The best birthday gift didn’t come wrapped; it came with Arkuga at full gallop.
Sean Jobin (CAN) claimed the $116,500 B&D Builders CSIO3* Grand Prix at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, designed by Peter Grant (CAN) with 44 combinations on course and 13 qualifiers for the jump-off, on his 34th birthday. Jobin crossed the finish in 39.59 seconds to take the win. “Arkuga gave me a nice birthday gift today. In the first round I probably clicked a bit faster than I needed to, but that suited well for the jump-off because he was already on a blistering pace.”
Arkuga is a 15-year-old bay AES gelding (Arko III x Heartbreaker), a partnership of complete trust that Jobin read to perfection: “I went quick one to two to three and then steadied off. I got tight after the triple combination, but he tried so well. After that it felt super easy for him.”
McLain Ward (USA), Olympic medallist, former world No. 1 and current No. 3 in the Tu Mundo Ecuestre Pan American Show Jumping Ranking, finished second with First Lady, a 13-year-old bay OS mare (Don Diarado x Lordanos), in 39.85 seconds, the target time that Jobin beat by just 0.26 seconds. Eva Fisherman (USA) completed the podium with Casallvano, a 17-year-old Holsteiner gelding (Casall x Gestion Silvano N), in 41.69 seconds, the only other combination to produce a double-clear effort.
Samantha Schaefer (USA) finished fourth with James Bond HX, a 12-year-old chestnut KWPN gelding (Douglas x Cash), with 4 faults in 38.99 seconds. Erynn Ballard (CAN) completed the Top 5 with Fave d’Authuit, an 11-year-old SF gelding (Cornet Obolensky x Kannan), with 4 faults in 40.44 seconds.
Latin & Pan American Presence
An all-Pan American Top 5. The top Latin finisher was Michel Feitosa (BRA) in twelfth place with 4 faults in 47.97 seconds. Cassio Rivetti (BRA) nineteenth with 4 faults in the first round, Tanimara Macari (MEX) twenty-first with 4 faults, Alejandro Winkler (MEX) twenty-third with 4 faults, Jesús Orantes Haua (MEX) twenty-fourth with 4 faults, Maya Denis (MEX) twenty-eighth with 8 faults, Francisco Lomelín (MEX) thirty-third with 8 faults and Daniel Chaves (BRA) forty-fourth with 24 faults.
Top 5 Results — $116,500 B&D Builders CSIO3* Grand Prix | Great Lakes Equestrian Festival — Traverse City 2026
| Pos. | Athlete | Horse | R1 | Jump-Off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Jobin (CAN) 🇨🇦 | Arkuga | 0 | 0 / 39.59 |
| 2 | McLain Ward (USA) 🇺🇸 | First Lady | 0 | 0 / 39.85 |
| 3 | Eva Fisherman (USA) 🇺🇸 | Casallvano | 0 | 0 / 41.69 |
| 4 | Samantha Schaefer (USA) 🇺🇸 | James Bond HX | 0 | 4 / 38.99 |
| 5 | Erynn Ballard (CAN) 🇨🇦 | Fave d’Authuit | 0 | 4 / 40.44 |
