McNaught Del Mar Queen Prix

By Paula Parisi October 3, 2011

He was knockin’ on the door all year, but on Saturday night Lariccello found the “Welcome!” sign and barged on through, carrying Helen McNaught to victory in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Del Mar CSI-W. “This horse has come so close, so many times, I wanted to sprinkle holy water on him,” McNaught joked in her lilting British trill. “Sometimes it takes a little bit of luck!”

“I underestimated Lariccello a little,” said John Pearce, who surrendered the win with a single stride added in the gallop to the last jump. The last to go in the jump-off riding Chianto,  Pearce saw McNaught “adding strides everywhere – the first line she did eight and I did seven, the second line she did seven and I did six. So I really thought I had it,  and at that last jump I collected him a little bit.” Pearce, who rides for Canada, wound up losing by fractions of a second, 44.58 to McNaught’s 44.37.

“After he jumped the combination [a vertical-oxer-oxer] I was pretty confident he was going to be clear,” McNaught said of Lariccello’s round one effort. “He really busted a gut getting over that. But I’ve gotta be honest, after (the HITS $1 Million Grand Prix in) Saugerties, every course looks small. That was larger than Olympic specs. This was plenty big, though. Olaf (Petersen, Jr., the course designer) doesn’t try to trap you. There were few four-faulters.”

Of the four who made it fault-free through round one of Petersen’s course, Francie Steinwedell-Carvin was the only other rider to go double-clear, placing third on Tanus. Harley Brown and Cassiato, the first-in, had a rail. The class of 30 entrants was notable in that it was the first grand prix Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum tackled with her new ride, Cantano. Michaels-Beerbaum placed eighth on the bay stallion, ridden since 2008 by Susie Hutchison.

The duo went impressively in round one and seemed home free only to drop a rail over the last jump, a Liverpool. “I was very pleased with Cantano and my result with him,” Michaels-Beerbaum said afterward. “I just need to fine tune some things and I think we’ll be a great pair!” Michaels-Beerbaum spent the past few weeks building the partnership with the horse “I always think it is better to start slowly with a new horse to establish trust that is important in a long-term relationship. That’s why I started him in smaller classes. I plan to show him in Florida in 2012.”

“Meredith rode brilliantly,” McNaught said. “Initially I was like ‘Uhhhhmm…I’m not sure I like the match. I wouldn’t want to have to follow Susie Hutchison. She is my hero. But I actually went up to her afterwards and told her it was a great ride.” McNaught came in for some kind words herself, from her Outwoods Farm partner Duncan McFarlane.

McFarlane, who finished ninth on Mr. Whoopy, was the one who originally imported Lariccello, a 12-year-old Oldenberg gelding, from Germany as a five year old.  “Helen has done a great job with him. She’s been riding him for about a year, and it’s nice to see them putting it all together.”

“It was a really good course,” McFarlane continued. “It wasn’t super big, but it rode bigger than it walked. Olaf is really thoughtful and does a great job. He doesn’t build crazy big to get the clears he wants, but he does little things here and there to catch you out.”

Thursday’s Welcome Stakes winners Karl Cook and Uno de Laubry were among the four riders who had a single rail down in round one. The duo came in sixth, but coach Butch Thomas said it worked out just fine in terms of Cook’s quest to collect World Cup points, because he was actually second in terms of U.S. riders, finishing only behind Steinwedell-Carvin. “John Pearce and Jon Asselin’s points went to Canada and Duncan’s to Australia.” Because McNaught didn’t win on her declared World Cup horse, Caballo, she did not accrue points, but it did mark her first win in a CSI-W.  “It was a tough field. To be in front of John Pearce, I’m over the moon. He’s an incredible jockey. I say he’s half-horse!”

Of the Del Mar International Horse Show, which ran Sept. 28-Oct. 2, McNaught said, “I love it! It’s a proper show – you’ve gotta wear your jackets. Good food, the VIP section is good, they bring out a great spectator crowd. Dale Harvey really puts on a nice event. The Sacramento International, which he does with Rudy Leone, is also brilliant. They have little parties at night. It’s like one of the European shows.”

Next up for Harvey is the Del Mar Fall Festival I, Oct. 19-23, and Fall Festival II, Oct. 26-30. From there it’s on to the Sacramento International, Nov. 1-13, which includes a 1.60M indoor World Cup qualifier class on Saturday, Nov. 12.

 

$50,000 Grand Prix of Del Mar – 30 entries

1. Lariccello     Helen Mcnaught  (44.37 /0)
2. Chianto      John Pearce  (44.58 / 0)
3. Taunus      Francie Steinwedell-Carvin (48.18 / 0)
4. Cassiato     Harley Brown  (45.73 / 4)
5. Mackavoy     Jonathan Asselin  (1)
6. Uno de Laubry     Karl Cook  (4)
7. Cristallo     Richard Spooner  (4)
8. Cantano     Merideth Michaels-Beerbaum  (4)
9. Mr. Whoopy     Duncan Mcfarlane  (4)
10. Bristol     Rusty Stewart  (4)
11. Springtime     Saer Coulter  (5)
12. Woodpecker De Villars     Candida Anthony  (8)

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