Tampa, Fla. – Sept. 2, 2018 – The 2018 Southeast Medal Finals concluded Sunday, September 2, with horses and riders returning to the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center to vie for championship titles. Coming off of a win in the Equitation Team Challenge, Camryn Halley and I’ll Say JSF, owned by Laura Barrett-Gurtis, brought home another blue as they claimed first place in the Junior Medal Finals sponsored by One K. Later in the afternoon, Marcelo Barros and Falcon Eye WB rode to victory in the $2,500 1.15m Mini Prix sponsored by CWD.
The first class of the morning, the Junior Medal Finals, drew a competitive field of young riders to the Lykes Indoor Arena. The technical course offered riders the chance to showcase their handiness and adjustability through bending lines and opportunities to take an inside track. After the first round, Halley and I’ll Say JSF led the class with a score of 83. Madison Ryan and Caprio, owned by Jai Smith Rezac, followed close behind with their score of 81. Also in contention for the top spot was third place rider Makaylah Jones riding Zeeland, owned by Alexandra Daley, with their score of 80.
For the work-off round, the judges elected to challenge riders to compete over fences. The course remained the same as round one, however, the work-off asked riders to trot the second fence, halt after the end jump, and counter-canter to the final fence. The second round could earn any of the top three riders the leading title, but it was Halley’s impressive skill in the ring that put her on top. Halley executed a flawless round and caught the attention of the judges as she was the only rider to land in a counter-canter prior to heading to the final fence. She received the top second round score of 90 to secure the first place finish with a total score of 173.
Texie Loyd and MTM Chaperon received a score of 84 for their work-off round, enough to move the pair up to second place with an overall score of 163. Rounding out the top three would be Ryan and Caprio after receiving their work-off score of 81 and a final total of 162.
One of the other highlight events of the day, the $2,500 1.15m Mini Prix sponsored by CWD, attracted plenty of hopeful competitors to the Grand Prix ring for their shot at the purse. It was Barros riding Falcon Eye WB, owned by WB Equestrian Enterprise, that came out on top to earn the lion’s share of the pot. Barros was the first rider on course, going clean and setting the standard for the jump-off time with a time of 38.260 seconds.
Riders that followed would attempt to catch his speedy time, but Barros was the only rider to carefully complete a double clear round. Juan Gamboa aboard Classic Z, owned by Jennifer Gamboa, rode a faster jump-off than Barros, finishing in 35.078 seconds, but had an unfortunate rail on course. Gamboa would ultimately receive second place for his efforts. Rounding out the top three was another quick, 4-fault jump-off contender, Amy Foster riding Persimmon, owned by Leeann Ablin. Foster and Persimmon dropped the last rail on course, finishing their jump-off in 36.204 seconds.
Sunday’s finals concluded the 2018 Southeast Medal Finals. Horses and rider enjoyed a weekend of competition and camaraderie, with many new champions crowned, and those hoping to enter next year have a whole year of qualifying possibilities ahead of them prior to the 2019 Southeast Medal Finals. For more information on the Southeast Medal Finals, please click here.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Camryn Halley – Junior Medal Finals winner
On I’ll Say JSF
“He is so honest, kind and sweet, so whatever I ask of him he’s so willing to do it. He is very forgiving if I make a mistake and is all around a really great horse. He always wants to please and loves his job! He really helps me in the equitation and it’s awesome to have a horse like him that I can have these experiences on and learn from.”
On her strategy for the first round
“In the first round I just wanted to have a nice forward round. I made one inside turn to try to stand out, but I really wanted to just be smooth and have a good, nice round.”
On the work-off round
“In the work-off I wanted to do something to stand out and set me apart from the group. I didn’t have the opportunity to watch everyone else because I was walking in the warm-up area, but I went straight to the first jump and took the inside turn to the second jump. To the fourth fence my strategy was to stay out so that I gave myself more room to approach the two-stride after the halt. After the second-to-last fence we landed the counter canter. There, I was going to do a flying change and go inside, but since he landed the counter lead I just held it and went right inside because he’s so great and balanced.”
On concluding Southeast Medal Finals with a win
“I was very pleased with this and I’m really proud of [I’ll Say JSF] and myself. It’s a great way to go into Regionals and it’s a great way to wrap up the summer. I also really want to thank James and Jenn [Adams] for putting on this show. It’s such an exhibitor-friendly show and they’re so good about everything. It’s such a good experience for all of us and we all have a lot of fun here!”
RESULTS
Junior Medal Finals
Place / Rider / Horse / Owner / R1 Score / R2 Score
1. Camryn Halley / I’ll Say JSF / Laura Barrett-Gurtis / 83 / 90
2. Texie Loyd / MTM Chaperone / MTM Farm / 79 / 84
3. Madison Ryan / Caprio / Jai Smith Rezac / 81 / 81
4. Makaylah Jones / Zeeland / Alexandra Daley / 80 / 80
5. Caitlin Hooper / Winninton / Caitlin Hooper / 74 / 70
6. Reagan Landrum / Watch Me / Two Point Equestrian, LLC. / 38 / 80
7. Sydney Bounds / Charleston / Carter Anderson / 40 / 35
$2,500 1.15m Mini Prix
Place / Rider / Horse / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / JO Time
1. Marcelo Barros / Falcon Eye WB / WB Equestrian Enterprise / 0 / 0 / 38.260
2. Juan Gamboa / Classic Z / Jennifer Gamboa / 0 / 4 / 35.078
3. Amy Foster / Persimmon / Leeann Ablin / 0 / 4 / 36.204
4. Brooke Pearson / Lune De Miel / Brooke Pearson / 4 / 75.894
5. Juan Gamboa / Charmer / Tyler Smith / 4 / 80.744
6. Molly Hennemann / Lady Clearway / Emily Tarnoff / 8 / 75.827
