Chapter 264 – Sugar Creek Jumpoff

As soon as they were clear of the in gate, Nathan jumped down and was embraced in a bear hug by Father Mark.

"That was amazing." Nathan said.

You could hear the excitement and joy in his voice.

"You flew like Laura used to do." Father Mark said.

Father Mark then patted Athena's neck.

"You haven't lost a step, hey girl." Father Mark said. "If I didn't know better, I would have never known she hadn't been jumped regularly in over two and half years and had spent most of that time grazing."

As they were standing there, both James and Marco came to congratulate Nathan on an excellent run.

"You are definitely going to give JP a run for his money in the jumpoff if you ride like that." James said. "How did it feel?"

"I don't have the words." Nathan said.

"Let's get her cooled off and some water." Marco said. "There will be a good break before the jumpoff."

The group walked off toward the trailer and Nathan walked just a bit taller and prouder. Nathan and Marco got Athena settled before coming over and joining everyone else under the tent.

"That was impressive." Doug said. "And just for the record, if you ride like that, I will never mind losing to you."

"You had an excellent run as well." Nathan said. "There are only three one hundredths of a second between us and you have a full second and half on the next guy. So literally less than a blink of an eye separates the three of us."

"Here." Jack said, handing Nathan a Gatorade. "It will be awesome to sweep the top spots, but I am not giving an inch to either of you. You want it, come get it. If either of you beat me, I will order something extra special for you for the win."

"I want that gold and silver buckle I showed you." Doug said.

"The one with the horse and cowboy at the cross?" Jack asked.

Doug nodded.

"Deal." Jack said. "Nathan?"

"That buckle sounds cool, but …." Nathan said.

Then he rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

"I want a vintage acoustic guitar." Nathan said.

"Absolutely, but I get to pick it." Jack said with a smile.

"Deal." Nathan said.

The boys shook hands. James sat back and shook his head. He knew that JP wasn't going to go easy, but if either got a better time he would get them what they asked for. He did like the idea of the buckles and thought maybe he and John could get those for the guys for the wedding if Doug didn't beat Jack.

After the last rider it was announced that there were eight riders that made the jumpoff and the order they would jump. They were from Sugar Creek Tristin Connley on Morning Glory with eighty-one point ninety-seven, from Pear Blossom Ridge Maddie McCoy on Kite with eighty-one point ninety-five, from Phoenix Rising Stable Mike Anderson on Firefly with eighty-one point eighty-seven, from Sugar Creek Oliver Kennedy on Flash with eighty-one point seventy-nine, from Triple T Stables out of Malta Chris Miller on Caesar with eighty-one point fifty-two and then the three from Coal Creek – Doug Burke on Ghost with eighty point oh two, Nathan Grant on Athena with seventy-nine point ninety-nine and JP Thornton on Bandit with seventy-nine point ninety-eight.

The group from Coal Creek was excited when it was announced that their three were in the lead. They had known, but still cheered. That was when Katie saw the press snap a few pictures of them. She leaned down and said something to the girls and then repeated it to Elizabeth. During the break, the four spoke with Gran and Trish since John was busy with Frank and a few business associates and Father Mark was not back yet.

The group knew that they were going to have to sit through the long jumpoff from the first group and they were okay with that. Gran passed out sandwiches and snacks for everyone to have a bite to eat. After the girls ate, they were allowed to walk around as long as they stayed together and were back before the second jumpoff. The girls wanted to go talk to friends that they had seen there. They also wanted to see if they were coming to the show the following weekend or Schenectady or Cooperstown, since they would be jumping at those two as well.

The three boys continued to relax with Father Mark, Marco and James while they waited to get ready for the jumpoff. Jack did take some time and go over the course sheet with everyone. It wasn't that he was afraid of losing, he just wanted Doug and Nathan to do as well as they could. Jack didn't show them his drawings, but he did talk about the colors of the jumps and what the best lines were going to be. By the time that they needed to get back on the horses, they were all confident about the ride.

Jack, Nathan and Doug didn't watch the first four jumpers as they were warming up, but they had heard the times announced and knew they were good. Just as the fourth rider came off the field, the three rode up and sat in a row near the in gate. They were going to watch the rider before Doug and then the plan was once they were finished to join their teammate and watch the other. Jack knew he was going last, but he also knew that he was going to have to get every fraction of a second again, because Nathan had almost beat him in the first round.

The group up in the stands eagerly watched the jump off because it had a slightly odd configuration. After the first jumpoff, the field had been harrowed and reset for the second jumpoff. They had only set the gates for the jumpoff, but put all the plants back so there were random plants on the field. Maddie and Missy shook their heads. As they watched the first two riders, they seemed as confused as the people watching.

"What is going on?" Elizabeth said. "Why is this so different from the Classic?"

"First." Gran said. "Normally, you would do one class and then jump off before resetting the field for the next class. They did a class, reset the field, did the second class, rest it for the first jumpoff and then reset for the second. I guess it is their way of trying to keep people here, since they won't do the ribbons until after our boys finish. Personally, it is a horrible business practice and they will suffer for it in the future. Either way, our boys are going to be fine. JP has probably already reset the jumpoff in his head and shown the others. I am confident our boys will sweep the top three. Just take today as a lesson on how not to do things."

"I agree." Trish said. "In all the years I have been to shows, I have never seen this. If you didn't notice, people who didn't make the jumpoff in the first class left. Then after the first jumpoff, those not in the top five started to leave. I even noticed people in the intermediate class who didn't make the jump off started to leave unless they had a stablemate or teammate jumping. You wouldn't see that next week."

"So why did they do it?" Elizabeth asked.

"They probably thought it gave their riders an advantage." Gran said. "But only three of their seven jumpers made the jumpoff in the first class. So two-thirds of the jumpers who didn't make it for the lower class were from Sugar Creek. For this class only two of the four made the jump off and they best they can finish is fourth. What happened today, the jump wait and then jumpoff will probably never happen again."

"I guess I understand." Elizabeth said. "They did something different, it basically backfired so it won't happen again."

"Pretty much." Trish said. "Then the guy that owns this place was never the brightest bulb on the tree."

"Patricia." Gran hissed.

"Just stating facts." Trish said.

The girls giggled at their mother getting reprimanded by Gran. It was funny until she shot them a look as well.

Doug had been sitting on Ghost between Jack and Nathan. Before he went out on the field, he gave each a fist bump.

"Let's do this." Doug said. "No matter the order in the end, we are happy for each other."

Doug had given Jack a pointed look when he had said that.

"I will be." Jack said.

"Good." Doug said.

With that, Doug moved out onto the field and showed Ghost a the jump that had been added and the cantered around the entire field. Doug once again had a tighter line in his mind. He went over the first jump (one) and then swung around at a sharp angle to the second (seven) and then headed for the third jump (double combination at eight). Once he had landed the double combination, he swung a little wider to come back to jump the next one (three) and then went between the gates at the double combination and came back to the new jump (twelve). He was able to allow Ghost to open his stride between the three and twelve to pick up a few fractions of a second that he had spent going wider through the double combination. When he landed twelve, he cut sharp and went to the last jump (ten) and then through the finish line.

As soon as he was clear of the timer, Doug turned and looked at the board. He smiled as he was in first and knew that he couldn't do worse then third. He had also broken the fifty-six second mark going fifty-five point ninety-eight. Even with third, Doug would be happy. Not only did would he finish in the ribbons, but he only lost to good friends.

As Doug left the field, Nathan rode by and they gave each other a high five. Doug took his spot next to Jack to watch Nathan. Doug didn't speak to Jack, other then getting a fist bump. He knew that Jack was thinking about his own run as well as analyzing what he saw Doug do. Doug knew better then to speak to Jack until after he had made his run on the course. For Doug he breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Nathan do what he had done and show Athena the new jump.

Once Nathan turned to bring Athena up to a full canter, he leaned over and whispered in her ear 'let's run' and the moment he sat back, she took off and Nathan barely had to nudge her to get her to go where he wanted. He took a very similar line to Doug, but he was moving a lot faster.

Jack was watching and his eyes got a bit wide.

"He really wants that guitar." Jack remarked.

"You will get it for him anyway." Doug said. "But at least this way he will feel he earned it."

Jack shook his head. They watched as Nathan and Athena sailed over the jumps with ease and she galloped between gates. It was like she was in control and just so happen to have Nathan along for the ride. They were all surprised when Nathan crossed the finish line and the large board flashed a time of fifty-five point eighty even.

Jack shook his head, gave Doug a fist bump and moved ahead. He closed his eyes and said a prayer, then patted Bandit's neck and whispered to him. He then moved forward and met Nathan as he left the field. Breaking his routine, he gave Nathan a high five. Nathan continued on to take his spot next to Doug.

"That was awesome." Doug said.

"Thank you." Nathan said. "I think Jack is not happy about my time."

"He will be after his run." Doug said. "He broke his routine to give you a high five, so don't push it."

Nathan nodded. While they waited for Jack to start, Father Mark walked over and stood between the two boys and their horses.

"Good job, both of you." Father Mark said.

"Thank you." Doug said.

"Yes, thank you." Nathan said.

"Ready for your first championship ribbon?" Father Mark asked, looking at Nathan.

"I don't think it will happen." Nathan said.

"I do." Father Mark said. "You ran a very hard time. In a flat out race, Athena would be Bandit. For Jack to win, he will need to take sharper angles and then he knows he risks taking a rail down and not getting second. He will run virtually the same line as you did, but you will win, it will be close, but I firmly believe that you will come out on top."

Nathan just nodded. He was shocked and didn't trust his voice at the moment. Instead, he turned his attention to the field where Jack was coming around to start his run. Father Mark had been right, Jack took an almost identical line as to what Nathan had run. He was also letting Bandit run between the jumps, but when he crossed the finish line and the board displayed his time, almost the entire audience was shocked. Jack had crossed the finish line with a time of fifty-five point eighty-three. He couldn't believe that he had lost. He momentarily hung his head, then he took a deep breath and blew it out as he headed to leave the field.

Nathan sat there on Athena in complete and utter shock. He couldn't believe that he had just beaten Jack. Doug reached over and patted his back, but Nathan still couldn't speak. Doug and Father Mark motioned for people to stay back, because they weren't sure how Athena would react to be swarmed by people. James and Marco walked over and congratulated Nathan. Father Mark moved Athena forward as Jack came off. Nathan looked at him and saw the sadness in Jack's eyes. Then he closed them and when he looked at Nathan again, the sadness was gone.

"Congratulations." Jack said, stopping next to Nathan. "You deserve this win and I promise to uphold my end of the deal."

"You okay?" Nathan asked.

"Yes." Jack said. "I knew it was going to happen eventually, and there is no one I would rather lose to. Besides, it was so close, so don't think it will happen again."

Jack then gave Nathan a full dimpled grin. Jack then moved over to Doug and they gave each other a hug while still on their horses. James and Father Mark helped to get the boys lined up with the help of an event official. The three winners from the first class lined up first and went in as the announcer said their names. Once they were lined up, Doug, Jack and Nathan went in. The smile on Nathan's face could clearly be seen by all as they went to line up for their ribbons.

Once again the announcer went through the six winners from the two classes as the ribbons were handed out. The first and second place not only got a blue and red ribbon, respectively, but they also got a champion and reserve champion ribbon, again respectively. The champion ribbon had a blue rosette and tail with a red center sporting a gold horse head. It also had red and yellow tail ribbons. The reserve champion ribbon had a red rosette and tail with a yellow center sporting a silver horse head. In addition it had yellow and white tail ribbons. The other ribbons were also rosettes with three tail ribbons but solid colors with the place printed on them. The first through third rosettes all had a white center with a black outline of a horse head printed on them. The boys all looked at their ribbons and then each other. They then nodded as if they all understood they would be keeping them and they wouldn't be going into the trophy cases.

The boys were so happy for each other and proud they had swept the ribbons. They posed for photos on and off their horses with their ribbons. When they led the horses from the field, they were met by Marco and Carlo who took the horses. James stopped the guys and stood with them as there were several members of the press present.

One look from James and Jack knew that he didn't have a choice, so he kept the smile on his face. The four posed for a few more photos as reporters shouted questions. It was James who answered first

"I am very proud of all three young men." James said. "They have worked hard to get ready for the show and we are looking forward to our show at Coal Creek next weekend."

"Is that the same horse your granddaughter used to ride?" One reporter shouted. "How does she feel about someone else competing on her horse?"

James took a deep breath.

"Yes, Athena is the same horse my granddaughter Laura used to compete on." James said. "Since her accident, I am sure she would be appreciative of whoever was caring for the horse. The horse actually belongs to my grandson JP and it was his choice to allow his friend to ride her."

"Why did you make that choice, JP?" Another reporter shouted.

"Athena has always been picky about who she lets near her." Jack said. "When she immediately went to Nathan, I saw that as a sign. So when he asked to try and jumper her, I agreed. We all can see they are a great team, so it only makes sense for him to be her primary rider from here on out."

"How does it feel to get beat after so many wins in a row?" Yet another reporter shouted.

"It was bound to happen at some point." Jack said. "We are all happy for each other and as long as one of us brings home that blue ribbon we don't care which of us it is."

"Nathan, any plans to keep jumping?" A reporter shouted. "Why didn't you jump in the Classic last weekend?"

"As to your second question first." Nathan said. "I would have loved to jump at the Classic, but unfortunately it had an age restriction and I was beyond it. I plan to jump next weekend at the Coal Creek show and there are plans to jump at three others in the three weekends after a weekend off after the Coal Creek show."

"Which shows?" The reporter asked.

"Cooperstown, Schenectady and Albany." Doug said. "Three of us plan to jump at all three of those and my ten year old sisters plan to join us for the two where they can jump."

"Any chance of getting photos with your girlfriend?" One reporter shouted.

"Or how about an interview with her?" Another shouted.

"Enough for now." James said, stepping forward. "The boys need to go care for their horses."

With that the four turned and walked away with Father Mark joining them. As soon as they were out of ear shot, Jack turned to his grandfather.

"Thank you." Jack said. "As much as I don't want to deal with the press, it was not that bad."

"You are welcome." James said. "Dealing with the press is a learning curve and you are doing well. We have all agreed that certain things are off limits."

When they got back to the trailer, they each gave each other a hug. The boys also received hugs from James and Father Mark let, along with words of encouragement. The boys then quickly changed out their riding breeches and boots putting on jeans and regular boots. They also ditched their riding jackets and ties, leaving the shirts to be changed at home. They all undid the top couple of buttons to be more comfortable.

Once the boys were changed and everything was loaded, Marco and Carlo took off with the trailer of horses. The rest headed toward where the vehicles had been parked so they could meet up with the group from the stands. Frank decided to ride with Father Mark and was okay with Trish taking his SUV back to the ranch. When they got to the vehicles, Gran and the others were there to congratulate them. Katie and Andrew encouraged everyone to get going and words of congratulations could be shared at the ranch. All knew there was press and didn't want problems. So the group split to the different cars and within minutes all five were headed back to the ranch.