Harrisburg, Pa. – October 19, 2025 – It was Matthew Boddy’s first time attending the Pennsylvania National Horses Show, and he made it a memorable one. With his wife, Taylor Boddy, and their newborn son, Blake Boddy, watching he won the prestigious $100,000 Forrester Farm Equipment Grand Prix de Penn National aboard Keatingstown Miami. For the victory, Boddy was awarded the Harrisburg Kiwanis Club Challenge Trophy.

“It’s a very prestigious grand prix,” said Matthew Boddy. “I’ve never jumped here before, and in my first go in the grand prix [I won]! My horse was amazing. My team’s amazing; my amazing wife and my newborn son are here at his first show, so it’s a really emotional evening.”

Oscar Soberon set a testing track for the 24 horse-and-rider pairs to contest the feature event of the Pennsylvania National, and just four pairs jumped clear in the first round. Clear rounds proved even tougher to come by in the jump-off as no one produced a fault-free effort. Matthew Boddy and Keatingstown Miami were the fastest of the four-fault rounds with a time of 34.26 seconds. Last to go, Laura Chapot – who won the opening 1.40m class on Wednesday with C&C Willow – looked as though she might take the win until the last fence fell, and her time of 34.53 seconds was just a hair slower.

“I watched a few of the first two go and do the six to the skinny, but I thought that my mare would be a little flat at it if I galloped her at it,” Matthew Boddy said. “So, I added a stride and did the turning, and actually, what happened, I turned too sharp. [Keatingstown Miami] couldn’t get out of the front rail of the double, which was a mistake on my part, but I came out a foot on the gas because the other two had had rails, so there’s still prize money to get. I kept my foot down, and she just answered every call, so I can’t complain.”

Taylor Boddy originally rode “Miami,” and Matthew Boddy started riding the Belgian Warmblood mare in 2023. He brought Miami to Harrisburg, Pa., in the start to what he hopes will be a competitive fall season going into the winter circuits. He was seventh in the $30,000 1.40m Welcome on Thursday after taking it easy in that jump-off, knowing that he wanted to save the mare for the grand prix.

“She is full of character,” he said of the mare, owned by Harris Equestrian LLC. “It has taken a long time for me to work together with her. I’ve let her down a lot in her career as a rider, and I’ve learned a lot about myself. She’s just a family member, and she’s never going to be sold or anything. She’s just what she is. She’s a bundle of – pleasing excitement is the best way I could describe her, and to win something – she deserves this tonight. It’s not how I wanted to win it, but she deserves her win. She tries so hard.”

Now that he’s attended the Pennsylvania National, Matthew Boddy looks forward to returning to the show and seeing his name alongside all of the great riders who have won the grand prix before him.

“There’s so much history,” he said. “When you walk down the aisles, and you see all the past winners, some of the best riders in the world, it’s amazing. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to come and see my photo on the wall winning one of the most prestigious American grand prix.”

Matthew Boddy concluded, “The show is amazing, especially tonight. It was a great crowd, knowledgeable. They want to be a part of it. The young people want to be a part of it. I’m definitely coming back!”

At the conclusion of Saturday night’s competition, Chapot received a number of awards recognizing her excellence in the 1.40m division throughout the week at the 79th annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show. She and C & C Willow were first presented as the 1.40m Jumper division champions, and Chapot was named the 1.40m Leading Jumper Rider as well as the 1.40m Leading Lady Jumper Rider, sponsored by Brandywine Tent Rental, and Chapot was presented the Wissie Brede Memorial Challenge Trophy.

Pablo Hernandez was also recognized with the Moira Jane Caffarey – George L. Hennessy Memorial Perpetual Trophy as the Caretaker of the Winning Grand Prix Horse, sponsored by Patty Hennessy.

To view full results of the $100,000 Grand Prix de Penn National, click here.