Together to the end: Heather and Jeremy Reynolds finish 1st and 2nd at Tevis Cup

The strenuous 100-mile journey from Robie Park to Auburn for the 69th Tevis Cup was not enough to separate husband and wife Jeremy and Heather Reynolds. The two have accomplished just about everything in the sport of endurance riding, entering Saturday's ride with eight Tevis Cups and five Haggin Cups between them over two decades. The only thing the Greenwood couple hadn't accomplished was finishing the race together. They did so Saturday night, crossing the finish line at McCann Stadium at 11 p.m. hand in hand as the top two finishers of the ride in 17 hours, 45 minutes. "We've never managed to finish together at the end of this, like in any position. So to finish together in first place was just mind-blowing," said Heather after the race. "Especially this year with the non-completion rate. To have the two horses pair up and be able to do what they did today was just epic." "That was so special," said Jeremy. "We've been trying to finish together for over 20 years. So it's just surreal that we finally got to do it together and hold hands across the finish line." Officially, Heather was declared the winner for her first Tevis Cup since 2018 and first victory for her horse, Sonic. She said she realized near the halfway point of the race it was a possibility they could finish together, but noted there were still several factors at play, such as the heat, course conditions and other contenders. Heather said there was a conversation with Jeremy about who would take the victory if they managed to reach Auburn at the same time, and he decided she and Sonic should have the honors. "We had already discussed weeks ago or months ago that this year it was my turn," said Jeremy, who was chasing his third consecutive victory in races he's ridden with his horse, Treasure. "But her horse looked great today and I had won a couple in a row so it doesn't matter, the best horse won. To us, both our horses won." It was an unforgiving afternoon on the trail. The high temperatures played a factor in the ride and out of 105 entrants, only 43 completed the trip to Auburn. The Reynoldses said the most challenging aspect of the course was the rockiness, noting they change every year and it's one of the more difficult factors to prepare for. "It seems like the rocks really change each year and with the snowmelt and rocks moving, some years are better than others," said Heather. "Today, they were pretty rough." "This year was definitely a little rockier than normal; it was just tough conditions," added Jeremy. "It made things hard footing wise." Jeremy said the rocky conditions played to his favor, as he enjoys getting off of his horse and running more than many other riders. "My horse isn't that great of a downhill horse. She likes me being off on the ground with her. That's probably why she keeps going for me, because I'm willing to abuse my body on the downhills," said Jeremy. "These horses, they pick through it pretty well if you just let them decide on their own." Jeremy and Heather were among the front of the pack all day and were on the tail of Jenna Harrison, who led through the Foresthill vet check. The three rode into the Francisco's checkpoint together, but Harrison's horse came up lame and was pulled from the race. "We were with her all the way from Foresthill riding together," said Heather. "I didn't realize she'd been pulled. I thought they were gonna check her again and maybe she'd get out of there, but that's a bummer for her." Nevada's Suzanne Ford Huff placed third at 19 hours, 27 minutes. Shortly after, Karen Donley and Suzanne Hayes rounded out the top five, crossing at 19:35 and 19:36. Last year's winner, Jay Mero, placed 12th at 20:44. John Perry of Tracy earned one of the most prestigious honors in endurance riding Saturday, capturing the Haggin Cup for the first time. It also marked the first Haggin Cup win for his horse, A Real Diva. Perry and A Real Diva were among the top riders in this year's ride, finishing ninth with a time of 19 hours, 54 minutes. Other notable finishers included Michelle Rowe, who placed seventh to complete her 10th Tevis Cup finish aboard Slim. The finish was a milestone for Slim as well, marking his fifth completion and earning him the coveted Robie Cup. Kassandra DiMaggio of Greenwood finished 10th, recording her 12th successful Tevis ride. Hayes' fourth-place finish was her 12th as well. Of the 105 riders that started the race, only 43 finished the journey.