Lisa Goldman-Smolen Gathers Top Placings in $50,000 HITS Grand Prix

Wayne, Ill. – July 10, 2022 – Lisa Goldman-Smolen was back in the winner's circle this Sunday, winning the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix with her trusted mount Sovereign as well as securing second place with her up-and-coming mount Ivaro N. A familiar face at Lamplight Equestrian Center, Goldman-Smolen and her horses have continued their success at HITS Chicago during the first week of the Summertime Series.

  Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign. Photo by: Alison Hartwell

Danny Foster set an exacting first-round track for competitors to close out the week, with tall verticals and wide oxers that included multiple connected bending lines, a long ride to a triple bar, as well as a triple combination before the last jump of the round. Both the horses' and riders' stamina were tested, with four producing a clear round and continuing to the jump-off.

 Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N. Photo by: Alison Hartwell

Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N were the first to try the shortened course with a solid time of 35.989 seconds and a sharp inside turn from one to two, but the back rail of the triple bar kept them from a clean round. Trying to walk through the open door left by Goldman-Smolen, Shannon Sullivan and Downtown’s Main Event aimed for a nice clear jump-off, but ended up having the third fence down in the process with a time of 41.932 that would eventually place third. Savannah Hemby and C. Wellie also attempted to top the tiebreaker, but 12 faults would leave them in the fourth-place position.

 
Shannon Sullivan and Downtown’s Main Event. Photo by Alison Hartwell

Being the last to go with her veteran horse Sovereign, Goldman-Smolen knew she had secured the win, but she didn’t stop there. “I knew all I had to do was go clear to win, but I also knew if I didn’t do the inside turn from one to two I might have it down,” explained Goldman-Smolen. Keeping with her plan from her first ride, Goldman-Smolen opted to do the inside turn to keep her horse’s attention and was still able to produce the only clean jump-off with a time of 37.889 seconds.

Goldman-Smolen and her horses spend a fair amount of time at HITS Chicago and have consistently proven they can win when they are in the ring, but they also carry their own personalities at home as well. “Ivaro N is honestly like a puppy dog!” expressed Goldman-Smolen “He just wants to be in your lap, so you can pet him and give him treats, and overall he’s just really sweet and laid back.”

Barbara Disco owns both Sovereign and Ivaro N, and Sovereign fulfills that older brother role at home. Goldman-Smolen noted, “He’s a perfect gentleman, but doesn’t really like to be messed with.”

 Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign. Photo by: Alison Hartwell

Goldman-Smolen will continue to compete throughout the remaining five weeks of show jumping action at Lamplight Equestrian Center for Lamplight Summertime. Next week’s competition will feature the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, as well as the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, the $10,000 HITS Open Jumper Prix, the $5,000 Vita Flex 1.35m Jumper Classic, and the $2,500 Stal Hendrix 1.35m Open Welcome. For more information click here.