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Where Jet Run Took Off While Jet Run's fabulous career with Michael Matz is what people think of when they hear the famous Thoroughbred's name, the foun- dations of that success were built at Winter Place Farm. Ronnie Beard saw Jet Run in 1972 show- ing in the preliminary jumpers as a 4-year-old with Jimmy Kohn. People were clamoring to buy the bay Thoroughbred, whose talent was obvious. "Jimmy knew he had a really nice horse, and he priced him quite high. Jimmy was a great rider and horseman. He told me, 'Ron- nie, this horse will do anything you want, and he'll take you anywhere you want,' " Beard recalled. James Caine wrote the check, and Jet Run joined Winter Place that fall. Beard knew Jet Run was ridicu- lously talented, but he also saw that he was a bit difficult and in need of basic training. Jane Womble Gaston was the first to work with him, since Melanie Smith Taylor, whom Beard chose to show him, was traveling and competing. "Jane got him jumping into the preliminary level, nothing big," Beard said. "She did a really nice job with him and got him a lot more stabilized." In the fall of '72, Taylor took the reins. "She really brought him up through the ranks and made the horse," Beard said. By the summer of 1974, Taylor had begun making her mark in grand prix classes with Jet Run. "He was so talented that he could go right into the grand prix, but I always loved training the young ones and knew he needed to wait. Because of Winter Place we could take him slow and really develop him the right way," Taylor said. But in the fall of 1974, Caine requested that Bernie Traurig take over the ride. "It was an immediate success," Beard said. Sadly, though, it was only a four-month partnership. Traurig and Jet Run won the Big Jump at the Pennsylvania National, were second in the President's Cup Grand Prix at the Wash- ington International (D.C.) and then won the grand prix at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. Caine was looking to recoup some of his investment in the hors- es, and Jet Run was a hot commodity. Mexican rider Fernando Senderos won the bidding war and bought Jet Run in No- vember for mid-six figures without even trying the horse. Bradley Caine remembered the scene like it was something out of a movie. "[Senderos] came in with his body- guards, and one guy had this metal suitcase handcuffed to his arm. He put the briefcase up on the wall of the indoor, and it was full of cash," she said. "Dad has his comptroller there to count it. It was a very strange scene." Jet Run went on to win individual gold at the 1975 Pan American Games with Sen- deros, after which he returned to the United States when Eugene Dixon bought him for Matz to ride. They won team and individual gold at the 1979 Pan American Games, countless grand prix classes and the 1981 FEI World Cup Final. Second to Jet Run in that World Cup Final was another Winter Place-trained horse, Southside, with Donald Cheska then riding. The legendary jumper Jet Run got his start at Winter Place Farm with Melanie Smith Taylor (pictured) and Bernie Traurig. "my father loved lights, so every- thing had to be lit up," Bradley said. "he had chandeliers in the indoor and down the aisles. he'd seen pictures of the spanish riding school, and i think he had that idea in his head." e electric bill for one month at Winter place? $12,000. A Convergence of talent it's tempting to dismiss Winter place as a showy whim, but the talent—both equine and human—that Beard col- lected under its roof out-sparkled the chandeliers. "e hallmark legacy of Winter place is the riders and horsemen that got their start there—even the grooms went on to really be so important," Beard said, referencing professionals like Karen golding, Jimmy herring and georgia dunaway Coyle. "ere were a lot of really good people who have gone on into the industry and done great things." "it was opulent for sure, but even more than that, it was such a collection of great horses and people," recalled tay- lor. "ronnie was the one who had the vision and created it all. he brought the horses and the people together. i certainly appreciated the opportunity to be able to ride the horses i got to ride there." James was competitive, and he made it clear that he was willing to spend money to win. Beard had a blank check to buy any horse and free rein to hire the best young riders he could to ride them. e results were a lot of blue ribbons and a team of talented riders who learned from the top echelon of mounts. in 1976, ridland represented the united states at the montreal olympic games aboard the Winter place-owned southside. he and Beard had coaxed the notoriously difficult horse into top form over numerous water jumps James PHoto Courtesy of BrADley CAine c h r o n o f h o r s e . c o m w i n t e r 2 014 63

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