The highlight of the Germantown Charity Horse Show was the $25,000 Grand Prix of Germantown, Saturday evening June 6, 2015. Prior to the class, course designer Philip DeVita explained the route of the course, then commentator for the class, Olympian Melanie Smith Taylor, discussed the difficulty of the course with rider/trainer Michael Tokaruk.
The course was tough enough that only two riders out of 18 had clear rounds to return to the jump off – trainer Miguel Ventura on Quan and his 18-year-old student Louise Graves on Zavira. In the final round, it was Miguel Ventura and Quan, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding, the winners, with Louise Graves and Zavira, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, second after one rail came down at fence number 4.
Brittany Albrecq was third on Christian Heineking’s HSS Quenten, while Christian Heineking sewed up fourth and fifth places on NKH Quanto and NKH Calango, respectively. Helen Graves, Louise Graves’ younger sister and also Ventura’s student, was sixth with Armani. Michael Tokaruk was seventh with Lee Hatcher’s Zig Zag PCH.
Bowers Cone, son of Germantown-area trainer Beanie Cone and nephew of Olympian Mac Cone, made his Grand Prix debut at Germantown on VIP Quality Royale, while wearing a cast on his left arm from an injury he had recently sustained in a high school Lacrosse game. He placed 10th in the Grand Prix of Germantown. Bowers was second in the Welcome Stake on this horse.
The course was tough enough that only two riders out of 18 had clear rounds to return to the jump off – trainer Miguel Ventura on Quan and his 18-year-old student Louise Graves on Zavira. In the final round, it was Miguel Ventura and Quan, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding, the winners, with Louise Graves and Zavira, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, second after one rail came down at fence number 4.
Brittany Albrecq was third on Christian Heineking’s HSS Quenten, while Christian Heineking sewed up fourth and fifth places on NKH Quanto and NKH Calango, respectively. Helen Graves, Louise Graves’ younger sister and also Ventura’s student, was sixth with Armani. Michael Tokaruk was seventh with Lee Hatcher’s Zig Zag PCH.
Bowers Cone, son of Germantown-area trainer Beanie Cone and nephew of Olympian Mac Cone, made his Grand Prix debut at Germantown on VIP Quality Royale, while wearing a cast on his left arm from an injury he had recently sustained in a high school Lacrosse game. He placed 10th in the Grand Prix of Germantown. Bowers was second in the Welcome Stake on this horse.
