Lexington Junior League - Thursday Night
Friday, July 9, 2010
Thursday night was "Red Night" on The Red Mile, as the American Heart Association and Saint Joseph Health System sponsored complimentary health screenings and door prizes for the ladies in attendance. They also sold red feather boas for the night as well as heart-shaped fans which came in rather handy for most of the night. The officials got into the spirit of the night, as Nelson Green and Howie Schatzberg sported red ties with their dark suits. Melissa Moore wore a long crimson dress to perfection, while Melinda Moore wore a black dress with a stylish beret off to one side. The red shoes and the red flower on the beret gave the accent of support for the night. The ringmasters wore their pinks for this formal affair, which are, of course, red, and the ribbon presenting gentlemen had red bowties and red boutonnieres to go along with their dinner jackets.
A special exhibition opened the show 15 minutes early as a spectacle of grand proportion was first up. This was the Concours D’Elegance. The effort to get the entirety of the winning entry from California to Kentucky alone was worth a blue ribbon, but the turnout left the crowd breathless as they saluted the team from the Scripps Miramar Ranch. It was a circus theme that brought a three-piece entry to the ring, with a circus calliope piping music as it went down the rail drawn by four pinto Saddlebreds from Michele Macfarlane’s home base in San Diego, California, driven by Michele Macfarlane, assisted by Dr. Don Trunk. Following up the beautiful blue and gold calliope was a team of three miniature horses, driven three-abreast by Ashley Hallock. Ashley, it will be noted, was riding a swan. Yes, a swan. But she still looked every part of elegance in one of her trademark whimsical hats. The final piece of this puzzle was the real kicker, as Dena Lopez was astride a golden tiger float. Who should one have pull a golden tiger float for this parade? Why not 2007 Five-Gaited World’s Grand Champion CH CCV Casey’s Final Countdown. All the stops were pulled out for this event, as even some of the headers were dressed as clowns! A slightly more reserved entry, Misdee Wrigley Miller drove a unicorn hitch in reserve for Hillcroft Farm. Not actual unicorns, friends, a unicorn hitch, meaning two horses at the wheels and one in front. Charles Poppe had his pair lookin g sharp to round out the top three.
This night in Lexington belonged to the DeLovely All Star Team, as they topped six classes on the night, including two back-to-back victory passes. The sister act of Hunter Chancellor and Ashley Wilson were the second of these two double dips, as they earned blues in the Three-Gaited Show Pleasure 18-35 class and the Junior Exhibitor Three-Gaited 14-and-Under Championship. First up was Ashley with Imagine My Surprise. In the biggest class of the night, featuring 17 entries, they made the judges take notice, winning this class that they were reserve in a year ago. They came back for the Championship title in 2009. This was their fifth straight win in this young, undefeated season. Wearing a similar gold coat to the blue ribbon winner, Georgia Bulmer Ferreira was reserve with Milady Huntly for Robert Bodart. A Mike Spencer-trained entry, Milady Huntly takes up residence at Monnington Farm as well, as the Spencers have a row of stalls on that property. Georgia has done a great job all year with this horse, winning a class at Rock Creek. They were extremely consistent and pleasure perfect tonight in second. Both of the top two horses, incidentally, are Deep Blue products. Surprise is out of a Sultan’s Santana mare, while Milady Huntly is out of a Boola Boola mare. Making a return trip to the track that rocketed him to superstardom in 2003, Breathe was third here with Alexa Noble. Pola Negri was fourth with Stefani Hanes up for Steve and Ellen Hanes. This was the third horse to receive a top prize this week by Exalted Effect and out of a Three-Gaited World’s Grand Champion, this one being out of CH An Heir About Her.
Hunter Chancellor was up next, as she just continues to impress with I’m McDreamy. McDreamy is one of those horses that even at a society show like this, people who have never seen a Saddlebred in their lives can say, "Yep, I like That One." All three judges agreed and sent them to the winner’s circle as the Junior Exhibitor 14-and-Under Three-Gaited Champions for Steven Chancellor. This class had even more of a DeLovely touch on it as The Great Gaspar was reserve with Eleanor Rainbolt-Forbes riding for Rainbow Princess Farms. They won their 13-and-Under Three-Gaited qualifier at Midwest and have come on strongly all year long with a string of strong performances.
Hunter Chancellor swept the walk-trot classes for junior exhibitors tonight, as she was also the Three-Gaited Pony Champion with CH The Attache Orchid, also with the support of all three judges. Another entry of Steven Chancellor, Attache Orchid was even more pushed up in the bridle, working even higher and hingier than normal, which when you haven’t been beat since 2008, makes it tough on the competition! Powerful Tango and Dominique Bowlen were the Reserve Champions for Alexandra Bowlen and Cater Stables. They were loaded and ready tonight, as they put on a show for the Junior League crowd. They were two-time Reserve World’s Champions in 2009.
The other DeLovely daily double came in the Junior Exhibitor Five-Gaited ranks, as the class was split into age groups, rather than the traditional one large class. Seven came to the ring in the 14-and-Under Stake, where CH Sprinkles and Heirrison Ford duked it out once again for the top prize. Sprinkles and Eleanor Rainbolt-Forbes made it three for three on this track with all three judges putting them at the top of the card. Raymond Shively made the jog to the winner’s circle to affix the tri-color, a task he has completed a few times in his life. Sprinkles and Eleanor seem made for this track, as the crowd loves the tough, cute little rider in her shimmering light blue coat with the powerful, popping pinto mare. Morgan Billig continues to impress for Carson Kressley and the Kierson Farm team with Heirrison Ford. The gray horse wore his bridle in high style with ears pricked forward all night in reserve. They got a nice ovation as their number was called for second.
The second half was the 15-17 section, with Stravinsky and Brittany McGinnis avenging their qualifier reserve with a unanimous Championship ride for Fish Creek Stables and the DeLovely team. The reigning World’s Champion of Champions looks ready to head back to Freedom Hall. Fight Night and Andrew Slater were Reserve Champions for Pamela Slater and Kalarama Farm. The qualifier winners got a nice pop from the crowd as they came up for their reserve tri-color. Mollie Kregor put a great ride on Rebel Rooster for Kathy Bagdasarian, coming away with third in this 10-horse class.
The DeLovely Parade of Champions drew to a close in the Roadster to Wagon Championship, as Invincible Summer cruised down victory lane with Judy McNeish the familiar captain at the helm. This win marks number 17 in a row for McNeish and Invincible Summer. Their last reserve championship came at Louisville in 2008! Deborah Koning and Matt T Tup were the Reserve Champions, as this must have been the first Roadster to Wagon Championship on The Red Mile to ever feature Zero male drivers. Koning has shown in just about every Road Horse class available so far this week and always goes all out in pursuit of the blue.
Tre Lee had a great night with his young stock tonight. Now there is a sentence we’ve written plenty of times before, as Tre consistently brings out some of the best colts in the business. First up was MBA’s Revival Of The Blues, a product of the MBA Equestrians breeding program by Revival and out of Brittany Baird’s favorite mount, Crimson Blue. This freaky filly got low to the ground, practically crawling as she covered the Red Mile surface. Chestnut with blonde highlights in her mane and tail, she kept getting better as the class wore on. Brad Lukens had the reserve winner in the high going Leatherwood’s Lipstick Jungle for Charlie Jones. A owner/driver team known more for road gait than park trot, they have a good one in this bay filly. By Leatherwood’s Starlight, she is out of Candle In The Wind, a daughter of Talent Town and the great gaited mare, CH Candle Dance.
Tre Lee started and finished the night with blue ribbon performances, as he won the Three-Year-Old Five-Gaited finale with the fixy Supremacy’s Fire Fly for Phyllis Harris. This one is by Supremacy’s High Time, which was quite apparent in his fine features and beautiful headset. A great cross for High Time, Callaway’s Red Lady is by Callaway’s Blue Norther. His second dam was a half sister to the great CH Gypsy Supreme, so reading this pedigree he was designed to have the looks and the athleticism to be one of the good ones. Done. Lionel Ferreira and Sunrise’s I Love Licorice were reserve for John F. Bulmer, Ferreira’s recently acquired father-in-law. By VHF The Licorice Drop Kid, I Love Licorice is also out of a Blue Norther mare, Love In Blue.
You want one with pedigree to park trot, then look no further than Kalarama’s New York Lady. Bred by Joan Hamilton, New York Lady is by I’m A New Yorker. If you ever saw him show or have ever seen a picture of him from the show ring, you know that I’m A New Yorker was always a major league leg waver. New York Lady’s bottom line starts with Lady Whitney, the dam of Amateur Three-Gaited World’s Champion Lady Cinnamon. Lady Whitney is by The New York Times, another dose of the New Yorker and Yorktown blood. Lady Whitney’s dam, CH Lady’s Favorite Event, was also a Louisville winner, topping the Amateur Under 2 Stake twice with Barbara Goodman Manilow. As the story of this jet black filly goes, she went through the Tattersalls Fall Sale in 2007, stirring up a ruckus in the sale pavilion as everyone wanted a piece of this gorgeous little thing. After some spirited bidding it was Traci Massaro that signed the winning ticket and this story was turned over to A.J. Bruwer. Fast forward two years to Bridget Parker’s Evening Under The Stars in 2009, where Bruwer put on a dazzling show for the assembled crowd at Parker View Farm, wowing them all, but one in particular. It wasn’t long after that that Vicki Reed’s Three Gables LLC moved to the top of the registration papers. Tonight this tremendously exciting filly made that purchase look quite wise indeed, as A.J. Bruwer drove her to a unanimous blue in the Three-Year-Old Fine Harness class much to the crowd’s delight
. With one of the best filly names of all time, If The Tiara Fits was reserve with George Knight at the lines for Kim Skipton and George Knight. By a lightly bred young son of Knight’s great World’s Grand Champion Man On The Town, Such A Salesman, this little princess is out of Princess Shalimar, by The Mean Machine. One of the best hands with a harness horse that the show ring has ever known, Knight was a Reserve World’s Champion with this filly a year ago in the Two-Year-Old Fine Harness Mares Stake.
It was just 7:22 PM when the unanimous winner of the Show Pleasure Driving Championship was announced. This information was important, as it was a long time before midnight for CH A Cinderella Story and Karrie Graham. It would have been unfortunate for their pleasure cart to turn back into a pumpkin on The Red Mile. Jim and Fay Lowry have this mare working absolutely at the top of her game heading into the second half of the season, hitting double digits in wins tonight with number 10 in an undefeated season. Stepping up to take on the "big kids," Paige Bundy looked right at home with Junior Exhibitor 13-17 Pleasure Driving winner Chantilly Lily in this big class of 11 drivers. The prep work of Erin and Reese Richey certainly paid off tonight with a Reserve Championship against a strong field. Finest Material and James Rosburg were third for Helen and James Rosburg, while Sweatin’ Bullets and Sally Jo Briney were fourth for Pratense Farm.
Limit Pony night kicked off with the cobtails. Be My Cover Girl was the Limit Hackney Pony winner for Larry Bacon and longtime customers Art and Gaye Birtcher. The list of winners from this owner/trainer team would be a long one indeed. An extremely athletic pony, Cover Girl is by Heartland Code Of Honor and out of Heartland Diamonds And Lace, by Heartland Triple Crown. With all sorts of hinge and curve to him, Heartland Globe Trotter was reserve for Maureen Campbell and new owner Sandra Surber. By the great World’s Grand Champion Heartland Equality, Globe Trotter is out of a Dun-Haven Bandolier mare.
Sell your Three-Gaited Show Pleasure World’s Champion of Champions? No problem, just reload and come back for more the next year! That seems to be the mantra of Peggy Councilman for 2010, as last year’s World’s and National Championship rides on CH Tax Man capped off their illustrious career together as he headed south for the winter to Texas. A horse that Peggy has had on her string since 2007, Quinlan is coming into his own this season as her number one mount. They were the blue ribbon winners in the Three-Gaited Show Pleasure Over 35 class tonight, with Daniel Lockhart running to the winner’s circle with this Kalarama-trained entry. Making a super consistent show in reserve, Ridgefield’s Fireman is a pretty liver chestnut gelding by Undulata’s Man Of The Hour. Laurel Nelson put on the good ride tonight for the Chris Reiser directed entry. Talkin’ To You and Vickie Byrd were third for Jack and Donna Finch, while CH Sightline and Holli Esposito were fourth.
The Limit Road Pony class featured a top two with distinctly different styles. Heartland Pursuit made a perfectly cadenced piston-pumping performance for Ronnie Graham and owner Helen Rosburg. With extreme animation and headset, Pursuit is quick of foot, taking shorter steps but more of them to move down the rail at speed. Sugarland is more open and free-moving, covering more ground per stride in a rangy kind of road gait. Heartland Pursuit was the pick in this one, never putting a foot out of place or an ear back for Graham and Rosburg. Sugarland and Toni Nastali were the reserve winners.
Here is a pro tip that could potentially win you some money if you play the "Pick the Winners" game with your horse show friends. If there is a class in the ring like the Coaching Four in Hand, where lots of passengers ride atop the carriage, look for David Freedman and pick that one as the winner. It never seems to fail that he is aboard the winning entry. Whether it is his masterful work at pulling and releasing the brake in the lineup or just his charismatic way of sitting, he gets the job done! He also got the job done on both sets of absolutely beautiful harness in this one, as Marilyn Macfarlane’s Friesians wore the Canadian product well for the blue, with Freedman riding in the second row of seating. James Miller held the Freedman lines for the Hillcroft Farm team in reserve. The University of Kentucky’s National Championship Polo team was recognized during the lineup in this class. It was nice to see that UK can still win a National title.
Saddle Horse Report: "David Cater, do you want to give us a quote about Billy Jewel?"
David Cater: "He rocks!" Well there you have it folks, and rock he did once again tonight, winning a second consecutive Five-Gaited Pony Championship here on the Red Mile. Caroline Rose guided the Champion for Clara McCool and the Cater Stables team, just as he did in World’s and National Championship performances a year ago. In fact, their only loss in a pony class together came in their very first class, all the way back in March of 2009. That’s what it takes to "rock." Mango Momma has done her share of rocking so far already this year, winning twice at Indianapolis Charity. Started by Billy Jarrell, this daughter of Wild-Eyed Warrior is now owned by Joe Johnson and trained by Melissa Johnson. Foster Roberts has been her rider since day one in the pony ranks. They were Reserve Champions.
Ninety Proof was on fire in the Novice Roadster to Bike class with Deborah Koning making the spirited drive in her trademark blue and green silks. What fun it has to be to drive a road horse on this famous Standardbred surface, but what a challenge at the same time. They aren’t supposed to have to turn quite so soon or so often on this track when it’s not time for Junior League. Ronnie Graham is working on another good one for James and Helen Rosburg in reserve winner Zulu. This is just his second full season in the show ring and looks to be on the rise.
The Three-Year-Old Three-Gaited class was a lot less eventful but just as successful as her Two-Year-Old Fine Harness Mare World’s Championship, as Caroline Brackenridge posted a unanimous blue with Todd Graham aboard for Mr. and Mrs. Mike Curry. Perhaps Graham thought it a better idea to work from atop this gorgeous filly by Callaway’s Guy Park, as their Freedom Hall performance featured some near bumper car action for some of the field and a broken line for Todd! Chad Graham ran in to head up his brother’s winner here. Winner of a measly $59,000 in prize money so far in her young career, The Cat Walk was reserve for the first time in her life, showing with Stephanie Sedlacko for Glenn A. Werry Jr. By Catalyst and out of She’s In Style, by Desert’s Supreme Memories, she won the All American Cup Weanling Stake in 2007 and the ASR Two-Year-Old Three-Gaited Sweepstakes in 2009, also with Sedlacko up.
The first ever Western blue ribbon winner was also the first ever Western tri-color winner here at The Red Mile, as I’m Goin’ Out Tonight earned the Championship with Jessica Moctezuma riding for Margory Brown and Nealia McCracken. Jessie knocked her hat off as she fell forward in a joyous hug for her horse when their number was called. "I’ve never gotten so excited that I knocked my own hat off before!" said Moctezuma after the class. She was also quick to point out that boyfriend Cody Martalock has been watching her on the ASHA’s live feed from his home in Wisconsin and cheering her on via text message. Nobody else in the history of the breed has ever finished reserve in a Western class on The Red Mile but CH Monsignor. Marie Gwinn rode to the reserve tie in all three of the classes offered on the week for her self-trained entry.
Elisabeth Goth once again drove the grand Rudolph The Second to the top prize, this time taking the tri-color in the Hackney Horse Championship. For those not in the know, this division at Junior League was absolutely loaded with some of the best Hackney Horses in North America. Rudolph The Second himself is the reigning World’s Grand Champion and looked every bit the part again tonight. Shelburne, the Reserve World’s Grand Champion, was Reserve Champion tonight with Stan Bodnar driving for Bent Tree Farm. Third went to Gosford Soloist, an entry of the Glenmore Farm with Glenn A. Werry Jr. driving and Mark Schofield heading up. Heartland Blizzard and Karen Waldron, World’s Champions themselves, were fourth for Bent Tree Farm and Majestic Oaks.
Undefeated in a career that spans just this year but encompasses four outings, Dun-Haven Truly Impressive and Donna Zimmerman looked fabulous under the lights as the Limit Harness Pony winners. They were Harness Pony Champions at Indianapolis Charity. Smackdown and Betty Cloninger were reserve for Rebekah Cloninger under the Drowning Creek banner.
The horse show hits the homestretch now, with just three sessions remaining. The abbreviated, Equitation-filled Friday morning, a long and strong Friday night of Championships, and the traditional Saturday evening Stake Night. Once again, you have one and only one destination for in-depth coverage of the Lexington Junior League Horse Show, and you are reading it now at that very spot. Thanks for your support of the top-ranked Saddlebred and Morgan web destination.
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