April 11, 2024 – Katy, TX – Victory in each of this year’s three Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Welcome Stakes has gone to a different horse each week, but all with the same rider: Martien van der Hoeven.
On Wednesday, April 10, van der Hoeven completed his clean sweep of the classes with a win in the $15,000 Rendezvous Farm Welcome Stake aboard Mr. Jackson B.
On his way to the win, van der Hoeven was one of 16 entries to contest the course set by renowned course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral. From there, van der Hoeven and Mr. Jackson B were one of six entries to advance to jump off in the Main Ring at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX.
A slick inside turn helped them jump to the top of the leaderboard by a nearly four-second margin, stopping the clock in a winning 40.699 seconds. Second place with a time of 44.677 seconds went to Rachel Lindsay and her own Cokidoo, and Matt Cyphert and Paddington, owned by The Paddington Group, finished in third with a time of 49.732 seconds.
“Bernardo [Costa Cabral]’s amazing,” said van der Hoeven. “We’re so lucky to have these [course designers] for the three weeks here at Pin Oak. I thought the first track was very nice for who was here – the horses, the level. The jump-off today was a little bit more for me to test what Mr. Jackson could do. We tried an inside turn that I don’t know if anyone else did. It worked out for us today which sort of helped and helped us win the class, but had it not, I don’t think it would have been a discouraging moment either. I think it would’ve been something we could have learned from, so it was a really good jump-off for us to sort of see where we’re at.”
Gauging where they’re at is important, as van der Hoeven and the 9-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding – owned in partnership with Maarten Huygens – have been partnered for just a few short weeks.
“Mr. Jackson B is new to the string; we just got him as we left Wellington,” explained van der Hoeven. “He’s a little green, but we’re very excited about what he could possibly turn into. Mr. Jackson still rides a little green in between the fences; I wouldn’t say that we have all the gears working quite yet, but once he gets to the jump, he has all the ability. It feels like he really has the potential to jump much bigger. He does it right. We just have to sort of work through a little bit of the kinks.”
For van der Hoeven, the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show has presented a great opportunity to work out those kinks, and, as a Texas resident and a competitor at Pin Oak for more than 20 years, van der Hoeven is proud to support the U.S. Equestrian Heritage Competition.
“I think the significance of Pin Oak is not just that it’s a historic show that’s been here for a long time, but also it benefits the charities, the Texas Children’s Hospital, which I think is important,” concluded van der Hoeven. “It’s two-fold. I think the show is very good for the Texas professional community and having a show of this standard. It keeps us relevant, and it keeps us ascending in the sport. Then on top of that, it’s great be able to help the charity and be a part of that as well.”
For full results of Wednesday’s $15,000 Rendezvous Farm Welcome Stake, click here. Competition at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show continues through Sunday, April 14, with highlights of Week III including the $100,000 Hildebrand Fund Grand Prix on Saturday, April 13, beginning at 7 p.m. To learn more, visit www.PinOak.org.