Rider wins big for Bill Gates’ daughter
Hardin Towell Jr. rides bay mare to victory at the $35,000 Encana Cup
Immediately after winning Friday’s $35,000 Encana Cup at the Spruce Meadows National, Jack Hardin Towell Jr. was eager to call his client to let her know the good news.
Because, really, anytime you can relay good news to the daughter of Bill Gates, you probably want to do it as quick as possible.
Towell has been riding Emilie De Diamant AS, a 10-year-old bay mare, for Jennifer Gates while the 19-year-old daughter of the Microsoft tycoon is currently sidelined with a knee injury.
“It went great,” smiled the 26-year-old who calls Camden, South Carolina home. “This is my client’s horse. (Gates) isn’t here this week, so she was nice enough to let me show her … and (Emilie De Diamant AS) has been great. (Friday) she really came through. She was fantastic and jumped amazing.” Which was good news all around. The victory was Towell’s first in the International Ring at Spruce Meadows which, he said, was comparable to the world class show-jumping facility of Aachen, Germany.
He and Emilie De Diamand AS went clear in the first round and, in the seven rider jump-off, managed to post another clear and fast round to best veteran Richard Spooner aboard Cristallo and Ireland’s Conor Swail on Viva Colombia.
Towell’s winning performance is also beneficial for Gates, who plans to ride the horse in the future and is expected to be at Spruce Meadows next week.
Currently, she attends Stanford University with a full course load and because she has to fly all over the U.S. to show her horses, Towell assists her.
“They’re an unbelievable family,” he said.
“I’ve been helping Jen for the past three years and they’re great. They have some horses for me to ride and Jenn lets me ride hers. We just have a really good team … they’re a great family. They’re very nice and giving. It’s lucky to be in that situation.
“A lot of times you meet people like that and they’re not like that but they’re just the nicest family.”
The connection happened years ago when Towell’s father, Jack Sr., put on show jumping clinics in Seattle and wound up selling Gates a collection of horses.
“I got to know Jen a little and she really got involved in the sport,” Towell said.
“Now, with her flying back and forth and in school, she’s trying to ride as much as she can. I can’t imagine Stanford is too easy.
“It’s nice that I can I can keep (the horses) going when she’s not here, she has a lot on her plate with school, so I feel like I can have the horses prepared as best as possible when she gets here.”
In the evening’s $35,000 RBC Capital Markets Cup, McLain Ward was clear in a 10-rider jump-off and bested the likes of Canadians Tiffany Foster on Victor, Calgary’s Kara Chad and Alberto II, and Eric Lamaze on Rosana du Park.
The National tournament continues Saturday with the $60,000 Transcanada Parcours de Chasse (11 a.m.) and the $400,000 RBC Grand Prix (2 p.m.).
Competition wraps up Sunday with the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics (11 a.m.) and the $210,000 Nexen Cup Derby (2 p.m.).
Emilie De Diamant AS has been great. (Friday) she really came through. She was fantastic and jumped amazing.