Jad Dana sends a light home with a Grand Prix win for Itchy
Lebanese showjumper Jad Dana topped off what he described as an “unbelievable” run with his horses this week with a win in the $120,000 CSI3* 1.50m Grand Prix aboard Itchcock des Dames – a victory that resonated far beyond the Derby field in Wellington.
It is the green grass setting that Jad relishes most – an environment that plays to his strengths as a fast-paced jump off contender. “We love jumping on this field,” said Jad finishing up the ESP Spring 2 CSI3* hosted by Wellington International. “It’s a beautiful field. I have horses, that this field suits them. It gives the horses more scope. It gives the horses a lot of confidence… as you can tell from this week I really like to go fast and a field like this really allows you to be there and to lay it down like we did today.”
Jad had three horses entered in FEI [international] competition this week. “I’m thrilled with this week. Two [of my horses] had big wins,” Jad said, referring to Itchy’s success today, and his win with Mondavi on Thursday in the CSI3* 1.45m. His third horse, Leonidas, was second in that class and again in the 1.45m on Saturday. “It really couldn’t have been a better week,” he said.
Jad and Itchy stopped the clock in 44.35 seconds in the 10-strong jump off. “It was a jump off where you had to run and then turn and then run and then turn,” said Jad. “You needed a lot of adjustability.” Second place went to Canada’s Tiffany Foster and Battlecry in a time of 46.13 seconds. Portugal’s Luis Sabino Gonçalves and Scoop de Septon Z, were third in 46.67.
For Jad the victories were not solely his. “I’m in the ring on my own,” he said. “But there’s an amazing team behind me that is led by Leslie and Peter Howard. They are everything to me.”
Itchy was bought by the ‘Itchy Group’ of Leslie, Peter, and Amy Hauk and her husband Scott Dehm specifically for Jad in 2023, since when the pair have gone from strength to strength. “We love him. He’s the kindest horse,” said Jad. “He’s actually in his own way quite sensitive. You have to be very gentle with him and know his way.
“He’s not exactly the same type of horse that I was used to riding, which is small, quick-moving horses…Right now, I think he’s one of the fastest horses I’ve ever ridden. When he’s in the jump-up, provided he’s feeling good and I do my job, he normally has a really, really good time.”
Looking ahead, Dana believes the horse is ready for bigger challenges. “It’s still a little up in the air,” he admitted, “but he’s at the next level, he’s ready to give more.” The plan for the summer will reflect that growth. “We’ll try to make a plan for him where he can really go to the next level and hopefully stay as competitive as he was today.”
Beyond the competition, the victory carried emotional weight for Jad and his family back in Lebanon where his father has an equestrian club. After his win, he made a quick call home. “I called for literally four seconds,” Jad said of speaking to his father moments after the class and before the presentation. “He just told me that he loved me and I said, ‘Okay, I gotta go now.’” Both his parents – Mohamad and Rola – were on the line, sharing in the moment. “They were thrilled… just saying how proud they were.” In a country facing ongoing instability and hardship, Jad knows what a win like this can mean. “They got a lot of joy and happiness from me winning,” he said. “The situation in Lebanon is not good, unfortunately. But… especially on days like these where it’s dark days in my country, this is a big light for them.”
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