Lexington Junior League - Friday Morning
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Walk-and-Trot Equitation Champion here for the second year in a row, Remi Adams rode to the winner’s circle for DeLovely Farm. Miss Mheiry Mac is her equine teammate and could not be any more perfectly suited for the task. Bright and airy, the daughter of The Mac Attack never backs an ear, moving smooth as silk down the rail. She has taken Remi to four World’s Championship titles in the past two years. Sofia Rashid was a hard-riding reserve for the Meadow Dream Team of Jimmy and Georgia Morrison. Teamed with Callaway’s Kiss & Tell, Sofia has not finished lower than reserve since Louisville last year. Cara DeForge picked up the yellow ribbon for Kierson Farm in this big group of 12, with Jessica Manzo fourth for Blue Willow Farm.
Cassie Bystrack completed her triple qualification in one week, winning her third national qualifier on The Red Mile! Now in possession of the Challenge Cup, Medal, and Good Hands, Cassie is teamed with Callaway’s Born A Star under the guidance of Fairfield South. Courtney McGinnis was the reserve winner here aboard Lemon Shake-Up WRF for DeLovely Farm. Courtney was the Senior Equitation Reserve Champion at Midwest Charity last month.
Blushing Bull and Malissa Welke have won five of five times on The Red Mile, taking the Western Country Pleasure Championship back to Lowry Stables for Suzanne Bradshaw. Reserve Champions at Midwest Charity, these two were champions here a year ago as well. Jenifer Moritz and Late Last Night moved up a spot from the qualifier to take the reserve championship for Idle Hour Saddlebreds. They were winners at Lawrenceburg, Shelby County Fair, TASHA Spring Classic, Big D, and Oklahoma Centennial already this year for trainer Milo Jones.
Part of a spectacular morning for Zubrod Stables, Paige Russell repeated her qualifier win with a 13-and-Under Pleasure Equitation Championship ride aboard Who Needs Mama. A very nice pattern led to the tri-color for the Louisville resident. Also from Zubrod Stables, Hayley Byrne finished as the Reserve Champion with Heir Brained Scheme. Both of these girls are fresh out of the Zubrod Academy program.
Olivia Schumacher made a tri-color drive, beautiful in red and black, to win the Junior Exhibitor Hackney Pleasure Driving Championship with Seamair Dear Sir. The Kierson Farm-trained entry has long been a star of this division with many a young driver. They were champions here last year as well and earned the 2011 AHHS Hackney Pleasure Driving Medallion Reserve National Championship. Kilbro’s Movin’ On and Hayden Buerkley finished as the reserve champions for Galbreath Stables. This is the first horse show for Hayden to be showing Movin’ On.
Guess which barn went one-two in the 14-17 Pleasure Equitation Championship? Zubrod Stables again! This time Kate Melican was the tri-color bearer for Zubrods aboard Renaissance Rose. Kate was also the qualifier winner earlier this week. The reserve champion Zubrod rider was Kaitlin Kelly, teamed with La Zingara. The Pleasure Medallion winner here a year ago, Kaitlin was reserve in both of her events this time around. She took three victory passes at River Ridge back in April.
Ali DeGray was on point in the Hunter Country Pleasure Championship, winning it with the gray Jolly Mon Sing for Helen Rosburg and Ruth Gimpel Stables. This was their seventh victory pass together since teaming up at the final show of the year last season. The only other horse to have won a blue in this division at Lexington, Top Shelf Jenn N Tonic, was the reserve champion with Katie Hafer Young as the owner, trainer and rider. Jenn N Tonic was twice a winner here last year and won the qualifier just the other day. For all of the noise made to get this division added to the Junior League Horse Show and how well it was supported in its inaugural event last year, the numbers dropped off steeply this year to have just four. This doesn’t take into account the Western division, where but five came to the ring in a division that easily breaks double digits at much smaller shows. Western also had the only cancelled class of the week to this point, the Shatner class.
Every equitation class that cantered today had a Zubrod tandem go one-two, and the USEF Adult Saddle Seat Medal Finals was no exception. With the unanimous acclaim of the judges, Emily Chapman captured the second National Championship of her career, riding CH-EQ My One Night Stand down victory lane, as mom Shannon Chapman cheered excitedly from the infield box seats. Qualifying for this final on Wednesday, Emily had a long career in equitation as a juvenile, highlighted by her ASHA National Pleasure Equitation Championship last year at St. Louis. She was also Top Ten in the UPHA Senior Pleasure Challenge Cup Finals, the UPHA Senior Challenge Cup Finals, the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals, and was the Reserve National Champion in Saddle & Bridle’s Pleasure Equitation Medallion. Completing the trifecta of Zubrod duos was Kristin Smith, winner of this class last year and teamed up with Callaway’s Another Winner. Also a Wednesday qualifier, Kristin worked well through a pattern that was designed with good flow, working from out gate to in gate around the ring. Just two years out of junior exhibitor, Kristin was the UPHA Adult Challenge Cup Reserve National Champion last year. Also in the Top Ten were Katie Moeller, Dr. Morgan Wolin, Jennifer McGowan, Taylor Deer, and Kathryn Evans.
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