Wednesday March 26, 2003

The Heidelberg Cup

Reserve Goes to Pierre St. Jacques and Lucky Tiger

Pierre St. Jacques took the reserve in the Heidelberg Cup on Lucky Tiger, an eight-year-old that he found in Denmark as a five-year-old with Lars Peterson. Last year they competed at fourth level and this year started the Prix St. Georges, winning at Wellington recently with a 71.5%. The Heidelberg Cup was their first Intermediaire-1 competition.

St. Jacques, who is married to Grand Prix rider Pam Goodrich, has himself competed at the Grand Prix level previously on the horse Semper Bene, but said that usually he rides the more difficult horses at home because of his long legs and lack of fear. “He’s always honest in the ring,” St. Jacques said of Lucky Tiger. “There’s a lot to be said about that; it’s fun when you’re on a horse you can trust.”

He said that “Team Tiger” came to the show to support him this weekend. Goodrich helps him from the ground, and groom Nancy Hinz keeps everyone in order. “Tiger likes her and he likes for her to take him for walk and take care of him,” he said.

Having never ridden through the test, St. Jacques said that we wasn’t sure about the spacing between some of the movements, but that it worked out okay for the most part. “After the first pirouette on the flying change at B my timing wasn’t so good, but he did it,” he said. “His trot work was very good.”

At the suggestion of some friends, St. Jacques has decided to try for the Pan-Am Games team heading to the Dominican Republic this summer. He’ll have to go to Port Jervis, NJ to try to get the qualifying score, then to the selection trials at Gladstone, NJ in June. It would be his first big International competition.

“I had planned to go to Europe to train for the first time this year, but I figure this would be a good experience to get the jitters of International competition out and get used to competing under pressure,” he said. “Tiger is honest, so it doesn’t matter to him if it’s a big show. I get pumped up when I get in the arena, but not nervous. I handle pressure well.”