A win by Laura Chapot on Chandon Blue in the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix Presented by Alliant Private Client culminated the first week of show jumping at the 2022 Lake Placid Horse Shows, sponsored by Bainbridge Farms, LLC, and Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC. One of the premier stops on the nation’s hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the Lake Placid Horse Shows run June 28-July 10, offering a full schedule of world-class competition with more than $600,000 in prize money.

(Above Photo Info. and Credit:  Laura Chapot on Chandon Blue © KindMedia)

Chapot rode two of the four entries from the starting field of 21 that managed to go clean over the 16-effort, first-round course designed by Nick Granat. Joining her were the defending champion Alex Matz, whose father Michael was an Olympic teammate of Chapot’s father Frank, and 16-year-old Zayna Rizvi.

Matz, who won the class last year on Cashew, was first to return for the eight-effort tiebreaker course, and he turned in a clean ride in 36.882 seconds on Ikigai. Chapot then followed on her 17-year-old Oldenburg gelding and as is her wont, blazed over the course, finishing clean in 33.903 seconds. Rizvi followed with a clean ride in 35.933 seconds on Exquise Du Pachis, putting her in second place and assuring Chapot of her sixth Grand Prix win in Lake Placid. Chapot closed the jump-off with a clean ride on Diarado’s Flying Dutchman in 36.510 seconds which was good for third place.

“He loves it up here and the footing was great, so he jumped really, really well,” Chapot said. “He has a massive stride, and we were able to leave one out at each of the first two. He was really focused today; he felt super energetic and ready to do the job. I just tried to stick to my plan, and he really came through.”

As the winning rider, Chapot received wine from J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines and a $1,000 gift certificate to the Lake Placid Horse Show merchandise booth compliments of Sea Shore Stables.

Prior to the Grand Prix, Zayna Rizvi rode Excellent to the win in the $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn High Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic, a member event of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series. Rizvi and Excellent earned the win with two clean rides and the fastest jump-off time of 34.855 seconds. Rizvi, who also won the class last year on Excellent, received a custom saddle rack from Dave Fowler.

In the opening ceremonies, the horse show honored Andre Garso as the winner of the horse show’s Outstanding Friend or Official Award. Graso has served the horse show and town of Lake Placid for decades, most visibly as the “Energizer Bunny” who never stops hustling in ensuring that food is always plentiful and fresh for the horse show’s exhibitors. (See Image Gallery)

Sunday also featured the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby presented by Lukens Horse Transportation. Winning the Open division over a field of 22 horses was Cocolores, owned by Debbie Bianco and shown by Michael Desiderio.

The Lake Placid Horse Show teamed with The Grooms Award Ltd. in presenting gifts and awards to the grooms of horses in the Grand Prix and Hunter Derby. All the grooms of horses in the two classes received gifts and the grooms of the winning horses – Catherine Olsen of Chapot’s Chandon Blue and Javier Melendez of Desiderio’ Cocolores – received additional awards.

A special ceremony was held following the $5,000 John R. Steele Memorial Children’s Jumper Classic that honored the late Dr. John R. Steele. Dr. Steele was the beloved veterinarian for many years at the Lake Placid Horse Shows and many other shows on the big league show jumping circuit. He was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 2008. (See Image Gallery)