Sovereign and Lisa Goldman-Smolen Lock In $50,000 Finish Line Grand Prix Win at HITS Chicago
Wayne, Ill. – June 11, 2023 – Lisa Goldman-Smolen showcased her winning partnership with her veteran mount Sovereign once again, topping the $50,000 Finish Line Grand Prix Win at HITS Chicago on Sunday. They produced the only double clear of the day, flying the flag for her family’s Red Coat Farm, who claimed the top four spots of the day. Kyle Perkovich piloted Rarity to second, while a lone time fault in the first round earned the third-place prize for Adeline Rohrbach and Cooper 211. Goldman also garnered fourth with her second mount of the day, Ivaro N.
Red Coat Farm
“Sovereign has been my partner for seven years now, and he knows his job,” said Goldman. “He is wonderful. We try and do one class a week if we can because he’s 17 now. He's just been really good, and just strong and fit.”
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign
Catsy Cruz set the track for the day’s main event, testing riders with an oxer-vertical double combination early in the course and a vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination in the middle before riders finished over three final lines. Only two advanced to the jump-off, with a single time-fault keeping Rohrbach and Cooper 211 out of contention. The short course included the first part of the triple combination and finished with a new bending line to the final wide oxer.
Adeline Rohrbach and Cooper 211
Perkovich was the first to return with Rarity, but an error at the first fence took some of the pressure off Goldman, who knew the Red Coat Farm team would be walking away on top. She was conservative and focused with Sovereign, leaving all the rails intact to garner the top prize.
Kyle Perkovich and Rarity
"Catsy was setting some pretty technical tracks all week, so I knew that it was going to be a bigger, harder track,” explained Goldman. “I ended up going last on Sovereign and I knew that Kyle was clear and Adeline had a time fault, so I knew Red Coat was going win no matter what. It was a really exciting way to go into the class. Going into the jump off, I knew I just had to complete the course, so it took some of the pressure off.”
Goldman concluded, “All of the horses were amazing. The footing is always so amazing and it's beautiful this week. They really gussied up the place – new jumps, new foliage, and it looks really good!”
Lisa Goldman-Smolen and Sovereign
Two more weeks of show jumping action remain at HITS Chicago for the Lamplight Spring Spectacular. Next week’s competition will feature the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, as well as Friday’s $25,000 HITS Grand Prix.