If Tate McRae needed a muse for her chart-topping anthem “Sports Car,” she need look no further than Lady Cassini 3. The 10-year-old mare lived up to her theme song in Sunday’s U25 1.40m Grand Prix, protected by Western Pacific Emergency Response, at Thunderbird Show Park’s Summer Fort Welcome, leaving the competition in her rearview mirror.

The second of three to return for the jump off, Chernoff and Lady Cassini 3 sped around Peter Holmes’ track with a double-clear effort, stopping the clock in a blistering 40.99 seconds—more than five seconds quicker than the runner-up combination. Canada’s Mya Viczko (22) and Ezio De Emeraud settled for second with 4 faults in 46.48 seconds, while 17-year-old Iris Hickey (USA) and Daiquiri rounded out the podium with 8 faults in 46.81 seconds.

It was a performance that was pure pole position—by a mare has one preferred gear, fifth.

“Even the first round felt like I was riding the jump off already,” said Chernoff of her speedy mare. “You’re never worried about the time allowed with her. I never have once thought about it.”

Sunday’s victory capped a breakthrough week for the 21-year-old rider, who acquired the Lord Fauntleroy mare last summer from Germany but spent much of the past year away from the saddle while finishing her Kinesiology degree at Queen’s University.

“I showed her a bit last summer and then September came around. I went back to school in Ontario, so I wasn’t really riding for most of the year,” Chernoff explained. “I came back here in April and we did four weeks of Spruce Meadows together, which I would say was a lot of ups and downs.”

Those summer struggles tested the partnership, but the young Canadian never lost faith in her mare’s fighting spirit.

“She’s definitely been a bit of a tricky one to figure out, but I feel like this show everything is starting to click,” said Chernoff, who also finished second in Wednesday’s U25 1.35m and fifth in Friday’s U25 1.40m classes with “Lady.”

“She has such a big heart. Even if she gets a little nervous, she always wants to get to the other side of the jump, which is an amazing quality. I think she never gave up on me and I never gave up on her. And then now here we are.”

The turning point came through patience and persistence—in and out of the tack.

“I’ve been working on not doing too much, because I think before I was trying to make too many adjustments and it was just not working between the two of us,” Chernoff said. “We did end up changing the bridle, which also helped a ton. 

“This summer we’ve had a lot more time to work on our partnership—both riding and just in the barn spending a bit more time with her, getting to know her better. She loves her scratches—so always make sure she gets her scratches. She trusts me a lot and I can trust her.”

Showcasing the next generation of show jumping talent, the U25 division, protected by Western Pacific Emergency Response, returns to tbird next week with the Summer Fort Classic, culminating with the Finale in September at the Harvest Festival.  

Full results here. 

Photo credit: Kim Gaudry Photography