All eyes were on the Grand Prix Field at HITS Del Mar in Del Mar, California, on Saturday, August 31, 2024, for the $100,000 SummitMax CSI2* Grand Prix. The international field of athletes featured riders representing eight countries, including the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Great Britain, Ireland, and Mexico, but it was Great Britain’s young talent Charlie Jones, 25, that reigned supreme with Capitale 6.
World renowned course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR) was the mastermind behind the test, which saw 14 of the starting 39 horse-and-rider combinations jump fault-free. In the jump-off, just six of those pairs managed to produce a second clear performance. Among them, Thursday’s $39,000 Voltaire Designs CSI2* Welcome winner Shawn Casady (USA) and Cool Quarz have not dropped a single pole across four two-star classes in two weeks at HITS Del Mar. They looked poised for yet another victory as Casady guided the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Quarz x San Patrignano Cassini), owned by Morning Star Sporthorses, LLC, to a blazing time of 37.98 seconds. However, it was all but over. At the end of the order, Jones and Capitale 6 put the pedal to the metal and shaved a full second off the leading time, stopping the clock at 36.92 seconds to pip Cassady and claim the top prize. Casady finished in second, while Arturo Parada Vallejo (MEX) slotted into third in a time of 39.60 seconds with Carmelo, a 10-year-old Mexican Sport Horse owned by Jose Alberto Martinez Barone.
“From the second to the third jump in the jump-off, I think Shawn [Casady] and I might have been the only people to do eight strides,” detailed Jones of his ride over the short course. “After that, I just tried to keep it as smooth as I could, because Capitale 6 is naturally quick. I didn’t know if I was going have the time, but when I went through the finish and saw the result, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’”
Jones partnered up with Capitale 6 about a year ago after a serendipitous chat with owner Karrie Rufer of Morning Star Sporthorses, LLC. Since then, the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding (San Patrignano Cassini x For Pleasure) has become an integral part of Jones’s string with the pair successfully competing through the five-star level.
“He’s like my best friend, honestly,” shared Jones. “He has given me so much confidence, and he’s just a trooper. I can’t thank Karrie enough for allowing me to ride him. He has really been a dream for me.”
Jones is a regular face throughout the HITS Del Mar competition season, and has now finished the Endless Summer Jumping Tour on the ultimate high note with a win in the $100,000 SummitMax CSI2* Grand Prix.
“It’s just absolutely unbelievable scenery around here,” he enthused of the HITS Del Mar Horsepark facility. “It’s an amazing area. The grass field is especially great, but all in all, it’s just a really super show.”
While international competition has concluded for the week, national classes continue through Sunday, September 1. Horse showing returns to HITS Del Mar for the fall season, beginning on September 26. For complete results, please visit www.showmanagementsystem.com.
