August 2021 Issue

Page 6 August 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Alex Matz, Coatesville, PA, became just the sixth rider to sweep both Lake Placid Grand Prix events in the same year when he rode Davidson to victory in the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix at the I Love New York Horse Show, the second of two weeks of the 2021 Lake Placid Horse Shows. One of the premier stops on the nation's hunter-jumper horse show circuit, the 2021 Lake Plac- id Horse Shows, June 29-July 11, featured more than 100 classes of competition each week award- ing more than $600,000 in prize money. Six of 30 entries reached the jump-off by riding clean over the 16-jump, first-round course designed by Ken Krome. Carly Anthony was first to return for the eight-jump tiebreaker course and she set the mark to beat with another clean ride and a time of 42.269 seconds on Jet Blue. Each of the next four entries had faults leaving it up to Matz, the last to go. Matz, 24, who won his first career Grand Prix the prior Sunday at Lake Placid on Cashew CR, blazed over the course fault-free on Davidson and finished in the jump-off’s fastest time of 38.320 seconds to join Leslie Burr Howard, Debbie Dolan-Sweeney, Margie En- gle, Jeffery Welles and Darragh Kenny as the only riders to sweep Lake Placid’s two Grand Prix events in the same year. “My horse was at his best today, he was just phenomenal,” said Matz, son of Show Jump- ing Hall of Famer Michael Matz and D. D. Alexander Matz, Pan Am Games Bronze medalist. “He did everything I asked of him, especially when I called on him and needed him so it’s a real tribute to him. It was a great two weeks here and I really look forward to coming back.” Matz also finished fourth with a four-fault ride in 40.750 seconds on Flash with third going to McLain Ward, competing in his final event before going to Tokyo for his fifth consecutive Olympic Games. Ward finished the jump-off with four faults and a time of 38.602 seconds on Blossom Z. Next Generation of Matz’s Wins Two Grand Prix Submit your events to East Coast Equestrian at steph@eastcoastequestrian.net for inclusion in our calendar at no charge! Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information by the 10th of the prior month. Attention Event Organizers! The news East Coast horse owners need to know