Louisville - Tuesday Evening
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Tuesday Evening
Evening three of the 103rd World’s Championship Horse Show had a lot of interesting twists and turns, and the crowd was extremely vocal. Large Futurity payouts awaited three-year-old performance horses in the three-gaited, fine harness, and five-gaited divisions as well as the second open qualifier for Saturday night’s big dance.
An unusually light ASR National Three-Year-Old Three-Gaited Futurity was first on the card with eight entries. From the moment they hit the ring, Our Axel Rose and Neil Visser led the way and never looked back. In addition to the world title, the toppy son of I’m A New Yorker took home a paycheck for more than $12,000 for owners John and Sara McDonald. Representing the state of Missouri, High Time’s Northern Son (Supremacy’s High Time x Northern Fantasy) and Max Ciampoli put on a sharp performance to garner reserve honors for Gerald R. Miller.
Eleven entries came through the gate for the Ladies Fine Harness class, which at times was not so ladylike. One that personified the definition of a ladies horse was the beautiful, black gelding Gone Platinum. Directed by Milligan Stables, Gone Platinum and Mary Sally Aylward made the last pass down victory lane. Leaving with the red streamers and title of reserve world’s champion was the leg-waving CH Cary’s Moonraker, driven by Margo Baird of MBA Equestrians. It was a field loaded with talent as Susan Bartlett and Harlem’s Santa Fe were called out in third.
Louisville fans were used to seeing Glenn T. Werry making winning shows with the legendary road pony Hazard County, but sitting very tall in the saddle was something relatively new. He proved to be just as successful there as he piloted Heir To A Star to the winner’s circle of the Amateur Gentlemen’s Three-Gaited class. Last year’s world’s champions, Kalarama’s Twister and David Rudder had to settle for the reserve world’s title this year.
There were so many ASR Two-Year-Old Fine Harness Futurity entries that eliminations had to be held. Two different sections performed so judges could determine who would come back later in the week for the real thing. Of the 20 entries shown, the following horses made the cut: Mosette, Ribbons And Reins, Spend The Night, A Whole Different Story, Kalarama’s Star Bright, Stonecroft Sweet Confection, Reedann’s Heir To Glory, Respectfully Yours, Glenview’s Excelalante!, Rain, and Stravinsky.
Already having won the ladies under two stake, Deborah Visser and Ostentatiously turned in another unanimous performance to take the Amateur Three-Gaited Under 15.2 Stake for the James Orr family. Homebred Lady Cinnamon was also at the top of the judge’s cards with a reserve world’s champion finish for Barbara Goodman Manilow and trainer Dick Obenauf.
The second section of the Junior Exhibitor Five-Gaited 14-17 class was held on Tuesday evening. The industry is filled with a lot of talented, hard riding junior exhibitors and their competitiveness was extremely evident in this one. Coming from the state of Florida, Ali DeGray and the multi-titled CH Tigerlee captured yet another world’s title with an eye-catching performance. The Ruth Gimpel-trained team turned back several strong challengers including last year’s world’s champions She’s Bedazzled ADW and Will Harris. They had another strong showing to take reserve honors this time around.
Just as they did on the Red Mile a month earlier, Tré Lee and the oh so expressive A Silver Charm captured the crowd’s support and the judges’ top votes to take a popular unanimous decision in the Three-Gaited 15.2 & Under Stake for Brad and Barbara Bacon. Winners of the under two stake at Midwest, Enough About You and Todd Miles pushed hard to take the reserve title back to DeLovely Farm for owner Lynda Norman.
Freedom Hall was filled with heavy hitters in the 16-entry Amateur Five-Gaited Stallion/Gelding class. World’s champion after world’s champion fought for position and a chance to make a lasting impression. Not only were the horses the cream of the crop, the jockeys also read like a Who’s Who of amateur greats.
When it was all said and done, John Conatser came through the gate to meet Carol Hillenbrand and Swish in the winner’s circle. Announcer Peter Doubleday let the audience know it was a unanimous decision and the third consecutive year of winning the class. Lexington’s Amateur Five-Gaited Grand Champions, I’m A Treat and Mary Gaylord McClean, made good pass after good pass to receive the reserve world’s title among the all-star cast. The crowd let Nancy Leigh Fisher and former Five-Gaited World’s Grand Champion CH Callaway’s Forecaster know how much they still appreciated them. It was a third place finish for the Hollow Haven team on this evening. Misdee Wrigley and Lakeview’s Rare-A-Phi were next in line for a coveted ribbon.
Some $23,000 in prize money was awarded to the top three finishers in the ASR National Three-Year-Old Fine Harness Futurity. Of that, $12, 897 went to world’s champion Stonecroft Sincerely (Belle Reve’s Renaissance Man x Unadorned). Nelson Green made the winning drive for owner/breeder Stonecroft Farm. The Nancy Leigh Fisher-owned Heavenly Thunder paraded as the reserve world’s champion and winner of $6,449 with Joan Lurie at the whip. World title-holder At Night was right in the mix taking home the yellow prize for Sam Stafford and owner/breeder Blythewood Farms.
There was all kinds of traffic in the 16-entry Amateur Three-Gaited Over 15.2 class. On some kind of roll, Christy Bennett and CH Callaway’s Merry Go Round were called to the winner’s circle following a picture perfect performance. Winners of the Amateur Three-Gaited Championships at both Lexington Junior League and Shelbyville, the Kalarama Farm team put on another world class show in their first season together and Bennett’s first year in the amateur division. The extremely gifted Sue-She was the reserve world’s champion for Carla Ritzie.
Giving Raymond Shively his umpteenth Roadster To Bike Stallion/Gelding World’s Championship, defending world’s grand champion Big Red won the stallion/gelding title for the second consecutive year. Larry Bacon drove Go For Broke to the reserve world’s championship for son Brad.
The next class was one of the most interesting of the evening. Eighteen entries vied for the ASR National Three-Year-Old Five-Gaited Futurity, which turned into a marathon much to the audience’s dismay. In addition to three lost shoes there were a few other timeouts to drag the class out. Then after the entries were stripped for conformation judging, the judges huddled to compare numbers for a workout. When it was announced there would be a workout there was a scattering of boos throughout the crowd. There were even more boos when the three-year-olds were asked to canter again. Announcer Peter Doubleday quickly interjected that all gaits were required for the workout.
Then as if the class hadn’t gone on long enough (nearly an hour), a few trainers kept making extra passes drawing the ire of the ringmasters who were trying to keep order and move the class along. When the cards were finally marked, Burt Honaker and the new gray star Callaway’s Born For This (Callaway’s Born To Win x Beckon The Day) were the celebrated champions representing the famed Callaway Hills. The Weldon family’s influence on the breed continues to be one of the strongest ever.
Riding for Deborah Butler, Todd Miles took Pour Some Sugar On Me (Callaway’s Gold Rush x Feather Light) to reserve honors ahead of the crowd-pleasing Cherished King who was ridden by Tré Lee for Jean Arcuri.
After having been in the make-up ring for an eternity, the Amateur Five-Gaited Mares were the next stars to take over Freedom Hall. The always-charging Have You Ever took home a unanimous decision for Barclay de Wet and Leatherwood Farm. Redd Crabtree again had them in top order to fend off several strong challengers including reserve world’s champions Amy Dix Rock and CH Amusing, last year’s winners.
A large class of Amateur Ladies’ Hackney Ponies was on hand for the next to last class of the long evening. The winning combination of Royal Canadian and Muffy Ernster put on another grand show to defeat a ring full of the country’s finest cob-tails. Among the challengers, Heartland Elise and Mary Gaylord McClean were reserve world’s champions after winning the class last year.
It is often said that good things come to those who wait and patience did pay off for the West Wind Farm team in the Five-Gaited Mare Stake. A qualifier for Saturday night’s World’s Grand Championship, the mare stake featured the explosive Red Hot Chili Pepper in the winner’s circle with Peter Cowart making the winning ride for Sharyn Lackey. The bold moving mare kept it all together in her bid for the industry’s top title. Former two-year-old world’s champion Radiante was awarded the Five-Gaited Mare Reserve World’s Championship with Don Harris riding for Pamela Boyers, placing just ahead of Intoxicating Conversation and Melissa Moore.
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