Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian has announced the nomination of the following athlete-and-horse combinations to the U.S. Pan American Jumping Team and the Traveling Reserve for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
The following athlete-and-horse combinations will compose the U.S. Team (in alphabetical order):
Alex Granato (Wellington, Fla.) with Carlchen W, Page Tredennick’s 11-year-old Warmblood gelding
Eve Jobs (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) with Venue d’Fees des Hazalles, her 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare
Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) with Breitling LS, Abigail Wexner’s 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion; Coach, Wexner’s 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding; or Darry Lou, Wexner’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion
McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) with Contagious, Beechwood Stables LLC’s 10-year-old Deutches Sportpferd gelding
The following athlete-and-horse combination has been named as the Traveling Reserve to the U.S. Team:
Lucy Deslauriers (New York, N.Y.) with Hester, Lisa Deslauriers’s 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding
Watch the team announcment video.
The 2019 U.S. Pan American Jumping Team is subject to approval by the United States Olympic Committee.
The jumping competition will take place August 6-9 at the Equestrian Club Militar La Molina. The 18th edition of the Pan American Games will gather around 6,700 athletes, who will participate in 39 sports and 61 disciplines, of which 22 disciplines are qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The U.S. Jumping Team secured qualification for Tokyo as a result of winning team gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018.
View more information about the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.
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The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF sponsors and members.

Upperville, Va. – June 7, 2019 – With nine athletes vying for the victory during the main event at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show (UCHS), presented by St. Bride’s Farm, on Friday, speed was key, and it was the fifth combination who proved to be the very best. The United States’ Alex Granato and Carlchen W, owned by Page Tredennick, were one of the first pairs to return for the tiebreaker and set an unmatchable pace to capture the top prize in the $71,200 Upperville Welcome Stakes CSI4*, presented by the World Equestrian Center.

This marks Granato’s first trip to the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, and with one win already under his belt, it is proving to be a great venue for him and the 11-year-old Mecklenburg gelding. Granato has taken his time with Carlchen W, and his patience has paid off with a breakout year thus far in 2019, including a victory in the $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W earlier this year at the Palm Beach Masters Series. The duo continued to showcase their partnership and talent with a world-class jump-off effort to lead the lap of honor on Friday.

On the jump-off:
“I was really happy with him in the jump-off. We started a little slow because he got a little bit fussy coming to the first jump, so it was not totally planned. I knew the six-stride was going to be steady for him if we came in too big, so I just built my canter for the first line. From there, it really was just knowing the horse well and some luck on my side. Everything came up out of stride in a great rhythm and he rode perfect for me today. It worked out really smooth.”

On Carlchen W’s progression:
“He has come on really strong through this entire winter. He’s really gotten consistent at the 4* and 5* level — he had a great WEF. I did a 3* a couple of weeks ago in Kentucky and that was our warm-up show after Mexico for here. He just has such a drive, I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a horse like Carlchen — that has as much drive to go in and win as I do. He’s been really special to me.”
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On the UCHS:
“I love the venue, it’s my first time here. I’ve been trying to get here for two years, so I’m glad we made it! [Carlchen] felt phenomenal today. I think the venue is beautiful. I love it — all of the rings are great and the course designer has done a great job, I like Alan Wade’s courses. It’s an interesting new ring to ride in and he’s doing a nice job building through the week. I am having a great time.”

Lexington, Ky. – May 18, 2019 – The highlight of the Kentucky Spring Classic took place on Saturday evening with the $134,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3*, honoring the late Mary Rena Murphy. Hosted in the Rolex Stadium, top horse-and-rider combinations took to the ring hoping to walk away with the week’s highest honors and prize money. After 40 athletes tried their hand, it was Alex Granato (USA) and Page Tredennick’s Carlchen W who excelled with clean and quick rounds to take the night’s victory.

With a total of five horse-and-rider combinations advancing to the jump-off, Christiansen took to the ring first and once again set the pace with a clear round and a swift time of 49.08 seconds. Entering the ring next, 29-year-old Wolff would best Christiansen’s time by two tenths of a second but fell victim to an unlucky rail. After Cook and Welles both tried their hands at the course, dropping various rails, Granato and his partner of five years, Carlchen W, entered the ring as last to go. The 11-year-old Mecklenberg gelding is a crowd favorite in jump-offs, thanks to his incredible speed and careful style. The pair stopped the clocks at an impressive 46.26 seconds, almost three seconds faster than Christiansen.

Granato and Carlchen W have proved to be fierce competitors together for a number of years, especially gaining notable placings during the 2019 season in Wellington, Florida. The pair dominated at the CP Palm Beach Masters Winter Classic CSI4*-W, hosted at Deeridge Farms, by winning both the $71,200 Suncast® Palm Beach Masters World Cup Qualifier and $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington CSI4*-W. Carlchen W will help Granato keep a busy schedule through the remainder of the year, traveling to the Upperville Colt & Horse Show in Virginia, in addition to representing the United States in Falsterbo and Hickstead this summer.

On Carlchen W:
“He’s been amazing. We’ve been together for five and a half years so we have a really fun partnership and we’ve gotten to know each other really well. He’s coming off of a great winter. We haven’t done much the past 7 weeks. We went to Mexico for the Nations Cup where he actually didn’t feel in his best health because the travel was a little hard on him. We’re using this to gear up for our spring circuit. He’s back to feeling himself and he’s really happy.”

On the jump-off:
“He’s so naturally fast and I’m really lucky with that in a jump-off. This is really is the best he has felt in a jump-off. He had a great circuit, but this is the smoothest, most consistent jump-off that he has had in a while. I changed the tack a little bit this week. We used a little bit different type of noseband and I felt like his reaction to my timing was better through the corners so it really made him a lot faster than I was really even planning to be which was nice because then I could let off a little pressure down the last line and not take too much risk. He jumped [fence] one to two so well and I wanted to be sure to get away from [fence] two quickly so that I could be a little bit patient into the double [combination] off of a long gallop. Into a vertical-oxer double [combinations], he is sometimes a little more focused on the oxer so I wanted to give him enough time to balance there. He rode great and it came up just right for us tonight and it felt really good. After that I just tried to stay real efficient and quick without being too greedy.”

On his upcoming plans with Carlchen W:
“We kicked off competition here in Kentucky and next we will do Upperville [Colt & Horse Show]. I think we will do one week in Tryon which is building up to July where we’ll head to Europe for the Nations Cups in Falsterbo and Hickstead.”

On Kentucky Horse Shows:
“I love Kentucky in general. We have based here for the last four summers. They do a great job here and it’s a fun show to kick off our spring series. The horses love it here and it’s a nice change in atmosphere after getting out of Florida so we always make it a purpose to get here.”

There were 37 entries in the five-star grand prix, and six were clear and moved on to the jump-off over a course designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio.
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Alex Granato and Page Tredennick’s Carlchen W went in the jump-off next and brought the leading time down to 39.51 seconds, which would finish in second place. Mario Deslauriers and Wishing Well Farm LLC’s Bardolina 2 were clear in 40.75 seconds and they finished in fifth place.
“Going around [from jumps one to two] I got a little hung-up,” said Granato. “I got one or two extra strides to the wall than I wanted. That was the only place I wasn’t thrilled with in the jump-off, but I thought he was really on the pace and did exactly what I wanted and stuck to the plan. I was happy with how it ended up. [Dani] was the clear winner with how she laid it on the table.”

Granato and Carlchen W, an 11-year-old Mecklenberg gelding by Chacco-Blue—Celline-W, Continue) have had a streak of top finishes in the past year, including a win three weeks ago in a World Cup qualifier.

“In the last year and a half he’s exceeded all of my expectations,” said Granato of the horse he’s ridden for six years. “He’s come so far, and he’s done a lot for and with me now. He’s on form, and now he just keeps stepping up to the plate for me. I’m thrilled about it.”

Alex Granato (USA) scored the weekend double, beating two former FEI World Cup champions to win the $208,200 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Wellington at the CP Palm Beach Masters Winter Classic CSI4*-W presented by Suncast. Riding Carlchen W, Granato also won the FEI $71,200 Suncast Palm Beach Masters World Cup Qualifier on Friday.
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“It’s all just very surreal. It’s been an amazing week," said Granato. "It’s a privilege to get to ride at a venue like this and against riders like these whom I have looked up to for a long time. To have a week like this is amazing.”

The jump-off read like a who’s-who of international show jumping with Olympic veterans and FEI World Cup™ champions among the nine who jumped in the second round on the Alan Wade-designed course. Conor Swail (IRL), was the pathfinder in both rounds and rode the first clear in the jump-off in a time of 44.68 seconds on GK Coco Chanel, which resulted in fourth place. Granato and Carlchen W shaved off nearly two seconds with a time of 42.70 to take the lead with a slew of stars yet to jump.

“I have a naturally fast horse, so for both classes I got to play that to my advantage and try to let him run at this pace and stay focused on my track and my turns,” said Granato. “I think I got lucky here and there with a rub in each jump-off, but the horse is very fresh. I’ve been gearing him towards this week and I think he came out really fresh and strong and ready for it.”

The crowd held its breath as last to go was 2007 FEI World Cup Champion and Olympic veteran Beat Mändli (SUI) raced around the course on Dsarie and was on track to take the win, but missed with 44.16 seconds for third place.

Granato will long remember his time at Deeridge Farms. “It’s a beautiful venue, I can’t say enough nice things. They do a great job. It’s so great of them to open their facility for us to come over. It’s an energizer in the middle of the circuit for us as riders and for the horses to get to jump at this kind of venue.”

​​This is the fourth year for the Palm Beach Masters at Deeridge Farms and if the riders have any say, the series will continue for a long time.

“To see the level of competition here is extraordinary. That was the most gratifying to me that people plan their year and bring their best horses here,” said Lou Jacobs, series co-founder along with siblings Charlie Jacobs and Katie Robinson. “As a family the best times we’ve had have revolved around horses. It brings us closer together as a family. It’s a love that we all share and we’ve got some great memories. This is a special place for us. We’ve spent a lot of happy times here as a family. It’s wonderful now for me to enjoy it with my daughter and extended family. It’s been really very much a labor of love.”
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There were several special presentations awarded on Sunday. As Sunday’s winner, the Hunter Harrison Award was presented to Page Tredennick, owner of Carlchen W. Tredennick also won the Sue Grange Award on Friday, as the owner of the winning horse of the FEI $71,200 Suncast® Palm Beach Masters World Cup Qualifier.
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Granato (Wellington, Fla.), and Carlchen W, Page Tredennick’s nine-year-old Warmblood gelding, the combination selected to ride tonight in place of Laura Kraut and Confu, rode into only their second-ever senior Nations Cup arena. A clear round was needed to keep the U.S. team in contention for the top-three spots. Granato and Carlchen W delivered a beautiful and flawless round to keep the team on eight faults.

“It was awesome, I loved the show,” said Granato. “It’s my first time here and it was a little last minute that I ended up being on the team. I came as the reserve rider, planning to jump the Grand Prix. Then when some cards changed, we decided to go tonight and I am thrilled with the decision. I am thrilled with the horse, he felt fantastic and rose to the occasion.”
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Edited Press Release 
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Parker, CO - July 12, 2017 - Week five of the Summer In The Rockies Series (SIR) concluded at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP) on Sunday, July 9, after another successful week of top hunter, jumper, and equitation competition. Alex Granato of Wellington, FL, and Carlchen W kicked-off their competition stretch at CHP with victories in the $20,000 Carolina Arena Equipment Welcome on Thursday, July 6, as well as the $70,000 Ariat® Grand Prix for the Mayor's Cup, the highlight class on Saturday, July 8. 

On Saturday, July 8, the combination bested a competitive class of 23, to take the win in the $70,000 Ariat® Grand Prix for the Mayor's Cup, after stopping the jump-off timers at 44.245 seconds. Second place was captured by the quick Katharin Gualtieri, of Morrison, CO, and Castalano, owned by Sandwillow Farm, with a jump-off time of 46.260 seconds. Derek Braun of Lexington, KY, rode Lacarolus, owned by MRN Family Corp, to third place with a jump-off time of 47.249 seconds.

Of Carlchen W's performance in the class, Granato said, "I was very happy with him today. I think it was a very good course. It was really fair for the field, and there were a lot of really good riders out here today." 
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"The jump-off was competitive. After going fast and winning the Welcome Stake the other day, my biggest goal, as I know already that he's naturally fast, was just to keep his focus as we kept a quick speed and not get too crazy myself," he continued. 

Granato and the 2008 Mecklenburg gelding (Chacco-Blue x Celline-W) owned by Page Tredennick, started off their week by dominating the $20,000 Carolina Arena Equipment Welcome Stake, completing the jump-off with a speed round of 39.702 seconds. 

"I was really pleased with him. He's still a young horse with only really a year of experience doing competitive upper level classes. He's really stepped up and is having and awesome year. I couldn't ask for more," commented Granato. 

Granato has had the ride on "Carl" for the past four years and has brought him up slowly. The pair have worked their way through the levels and the partnership shows a lot of promise for the future, which is has been an exciting journey for Granato. 

"I got the start with him as a five-year-old," he continued, "The Tredennick's purchased him and really let me take the time to develop him. This is our first real season doing the bigger classes. We've done some FEI this season and he's turned into a good competitor. We took a slower pace through his seven and eight-year-old years, used that time to focus on the future, and it's paying off for him."

The duo has steadfast goals for the future, and Granato plans to continue with his competitive streak. With a few more FEI competitions on the horizon, Granato is eager to continue their education. 

"Our biggest long term goals are definitely to continue stepping up," he said. "Right now we've got some national classes that we're doing now to give him some time to cool down after he has come out of the three-star competitions. We did about three weeks of FEI between the Winter Equestrian Festival. Our current plan is to just keep it more level until the fall, where we will move back up and do some FEI to get ready for the next Wellington show season and he's ready for those four-stars."

Jumper Highlights

Alex Granato and Carlchen W earned top honors in the $20,000 Carolina Arena Equipment Welcome Stake earlier in the week, while second place was awarded to Bjorn Ikast of Parker, CO, and Chestina Z, owned by Ikast, after a solid first round, followed by a jump-off time of 41.535 seconds. Ikast also clinched the third-place spot with Colorado, also owned by Ikast, after a quick jump-off time of 43.048 seconds. 

Describing his ride aboard Carlchen W, Granato said, "This is the first class that I have jumped with Carl out here, so he's a bit fresh today. He did feel really good though. He was a bit strong in the first round but he finished up well so I thought that I could take a good shot in the jump-off. I think the biggest place that made the difference with us was the first line. After the first roll-back I did a seven from the oxer to the vertical, where most riders did eight. I just tried to stay at that pace and keep it as quick as I could." 
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(edited Press Release)
Lexington, Ky – May 21, 2017 – Alex Granato and Carlchen W came out on top with faultless jump off round and a time of 41.73 to win the FEI 3* $130,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix at the Kentucky Spring Classic. The highlight event of the Kentucky Spring Classic, the $130,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, is held every year in honor of Mary Rena Murphy, who was an important part of American horse show history. Murphy, a show organizer, was an integral part of giving many of today’s top hunter and jumper professionals their start.  For Granato, who calls Kentucky home during the summers, jumping in honor of Murphy made the winning the prestigious class even more important.

Carlchen W, a 9-year-old warmblood gelding has been with Granato since he was purchased as a five-year-old by Page Tredennick. Although Carlchen W showed early promise and speed, Granato was careful to bring the youngster along, knowing all the while that he was cultivating true winning potential. After spending several years in the Young Jumper divisions, the winter of 2017 saw Carlchen W move up to competing in 1.40m classes during the Winter Equestrian Festival. After winning several of those classes, the pair competed in a 1.50m National Grand Prix with positive results. The Kentucky Spring Classic marks only the second time that Carlchen W and Granato have competed under FEI and with the win in the biggest class of the horse show, Granato is confident that the summer is going to be a great one.

Winners Circle
Alex Granato
On Carlchen W:
“The owners bought him as a 5-year-old so we have had him 4-years. They have let me take my time producing him and take him through all the young jumpers. We took a lot of time as a late 7-year-old and 8-years-old to with him and just started this winter in Florida hitting it a little harder. This is his first real step up to FEI doing this 3* week.”

On Take A Year off with Carlchen W:
“He has always been aggressive and always a showman in the ring and naturally fast. And that’s why we took the 8-year-old year to back off to really make sure the rideability was there and tone it down so he didn’t get too exuberant in the ring. It was the right thing to do but it was also a very hard thing to do. But I am glad that we did because it is really paying off right now.”

On Jumping Off the Next Day:
“I’ve only done that one other time and it was on a more experienced horse. Honestly, I didn’t hate the idea of it with this one because he was so naturally fast I didn’t think it would take much to gear him up for the jump off, but with him being green there were a lot of thoughts in my mind on how he would react. He felt great in the warm up and we went ahead and took a shot and he rode really well.”
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On Winning the Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix:
“I love winning this class for Mary Rena because it just means that much more. Every win is exciting, especially when it is a horse that you have had for a long time but when it is a special class for the crowd ii feel like they get more involved which make the horses and riders try harder and then it is just that much more special.”

Press Release by ESP/Carly Weilminster

Mill Spring, NC – October 14, 2016 – Alex Granato of Wellington, FL, guided Criss Cross to victory in the $8,000 1.40m Open Jumper Classic presented by Nutrena®, earning the first ever victory on the Grass Complex at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). The duo took the win after completing the track in 36.433 seconds, while Emanuel Andrade of Wellington, FL, and Cortina 186 followed closely behind to finish in second with a time of 37.256 seconds. Adrienne Sternlicht of Greenwich, CT, and Raia D’ Helby collected third place honors with a time of 37.262 seconds.
Competition at the 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District commenced on Thursday, September 22, and will continue through Sunday, October 30, featuring hunter and jumper competition, alongside two weeks of FEI CSI 3* classes and the highly anticipated FEI CSI 5*.

​“I really liked the course. I thought it was a nice use of the field and asked good questions while still being welcoming to build for the Grand Prix on Sunday,” he added.

The $8,000 1.40m Open Jumper presented by Nutrena® was the first show jumping class to be hosted on the new Grass Complex at TIEC and Granato’s win marked a full circle cycle for the talented rider, who also claimed top honors in the inaugural grand prix class at the venue.

“I’m really excited about getting to win the first open class in the grass complex. We’ve really enjoyed showing at TIEC,” he said. “We’ve shown here off and on since the first set shows and I actually happened to win the inaugural grand prix here as well. We’ve been based here for the summer and it’s a great place to build our younger string of horses.”

Granato has been building a strong string of young horses throughout the year, highlighted by top performances from Criss Cross, as the pair have secured top placings in numerous classes throughout the summer and fall seasons. Granato and team will head to Florida to prepare for a competitive winter circuit after competition concludes at TIEC later this month.

“This series is our last show to wrap up our fall before we head south and rest the horses for the winter circuit. We want to continue strong and finish with confident horses ready to move forward and move up in Wellington,” he concluded.​