SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — The 2014 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West came to a thrilling close with the show jumping phase and the challenging Final Four test on Sept. 22.

The competition provides an ultimate canvas for developing young riders to test their skills at a level of competition resembling the top of the sport. Just a few weeks prior, four of the best show jumpers in the world contested similarly in the Final Four at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. And as noted above for these top four, rails and time faults played a role in the final results at the Games as well.

After three solid phases and performing well in the final four test, the 2014 championship went to Sydney Hutchins, whose horse Sorcerer was also named Best Horse of the finals. Savannah Dukes was second, with third place awarded to Mitchell Endicott and fourth to Michael Williamson.

Hutchins, a 15year-old from Westlake Village, can add this coveted tricolor to a growing collection of awards, as the previous week she was named champion of the 2014 ASPCA Maclay Regionals West. This was Hutchins’ second time competing in this final with Sorcerer.

When asked about her favorite horses of the final four, 16-year-old Dukes, who has only been partnered with Chincharro Z for the last month, picked her own mount and Sorcerer. This year was also her second year competing in this final.

Endicott, also 16, and 14-year-old Williamson, of Loomis, were both on horses they’ve been riding since the winter — and also both competing in this final for the first time.

Saturday’s challenging Flatwork and Gymnastics Phases set the stage for high stakes competition on Sunday, when 26 riders returned for Show Jumping, Phase III, hoping to advance to the Final Four.

Course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio set a technical track with 16 efforts in a time allowed of 88 seconds. Reminiscent of the grand prix and elite jumper level tracks, the course asked many questions and tests of riders, as part of the final’s tradition of uncovering emerging young talent to represent the U.S. in future competition.

D’Ambrosio took this tradition to heart, incorporating elements such as a double and triple combination, a triple bar, liverpool, and the open water, laid out throughout the course and connected by stride counts that asked riders to alternatively collect and open their horses’ strides.

On Sunday, riders returned in reverse order according to the highest combined score from Phases I and II. Fence 8, an oxer with red rails set after the open water, caused the vast majority of rails, followed by fence 3, the liverpool set in the middle of the Grand Prix field. Several riders had a foot in the open water, and a handful accumulated time faults.

USEF Zones 8, 9, 10 Hunter Seat Medal Regional Finals

Sixteen talented young riders displaying their equitation skills and strengthsin the USEF Zones 8,9, 10 Hunter Seat Regional Finals, held for the first time in San Juan Capistrano in an outdoor ring, moving from the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Shelby Drazan proved to be capable of success in any ring, earning the top spot in the finals for a second year in a row. Drazan, of Redwood City, rode Marco and trains with Karen Healey.

The reserve champion was Ransome Rombauer, who rode Gaston and trains with Daniel Ighani. The third place ribbon went to Cayley Boyd riding Classic, and trained by Kost Karazissis.

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STATS:
Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West
Place – Entry – Rider – Horse – Trainer
1. 352 – Sydney Hutchins – Sorcerer – Elvenstar
2. 498 – Savannah Dukes – Chincharro Z – Karen Healey Stables
3. 154 – Mitchell Endicott – Avion – Michael and Christa Endicott with Karen Healey Stables
4. 294 – Michael Williamson – Long Island Ice Tea – Patty Ball
5. 282 – Robert Sean Leckie – Netflix – Leslie Steele
6. 388 – Nina Vogel – Aquino 49 – Far West Farms
7. 195 – Eve Jobs – Emerson – Ben Hey
8. 494 – Kilian McGrath – Salerno – Karen Healey Stables
9. 332 – Miela Gross – Zoe – Emily Esau Williams
10. 293 – Megan Hilton – Laterit – Candida Anthony

USEF Zones 8, 9, 10 Hunter Seat Medal Regional Finals
Place – Entry – Rider – Horse – Trainer
1. 188 – Shelby Drazan – Marco – Karen Healey
2. 199 – Ransome Rombauer – Gaston – Daniel Ighani
3. 386 – Cayley Boyd – Classic – Kost Karazissis
4. 525 – Nina Vogel – Koster – Kost Karazissis
5. 561 – Pilar Flournoy – Corrye Sanders – Mark Bone
6. 622 – Peyton Warren – Black Label – Jill Humphrey
7. 296 – Claire Follmer – Arezzo – Mark Bone
8. 290 – Jayme Omand – Bedrock – Kelly Van Vleck
9. 191 – Sarah Jane Haskins – Sirocco Van Het Schepershof – Karen Healey
10. 639 – CeCe Manze – Curacao – Michael Chaney – Joe Thorpe