Olivia Cliver Concludes Pin Oak Charity Horse Show with $100,000 Hildebrand Family Grand Prix Win
Katy, TX – April 13, 2025 – Three weeks of show jumping action came down to one thrilling conclusion on Saturday, April 12, as Olivia Cliver and Connor 69 rode away with the win in the $100,000 Hildebrand Family Grand Prix.
Cliver and Connor 69 came in to the finale grand prix of the 79th annual Pin Oak Charity Horse Show with a major win already under their belts, having topped the prior weekend’s $50,000 Southern Way Farm Grand Prix. Earning their second win, however, played out a bit differently.
Cliver and Connor 69 were the last pair to jump the Bernardo Costa Cabral-designed course in the Main Indoor at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center, and up until that point, none of the other 20 entries had been able to turn in a clear round. All Cliver needed to do was leave all the jumps up, and the win was hers – and that is exactly what she did.
“I was definitely more nervous than I usually am,” said Cliver. “I knew that if we could jump clean, then we wouldn’t have to jump off, which was the deal I made with [Connor 69]. When we walked into the ring, I said, ‘Please, buddy, just help me so you don’t have to jump off!’”
Connor 69 did just that, and together, Cliver and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding made the technical track look easy. As they flew over the final oxer in front of the VIP Sponsor Club, the crowd erupted into applause as Cliver had just clinched the win.
“It’s just pretty surreal,” said Cliver. “I definitely knew we could do it. I just hoped more than anything that I could do my part and make it happen.”
With Cliver taking home the win as the only clear round, both second and third place went to Avery Griffin. The 18-year-old piloted Oh My Star Van Strytem to second place with four faults in a time of 72.218 seconds, and she finished in third after riding Bodega Semilly to four faults in a time of 74.432 seconds.
For Cliver, Saturday night’s win was extra special, as all of Connor 69’s owners were in attendance to watch their horse’s win.
“I’m just really thankful to own him with my parents, Mark and Sarah Philpy, Laura and Holt Johnson, Becky Young and Sonja Register,” concluded Cliver. “This was the first time that we had all of them here and had a result like this. So, it’s really fun and really special, and I think everyone is really excited to be here as well.”
To view complete results from Saturday night’s $100,000 Hildebrand Family Grand Prix, click here. Sunday, April 13 marks the conclusion of competition at the 2024 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in Katy, TX. To learn more about the annual event, benefitting Texas Children’s Hospital, visit PinOak.org.