Bella Ride Nabs Million for Michaels

By Paula Parisi March 18, 2013

Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and her Bella Donna turned in a million dollar performance on Sunday, claiming top honors and a first prize of $350,000 at the AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix.

The duo barely squeezed out the win, as none of the 40 starters managed fault-free tours on designer Conrad Homfeld’s two-round course. Michaels-Beerbaum had one time fault and second-place John Pearce and Chianto a single rail for four faults in a jump-off of two.

The heart-pounding conclusion to the West Coast’s richest show jumping contest played out March 17 in front of a packed house March 17 under sunny blue skies at the HITS Desert Horse Park just outside of Palm Springs. Presenting sponsor Lamborghini Newport Beach decorated the grounds with candy-colored cars and the overall mood was one of festive focus as the VIPs spilled out of the Oasis Club and general admission guests enjoyed picnic coolers on the grandstands and grass.

The 10-year-old bay mare she co-owns with EOS Sport could not have been the easiest choice Michaels-Beerbaum made for a mount in the high-stakes contest. Malou, the 9-year-old grey mare owned by Octavia Farms, has been the most successful grand prix horse of the 2013 Desert Circuit. “I had a plan, and I stuck with it,” she said of the outing on her 2012 Olympic mount.

The German rider spent the winter in Thermal, working with her husband, rider and trainer Markus Beerbaum, to hone the skills of students Lucy Davis and Saer Coulter, both of whom attend Stanford University and show around their class schedule.

“California is my home and it was great to come here and ride for this kind of prize,” said Michaels-Beerbaum. “Money like this is more often given away in Europe and it is bringing the American standard to a whole new level. It’s a tremendous step and the future of the sport is becoming more and more exciting in this country.”

The AIG Thermal $1 Million was truly an international event, with nine nations making it into the top 20, and three countries represented in the top three. Pearce―the only neighborhood local in the bunch, with digs in Bermuda Dunes―rides for Canada, and third-place Duncan McFarlane, on Mr. Whoopy, owned by Simone Coxe, rides for New Zealand.

McFarlane was one of the few who managed to leave all the rails up in round one, but a time-fault barred him from the final round. It was 33 rounds into it that Pearce and Chianto scored the first clear ride as the audience began to seriously consider the possibility of a jump-off of four-faulters. Michaels-Beerbaum and Bella Donna were 38^th into the ring to make it a jump-off.

With only more challengers behind her, Michaels-Beerbaum delievered a flawless effort over Homfeld’s 14-obstacle track, which featured 17 jumping efforts at heights up to 1.60m. “The course was brilliant and a very good test for $1 million,” said Michaels-Beerbaum. “There weren’t any bad pictures out there today – some rails came down, but overall it was very good competition.”

In the jump-off, Pearce started out lightning fast and was clear until the second-to-last jump, where an awkward approach resulted in a rub and a rail dropped.

“I knew Meredith was behind me, so I was trying to use as much speed as I could over obstacles this size while still being careful,” Pearce said. He and Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm Allison Moore, posted a time of 53.70 seconds, while Michaels-Beerbaum rode in 56.70 seconds with a 54-second time allowed.

In fourth place, Karl Cook of Woodside, California was clear with three time faults in the first round aboard Signe Ostby’s Jonkheer Z. Capping the top five was the fastest of the four-fault rounds – Peter Wylde of Lake Worth, Florida and The Wannahave Group’s Sandor De La Pomme.

Michaels-Beerbaum noted that the win today was the result of long, hard work, and a bit of fate at work. “I trained Bella Donna for her last owner and said that if she ever wanted to sell the horse I wanted to be the first in line to buy her and I was. It took me a long time to get her rideable, but she qualified for the World Cup Final as a nine-year old and that just shows how good she is.”

For his part, Pearce was thrilled with the performance of his 17-year-old horse Chianto. “I can’t even count how many grand prix he has won for me and I am just so proud of how far he has come,” he said. Pearce and Chianto were third in the 2010 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, NY.

HITS CEO Tom Struzzieri was also happy with the outcome of what has become a bi-coastal tradition of $1 million classes. “Coupled with great sponsors, I could not have been happier with the results,” Struzzieri said. “While we were very happy to welcome some East Coast competitors, it’s nice to see people who have worked hard showing here all season go home with the big checks.”

The AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix put the final exclamation point on the 2013 HITS Desert Circuit and as the sea of spectators headed home and riders set out to cash their prize checks attention now turns to the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix that caps the HITS-on-the-Hudson circuit on September 8th, in Saugerties, NY.

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