Tiffany Hammack and Verdi O’Merveilles Tackle $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at Lamplight Summertime III
Wayne, Ill. – July 21, 2022 – Tiffany Hammack and Verdi O’Merveilles started off the busy weekend for Summertime III in the Grand Prix Stadium with a tactful win, coupled with a third-place finish, in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at HITS Chicago’s Lamplight Equestrian Center. With four horses advancing to the jump-off, Hammack produced the fastest double clear with Verdi O’Merveilles to earn the victory, while Ghana FS Z was the fastest 4-faulter for third place.
Tiffany Hammack and Verdi O’Merveilles. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
Catsy Cruz was tasked with designing and creating the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix track, where riders were tested on their ability to adjust their plan based on their horse. “I tried to make a technical course that was open, but as far as rideability, it could be done. There was also some questioning of a little long and a little short,” explained Cruz after the class. The questioning lines and bending lines throughout the course were also accompanied by a double combination out of one of the lines and a triple combination before the final fence.
Five horse and rider combinations successfully completed the first round without fault, however, only four of those pairs chose to take their chances at the jump-off, with one opting to save their horse for another date. Having gone clear with both mounts, Hammack doubled her odds by having both Verdi O’Merveilles and Ghana FS Z in the line-up for the jump-off.
Tiffany Hammack and Ghana FS Z. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
Hammack and Ghana FS Z were the first to try their hand at the jump-off. Despite an unfortunate rail at the first jump, they still kept their pace for a time of 40.146 seconds to secure third place. Nicolas Gamboa and Interactive Mortgage Cayjano were the next to follow and the first to produce a clean jump-off with a speedy time of 39.307 seconds. Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Ivaro N also tried to snag the top spot, but a rail in the combination kept them out of the top three and landed them in fourth place.
Nicolas Gamboa and Interactive Mortgage Cayjano. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
Being the last to go in the jump-off and having already ridden the course, Hammack was able to use that to her advantage. By tightening up her track and going clear over all the fences with a quick time of 38.870 seconds, Hammack was able to take the top position aboard Verdi O’Merveilles.
“I knew I did nine strides from the one to four and nine strides for the other rollback on my first horse. Counting in turns is not my strong suit, but I really tried, so I knew I got eight and eight on my other horse,” noted Hammack after her round.
This is not the first time Hammack has earned a spot in the winner’s circle with her horses here at HITS Chicago this summer, and she was thrilled to add another victory to the list. “For my 9-year-old, it’s a great place to step up - and the facility is beautiful!”
Tiffany Hammack and Verdi O’Merveilles. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
On Thursday, Leigh Nanda piloted El Casper to the lone double clear in the $5,000 Vita Flex 1.35m Jumper Classic to claim the winning title. As the penultimate rider, Nanda had the opportunity to watch the first part of the field and carefully choose her track to leave all the rails untouched. Ava Myers was the first rider to advance to jump-off, riding Chico P to the fastest 4-fault effort of the day in 43.544 seconds for second place. Amy White and Borev Du Genet also completed the jump-off with just 4-faults to their name, clocking in at 44.481 seconds for the third place honors.
Leigh Nanda and El Casper. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
On Wednesday, Ryan Sassmannshausen was the pathfinder in the $2,500 Stal Hendrix Open Welcome aboard Suedwinds I’m Udo. The duo posted a double clear effort in 41.558 seconds, leaving the other riders trying to catch him right until the end. Taylor Flury saved the best for last with Pharoah OBF, competing last in the class and tripping the timers in a fault-free 41.19 seconds to go to the top of the leaderboard. The fastest 4-fault jump-off belonged to Gamboa and Flecky 58, who rounded out the top three.
Taylor Flury and Pharoah OBF. Photo by: Alison Hartwell
Lamplight Summertime III will continue throughout the weekend at Lamplight Equestrian Center as part of the HITS Chicago Series. On Sunday, the Grand Prix Stadium will host the week’s highlight event, the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix. Junior and amateur athletes will also showcase their skills on Sunday during their respective jumper classics to close out the third week of the horse show.