Lexington, Ky. – July 24, 2019 – The opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show kicked off Wednesday in the Rolex Stadium with David Beisel winning the day’s highlight event, the $5,000 1.40m Open Jumper. Saving the best for last, Beisel rode his 10-year-old KWPN gelding, Essince W, to the top of the leaderboard with the only double-clear performance of the class. Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios finished the class in second place aboard Gut Einhaus LLC’s Le Vio, while Rachel Kennedy rounded out the top three on Fandango.
Designed by Brazil’s Marina Azevedo, the course only saw four horse-and-rider combinations jump clear in the first round with Kennedy being the first to head into the immediate jump-off course. Kennedy and Fandango, her 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, brought down the Johnson Horse Transportation vertical during the jump-off to finish on four faults and a time of 41.385 seconds. Barrios and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding joined the jump-off but a light tap on an oxer added four faults on their quick time of 35.45, opening the door for someone to overtake his lead.
As the final rider in the class, Beisel’s performance was the only double-clear finish with a jump-off time of 42.608 seconds. Based in Goshen, Ohio, Beisel is a frequent competitor during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show series, but Wednesday’s class marked the first time his mount, Essince W, competed in the Rolex Stadium. The gelding, who Beisel has owned for a little over a year, was unfazed with the atmosphere and rode away with a solid victory to add to his resume that already includes top placings from HITS Ocala and the World Equestrian Center.
Show jumping will continue Thursday with the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix will take place Saturday, July 27, during Hats Off Day.
The Hagyard Challenge Series consists of seven show jumping events held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington throughout the 2019 show season. The series will culminate during the Kentucky National Horse Show at the end of September, where the rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $50,000 Leading Rider Award, presented upon completion of the seventh event, the $60,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic.
RESULTS
$5,000 1.40m Open Jumper
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. Essince W / David Beisel / David Beisel / 0 / 0 | 42.608
2. Le Vio / Pablo Barrios / Gut Einhaus LLC / 0 / 4 | 35.45
3. Fanfango / Rachel Kennedy / Rachel Kennedy / 0 / 4 | 41.385
4. Queens Darling / Lorenza O’Farril / Lorenza O’Farril / 0 | 69.175 / WD
5. Donna VI / Pablo Barrios / Clotilde Lewis / 4 | 69.088
6. Armani SL Z / Eugenio Garza / El Milagro / 4 | 76.799
7. Ekilly Van De Horst / Alex Granato / Blue Gate Farm LLC / 8 | 72.464
8. Acolina R / Aaron Vale / Sarah Turner / 16
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
David Beisel – $5,000 1.40m Open Jumper winner
On his performance on Wednesday:
“I’m really excited because today was his first time ever in the Rolex Arena. I brought him to Kentucky last year when I first got him and showed him in the high schooling classes in the covered ring. It’s cool for him to go out [in the Rolex] and give me a nice double clear. He loves jumping clear rounds.”
On Essince W:
“I love how scopey and careful he is. He’s a little weird to ride and he gets a little downhill but he has a lot of heart, which you can’t train desire into a horse. He really tries for me. The gentleman who imported him was doing him in the high schoolings and little less than a year later he has stepped up and has started doing the grand prixs. He’s won a couple grand prixs at the World Equestrian Center and he had clear rounds at HITs Ocala and Great Lake Equestrian Festival. He doesn’t have a real 1.50m grand pix win yet but he is knocking on the door.”
Kentucky Summer Horse Show Features Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tours for 5, 6 and 7-Year-Old Horses
Lexington, Ky. – July 24, 2019 – New this year to the Kentucky Horse Park, the Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour kicked off its fourth show of the eight-part tour Wednesday at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show with three divisions offered for 5, 6 and 7-year-old horses. A talented collection of up-and-coming young horses tackled the 5-year-old and 6-year-old divisions in the Walnut Ring on Wednesday, while Grace Long and Andrew Kocher’s Happiness VD Hazel HOF emerged with the fastest clear round in the 7-Year-Old Jumpers set in the Rolex Stadium. Long tripped the timers in 36.521 seconds, and Aaron Vale was hot on her tail, finishing second in the class on Thinks Like A Horse’s Prescott in 37.319 seconds. Ridden by Jennifer Waxman, Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Maui SCF finished the jump-off in third place in 39.494 seconds.
“This is the most exciting opportunity that we’ve had yet. We wanted to provide young horses with the best educational opportunity so they have the best possible experience in the ring,” explained Cynthia Hampton, founder and president of Classic Champions, Inc. “We have the whole series followed by a championship, which is really optimal for showing the development of the young horses. The championship will take place here at the Kentucky [Horse Park] in September.”
Classic Champions, Inc. brings European principles to course design for young jumpers, and helps young horses to become the future stars they can be, offering competition opportunities that are both sporting and educational. With specific classes for 5, 6 and 7-year-old horses, the Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour features adapted heights, type of fences, lines and turns, as well as experienced, specifically trained course designers at top-notch show venues.
The tour will culminate with the year-end championships, which also features their 4-year-old division at the Kentucky National Horse Show, held September 18-22.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Grace Long – Classic Champions Developing Jumper Tour 7-Year-Old Jumper winner
On Happiness VD Hazel HOF:
“We’ve had her for about 4 months now. She is an opinionated chestnut mare, but she always tries really hard. She is coming along well and she was great today. I thought the course was wonderful and I always like Marina’s courses. This is the mare’s best result so far. It’s wonderful to have support for young horse programs. It makes it much easier as a rider and trainer when you have correct courses to develop your horses.”
Witness Takes Wednesday’s Green Hunter Incentive Stake
Lexington, Ky. – July 24, 2019 – Green Hunters took center stage in the Stonelea Ring on the first day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show held July 24–29 at the renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Champion hunter rider Kelley Farmer walked away with the win in the prestigious Green Hunter Incentive Stake 3’6”/3’9” aboard Witness, owned by David Glefke, to kick off the week’s hunter action.
The attractive 12-year-old bay gelding caught the judges’ attention with his powerful jump and elegant movement around the course, piloted expertly by Farmer. The judges rewarded the pair with a score of 90, edging out Farmer’s other mount owned by Glefke, As Quoted with an 87. Farmer had an outstanding day in the 3’6” Green Hunter Division, dominating both of the over fences rounds with a win for both Witness and Consent, also owned by Glefke, and earning a second place in the under saddle with Witness.
Only his third show since in the U.S. since being gelded and imported by Glefke, Witness has already made a name for himself. At his first horse show, he was champion at Tryon Summer 4 in the Green Hunter 3’6” and was champion in the High Performance Hunters division at the Chagrin Hunter Jumper Classic. Witness will compete in Green Hunter Incentive Finals as well as the USHJA Hunter Derby Finals coming up next month.
The Green Hunter Incentive Program, which is open to horses eligible to compete in Green Hunters 3′, 3’3″, 3’6″ and 3’9″, is designed to encourage the development of green horses. The program is multi-faceted and concludes with the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship, held during the same week and at the same venue as the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park August 13-18, 2019.
Hunter competition will continue on Thursday, July 25, at 8:00 a.m. in the Stonelea Ring with the Green Conformation Hunters.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Kelley Farmer – Green Hunter Incentive Stake 3’6”/3’9” winner
On Witness:
“Witness is new to us. This is his third show. We bought him in Europe and he just got gelded and shipped over. He showed at Tryon and was champion in the Greens and we showed him at Chagrin and he was champion in the High Performance. I’m really excited about him.”
On Consent:
“They’re both really super horses. Consent we’ve had since last year. He showed one show before Capital Challenge and then we’ve had him all year and he was circuit champion this year. He won the derby at Chargin two weeks ago. He’s phenomenal.”
On what’s next for Witness and Consent:
“They’ll both do Incentive Finals and Derby Finals. I’m really excited for both of those events at the Kentucky Horse Shows for both those horses, it’s going to be great.”
Green Hunter Incentive Stake 3’6”/3’9”
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / Score
1. Witness / Kelly Farmer / David Glefke
2. As Quoted / Kelly Farmer / David Glefke
3. Maverick / Jeff Gogul / Roberts Stables LLC
4. Gossi / Tim Gogen / Garland Alban
5. Closing Statement / Kelly Farmer / David Glefke
6. Untouched / Evan Coluccio / David Glefke
7. Balou Belle / Robin Rost Brown / Robin Rost Brown
8. Counselor / Jeff Gogul / Roaring Brook LLC
9. Consent / Kelly Farmer / David Glefke & Kent Farrington
10. Stellar / Scott Keller / Scott Keller
