Giavanna Rinaldi Closes out Equifest I Winning $7,500 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Cavalor Classic
Wayne, Il. – July 30, 2017 – Giavanna Rinaldi closed out Equifest I at the Chicago Festival of the Horse by taking home the blue in the $7,500 Show Jumping Hall of Fame 1.40m Junior/Amateur Owner Cavalor Classic. Rinaldi is no stranger to the winner’s circle, having won countless hunter championships and grand prix titles during her time competing at Lamplight over the years. Rinaldi took to the ring with a new mount Sunday afternoon, Always Me, to receive the first place and add yet another win under her belt.
Rinaldi and Always Me were the only pair in the class to complete a clear first round, allowing them to tackle the jump-off. They successfully navigated through difficult combinations and tight roll-back turns in the course, Always Me clearing the fences with ease. The pair had an unfortunate rail at the second-to-last fence in the jump-off, finishing with just 4 faults in 40.397 seconds.
Second place in the class went to Isabella Bleu Baxter riding her own, Jahil. Baxter finished her round with just 1 time fault after finishing just over the 89 seconds allowed. Rounding out the top three was Ashley Fleischhacker and Auckland Show Stables LLC’s Over Drive, also just over the time allowed, receiving 2 time faults.
In the $1,500 Child/Adult WIHS/NAL/M&S Jumper Classic, Alison Albelda bested a field of 20 riders to receive the blue riding Verdicchio, a mount owned by David Mac Neil. The pair went double clear and finished the jump-off in 37.931 seconds to win the class. Second place went to Kelsey Cerklenski and her own mount, On Tour, with a jump-off time of 38.856 seconds. Mary Antonini received the third place ribbon riding her own, Rocking the Boat, to a 41.219 second jump-off.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Giavanna Rinaldi – $7,500 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Cavalor Classic winner
On Always Me:
“I just got her a couple of weeks ago. I started riding her in Colorado as a catch ride and we won our first two classes together. It felt like we clicked right away and had a connection that you don’t feel with many horses. We ended up taking her back home. I’m showing her here and the goal is to qualify her for Prix de States.”
On her rounds:
“I came in a bit more confident than I did earlier in the week. I really liked the course, I thought it asked a lot of questions and my horse responded really well to all of the tough questions asked. I thought she really shined in the jump-off. She’s always ready to go! She’s like a little fireball, I love it. She’s always revving to go faster and she’s got the heart for it!”
Anna Kubiak and Lovely Charity Take Home Tricolors in Junior Hunter 3’3″ Championship
After a year full of hard work and preparation with her mount Lovely Charity, owned by Nicole Hiehle, Anna Kubiak claimed the championship in the Junior Hunter 3’3″ division on Sunday, July 30 in the main WEC hunter arena. Kubiak and “Lovey” secured their win with two blue ribbons in combined classes, a sixth place finish in a combined class, second place in the handy round and fourth place in the under-saddle class.
Earning the reserve champion title in the Junior Hunter 3’3″ division was Emma Walters and Crisp, owned by the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center. The pair earned a blue ribbon in the combined handy round, two thirds in the combined rounds and a sixth place finish in the under-saddle class to secure the reserve champion ribbon.
In the Junior Hunter 3’6″ division, Wayne resident and veteran Lamplight competitor Giavanna Rinaldi rode away with the champion title aboard Calido’s Son owned by Mimi Rothman, and the reserve title aboard Bugsy Malone owned by Alex Jayne. Rinaldi and Calido’s Son earned three first place ribbons in their rounds, a third place ribbon in their handy round and another third in the under-saddle class to surpass the competition and earn the championship title.
Rinaldi also claimed the reserve title with Bugsy Malone in the Junior Hunter 3’6″ division, winning a first place ribbon and two second place ribbons in their rounds, first place in their handy round and second place under-saddle.
On Tuesday, August 1, Equifest II will kick off in the main WEC hunter arena with classes in the Green Hunter, High Performance Hunter and Performance Hunter divisions.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Anna Kubiak – Junior Hunter 3’3″ Championship
On Lovely Charity:
“I’ve had Lovey for a little over a year now, I got her in Kentucky last year. She’s just an amazing mare, she’s been so good since day one. She tries so hard for me.”
On her win:
” It feels really nice. It’s really amazing because I’ve been working really hard with her for the past year. I moved up to the 3’3″ division last year so I’ve been working hard to get champion in the division. It felt really amazing to finally get that here.”
On Lamplight:
“We used to come every year, but hadn’t been in a few years so it’s nice to be back. I love that it’s not too big, the classes run more on time than some of the bigger shows where you have ten rings to run. I like that it’s all so much more tight-knit and it’s just a closer community.”
