Oregon's Gabriela Blakeley wins 2022 Tevis Cup; she's the mother of 2019 champion

Gabriela Blakeley of Terrebonne, Oregon, won the 2022 Tevis Cup on the back of her horse, Pyro, with a time of 17 hours, 9 minutes Saturday. Blakely came close to winning Tevis several times before claiming the 100 miles in one day ride from Truckee to the Gold Country Fairgrounds in her eighth attempt. "It's kind of unreal," Blakeley said. "At the same time, we knocked a couple times at the door and we felt this horse, if any, can do it. It was just his day out there and he did just an awesome job." Blakeley said she just kept riding as she got close to the end, noting she knew she was winning but didn't want to fixate herself on it. "I didn't want to jinx it. I don't believe in jinxing, but the whole time I thought, 'Oh, maybe somebody can get me' because I had two fierce competitors that really were right on my tail for the whole field," she said. Blakeley was neck and neck with the runner-up, Cristoph Schork, for the majority of the race. They were separated by four minutes at the Poverty Bar River Crossing near the mile-90 mark. Blakeley pulled away down the stretch, winning the race by 24 minutes. Blakeley is the mother of 2019 winner Sanoma Blakeley, who pulled her horse at the mile 50-mark Saturday. Asked if she will be back to defend her Tevis title in 2023, an exhausted Blakeley said simply, "Who knows?" Schork, of Moab, Utah, and Dante LaPierre of Halliday, North Dakota, finished second and third, both crossing the finish line at 10:48 p.m. LaPierre was in fifth as she exited the final checkpoint at the lower quarry and surpassed two other riders for third. Mollie Quiroz of Crater Hill Equestrian in Newcastle finished 10th, arriving at the stadium at 12:33 a.m. Sunday. It was Schork's second consecutive second-place finish at Tevis, but he didn't go home emptyhanded. Schork's companion for the 100-mile journey was a 13-year-old Arabian named Blizzard of Ozz, who earned the coveted Haggin Cup, which is awarded to the horse in the top 10 deemed to be in the most superior condition following the crazy train of a ride. Of 131 entrants, 59 completed a successful ride. There were three incidents of horses falling off the path, with one being fatal to the horse. The other two horses and all riders are expected to make a full recovery. The final rider to cross the finish line at McCann Stadium was Julie Bittick of Ennis, Montana, at 4:59 a.m. on the back of a 10-year-old shagya Arabian named Chevelle. Top 10 finishers Rider Horse Finish time Gabriela Blakeley Pyro 10:24 p.m Cristoph Schork Blizzard of Ozz (Ozzy) 10:48 p.m. Dante LaPierre Dennie 10:48 p.m. Heather Reynolds A Sudden Gift MHF 11:00 p.m. Cameron Holzer Finesse 11:00 p.m. John Stevens Maggie 11:32 p.m. Suzanne Huff Prezzo 11:36 p.m. Jeanette Mero Lena 11:45 p.m. Michele Rowe Slim Shady 12:06 a.m. Mollie Quiroz Mack 12:33 a.m.