Saugerties, United States – August 01, 2026 – The final day of international competition at the 2026 Hits Hudson Valley Jumping Tour™ crescendoed with a flourish on Saturday as crowds gathered in mass around the iconic HITS Hudson Valley venue for the $116,050 Purina Grand Prix CSI 3*. The beloved three-week series featured a weekly CSI3* division and a plethora of national hunter, jumper, and equitation offerings, along with a coveted World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) designation the second week. Spectators were treated to complimentary hospitality and a heart-racing competition in which Egypt’s Nayel Nassar (EGY) emerged victorious with longtime partner, Igor van de Wittemoere.
FEI Level 4 course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. (GER) built to challenge the talented field of 32 horse-and-rider combinations, including multiple combinations, wide oxers, and a hefty triple-bar fence across the first-round track. Petersen Jr.’s test did it’s job well, forcing contenders to master both scope and efficiency in order to make it to the short course. Out of the six nations represented in the opening round, athletes riding for only three nationalities advanced to the jump-off. The majority of the eight pairings that managed to leave all jumps up and cross the timers within the allotted time represented the United States, while Beat Mändli (SUI) stood as Switzerland’s only representative, and Nassar cleared the course for Egypt.
U.S. athlete McKayla Langmeier (USA) was the first in the short course order to successfully navigate the track fault-free and set the time to beat at 40.480 seconds aboard Isidore de Chalusse.
Her lead was short lived however, as Alex Matz (USA) stepped on the gas and edged her out of the top spot only one round later, taking almost two full seconds off of her time and stopping the clock in 38.760 seconds.
Several challengers remained, but the rails continued to fall until Nassar was the last left to shoot his shot. As he has done many times, the Egyptian Olympian went full throttle, cleanly crossing the timers in 37.720 seconds and securing the win with Evergate Stables’ 18-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Cooper van de Heffinck x Orlando).
Langmeier donned the yellow sash as she returned to the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix stadium and accepted third place for her efforts with Isidore de Chalusse, the Rafferty Farm’s eight-year-old Selle Français gelding (Clarimo x Vigo D’Arsouilles STX).
As the only other double-clear combination, Matz’s attempt with Clarimo, Dorothy and Michael Matz’s nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Comilfo Plus Z x Polydor), proved good enough for second place.
“Igor has a ton of natural footspeed,” shared Nassar. “I watched both McKayla [Langmeier] and Alex [Matz] go, and I thought I could beat them kind of just with pace. I did end up having an extra stride in the first two lines, but I was able to keep it super neat the rest of the way.
“Igor was just outstanding today, and I’m really happy for him to get a win like this,” continued Nassar. “For six years now, he’s been just an unbelievable partner to me. With his older age, we’ve been using him a little more sparingly, but he still gives me an amazing feeling, and I just wanted him to get a win because he’s been so close so many times in the past couple of years, and he finally put it all together today.”
While Saturday concludes international show jumping at the HITS Hudson Valley Jumping Tour™, the series will see its final day on Sunday, August 2, as national hunter, jumper, and equitation riders view for the final wins. The Hits Hudson Valley Circuit then resumes on August 26. For a full list of results, please visit www.showmanagementsystem.com.
Final Results – $116,050 Purina Grand Prix CSI 3*
1) Nayel Nassar (EGY) & Igor van de Wittemoere – 0 / 0 – 37.720
2) Alex Matz (USA) & Clarimo – 0 / 0 – 38.760
3) McKayla Langmeier (USA) & Isidore de Chalusse – 0 / 0 – 40.480
Source: Press Release from Hits Horse Shows
Photos: © Hits Horse Shows / ESI Photography
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Categories: CSI 3*, English, Jumper News Africa
