team.”
Next Gamboa will be looking to get one or two more grand prix wins under his belt during Week III of the 78th Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, which kicks off on Wednesday, April 10. Highlights of the week will include Thursday’s $25,000 Monarch Stables Grand Prix and the finale $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix on Saturday, April 13. To learn more, visit www.PinOak.org.