Ashley March and MTM Unicorn’s Love Me Tender Lead the Way in $25,000 HITS Grand Prix at Lamplight Summertime I
Wayne, Ill. – July 7, 2023 – On Friday afternoon, the $25,000 Smartpak Grand Prix brought show jumping back to HITS Chicago. During the kick-off of the Lamplight Summertime Series, Ashley March rode to the top of the podium on MTM Unicorn’s Love Me Tender, one of three horses that produced a clear first round and advanced to the jump-off. The second-fastest team was made up of Matt Cyphert and Paddington, with Katherine LeBlanc and MTM Turbojack making up the top three.
Ashley March and MTM Unicorn's Love Me Tender
“MTM Unicorn’s Love Me Tender is a 12-year-old Warmblood that I own with one of my clients and partners, Roberta Milas,” explained March after her win. “We've had him for a year now. He's been just amazing, so amazing. He was actually just imported in spring of last year, and I bought him right after he was imported in Florida.”
Matt Cyphert and Paddington
Katherine LeBlanc and MTM Turbojack were the pathfinders in the jump-off, setting the pace at 44.612 seconds with a rail at the first fence, for a 4-fault round, which would hold up for third place. Ashley March and MTM Unicorn’s Love Me Tender were next, and set a winning time with a fault-free round in 37.901 seconds. The final pair we saw in the jump-off were Matt Cyphert and Paddington, who also acquired 4 faults but with a time of 42.506 they walked away with second place.
Katherine LeBlanc and MTM Turbojack
“Lamplight always sets really nice courses where we can practice being smooth. He's got a huge step, so that's one of the hard things with him. Whenever we’re here it's nice to practice a nice collection and getting their best quality jump out of every jump” explained March. “This is actually my first big win on him! We're gonna try to go to HITS Saugerties in New York, and we're gonna go try that out and do some of the bigger classes out there,”.
March was thrilled with the competition and concluded, “I've been showing here since I was 5, so 35 years almost. I just love coming here! It's close to home, everyone's so friendly, everything runs so smoothly, and it's such a beautiful venue. You can't find another one in the Midwest like this!”
Ashley March and MTM Unicorn's Love Me Tender
The Lamplight Summertime I will continue throughout the weekend at Lamplight Equestrian Center as part of the HITS Chicago Series. On Sunday, the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Stadium will host the week’s highlight event, the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix. Junior and amateur athletes will showcase their skills on Sunday during their respective jumper classics to close out the first week of the horse show.