It was another installation of top-notch international show jumping on Friday, September 5, 2025, at HITS Hudson Valley in Saugerties, New York. The $35,000 Go Rentals CSI3* Winning Round was the highlight event of the day in a long list of feature classes throughout the aptly named Championship Week, which boasts an FEI CSI3* division as well as a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation. This time it was Philip McGuane and My Lady van de Krekel that ruled the day after two exciting rounds of competition.
The unique winning round format whittles the starting field down to the top 12 horse-and-rider combinations regardless penalties. They then returned in reverse order based on their first-round score. First in the ring, Sam Walker (CAN) started with a clear round across Alan Wade’s (IRL) track with Carruso PJ. In the end, there were nine other clear rounds, plus a one-fault and four-fault effort that completed the 12 returning duos. Walker elected to withdraw his entry from the jump-off leaving 11 to duke it out for the top prize.
Wade’s short course combined challenging rollback turns with stretches of gallop, demanding a daring performance from start to finish. Megan McDermott (USA) was the first to race through the jump-off and leave all the poles in the cups with Da Vinci DV Z, stopping the clock in 35.35 seconds. The time to beat got faster and faster as Samuel Hutton (GBR), McKayla Langmeier (USA), and Michael Duffy (IRL) put the pedal to the metal. Then it was Nayel Nassar (EGY) and his five-star partner Coronado, the 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding (San Patrignano Cassini x Acord II) owned by Evergate Stables, that wowed the crowd, leaving out strides and breaking the beam in 33.03 seconds.
It looked like Nassar had sealed the deal until Evergate stablemate Philip McGuane (IRL) turned on the after burners with My Lady van de Krekel, an eight-year-old KWPN mare (Aganix du Seigneur x Numero Uno) owned by Evergate Stables LLC, racing to a time of 32.55 seconds and just pipping Nassar for the top spot. Last to go, Daniel Bluman (ISR) gave it a shot with Malina, his own eight-year-old KWPN mare (Aganix du Seigneur x Mylord Carthago HN), but their time of 33.21 seconds saw them finish third.
“Honestly, I saw Nayel’s jump-off and I didn’t think I was going to catch him,” admitted McGuane, who finished second to Nassar with My Lady van de Krekel in Wednesday’s $31,020 Dapper Horse CSI3* Jumper Classic. “We had some good turns at the end, and she is very quick across the ground, so luckily enough we beat him today. I’m just happy when one of us ends up in good placings. Once I had jumped the double, I knew I could risk it at the next two verticals. The last seven stride line coming toward home, because she’s small and has a short stride, it was still quick for her, so I knew I could risk it there too. She has always been very competitive.”
“They do a great job here, I have to say,” he continued. “I really like showing here. The footing is great. There’s always new jumps every time I come. The staff is super friendly too. Of course, we also have a great course designer Alan Wade here this week, and we had the sponsors, Go Rentals, here today. It’s hard to get sponsorships in this sport, so we are very lucky to have them here and really appreciate their support of this nice show and this class.”
International competition comes to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday, September 6, with the $125,000 Core Specialty CSI3* Grand Prix. National competition, including the $200,000 ClipMyHorse.TV Hunter Classic Final, will continue through Sunday, September 7, 2025. For full results, please visit showmanagementsystem.com.
