Lexington, Ky. – Oct. 30, 2020 – The highlight hunter event of the 137th National Horse Show, the $50,000 National Horse Show Hunter Classic, presented by The Chronicle of The Horse, took place Friday evening in the Alltech Arena, the longtime host of the prestigious competition. Thirty qualified entries, each of whom earned places in the class thanks to results earlier in the week, competed over the natural-inspired obstacles, with the pair of Samantha Schaefer and sister Madeline Schaefer’s In The Know outshining them all to emerge as the 2020 victors in the class and third-ever winners since the event’s debut in 2018.
Throughout the first half of the week, invitations were extended to the Champion, Reserve Champion and second Reserve Champion horse-and-rider combinations of hunter sections that competed over jumps at the 3’6″ height or higher. Michael Britt-Leon, Havens Schatt, Samantha Schaefer, Isha Swani, Ellie Dupuis and Kat Fuqua each had two mounts apiece in the class to increase their chances of leaving with a portion of the pot. The competition began with the 3’6” section, which included 21 combinations, then raised the jumps to 3’9” for six pairs and finally finished at the 4’ height for just three duos.
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Samantha Schaefer on In the Know
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Following the first phase of competition, the 12 highest-scoring partnerships were invited back for the handy round of the class in order to finalize the standings, with the first-round cut-off score sitting at 80.50. The rankings were tight with only 2.5 points separating the top seven returners, led by Fuqua and Consent’s marks of 88.50. Schaefer and In The Know sat in second position with a score of 87.12 and Schatt piloted Mostly Sunny to the third spot with 86.37 points. The next spots were filled by three riders – Christopher Coberly, Schaefer and Britt-Leon – all tied at 86 points on their respective horses. Partnerships returned to jump the handy course, which featured a hand gallop, turn options and plenty of opportunities for boldness, beginning with the 4’ horses and moving down to 3’9”, then followed by 3’6” competitors.
Second to return, Schaefer and her reliable partner In The Know continued to impress with a score of 87 from the judges panel, which pushed them to the early lead with a total score of 174.12 to set a high bar. The 4’ and 3’9” horses made up half of the pack, and the early frontrunners in the handy maintained their status at the midway point of the round with six 3’6” pairs left to ride. Though the latter half of the pack tried to match the efforts of the leaders, none could measure up, leaving Schaefer and In The Know at the top of the scorecard to add another major hunter win to the team’s ever-growing list. Britt-Leon captured second place on Kelly Sims’ Private I not far off the pace with a score of 173 and Coberly rounded out the top three aboard Fox Meadow Farm’s No Introduction with a composite score of 172.50.
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Michael Britt-Leon on Private I
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For her victory, Schaefer was honored with the Hunter Classic Rider Award, presented by Audi of Lexington and Samuel A. Boone, which featured a $5,000 cash prize. The 2020 National Horse Show has been a successful one for Schaefer, who had already been named the Meralex Farm Grand Champion Professional Hunter with Take 3 LLC’s Trademark and the Meralex Farm Leading Hunter Rider Award, in addition to topping a number of divisions to earn the tricolors. Following the conclusion of the contest, Schaefer’s accomplishments continued as Trademark was awarded the honor of Grand Hunter Champion for his performances over the first four days of riding.
The 137th National Horse Show will return Saturday with the ASPCA Maclay National Championship training class, and hunter competition will resume immediately following for the conclusion of the Junior 3’3” Hunter divisions. Saturday’s highlight classes will include the $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Grand Prix and the highly-anticipated $213,3000 National Horse Show Grand Prix CSI4*. Sunday will conclude the event following the 2020 ASPCA Maclay National Championship, presented by Chansonette Farm.
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Samantha Schaefer and In the Know
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FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Samantha Schaefer – $50,000 National Horse Show Hunter Classic, presented by The Chronicle of The Horse, winner
On her plan going into the first round:
“The strategy of the first course was to present him as a nice, fluid hunter horse with brilliant jumping efforts, and to keep everything under wraps. The change of speed in the handy, I think they wanted to see you risk it a little bit. I think having the advantage of going early because of the height changes helped. I went in there, and I know that horse really well, so I rode him how I thought he would perform. As always, he came through for me.”
On what makes In The Know so successful:
“His scope! His expression is another great thing. When he jumps 4’ he seems to do it a little easier than most horses, and he looks like he is really enjoying his job. I think everyone who watches him appreciates that about him.”
On her plan for the handy:
“There were two opportunities to hand gallop, which I love. I actually was going to the first jump and changed my mind about five times. He helped me out for sure with some scope. With him, I never really have an excuse to hold back because he is about as handy and rideable and adjustable as they come. He is kind of known for that. We tried to go for broke a little bit and hope it worked out, and today it did.”
On her success at the National Horse Show:
“Those two horses complement each other really well. I think Trademark is a superstar but he has his moments of young, green-ness. Spyder is my seasoned veteran that I can always rely on. Tonight especially, I thought Trademark was very good and I was really happy with him, but to have In The Know in your back pocket to pull out for these sort of events is nice to be able to count on.”
On her upcoming plans:
“I’m a firm believer that when the horses do something well, they go in the paddock for a few weeks. These horses will go home and have a nice well-deserved vacation and then they will go to Florida sometime next month.”
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RESULTS
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Score / R2 Score / Total
$50,000 National Horse Show Hunter Classic, presented by The Chronicle of the Horse:
1. In The Know / Samantha Schaefer / Madeline Schaefer / 87.12 / 87 / 174.12
2. Private I / Michael Britt-Leon / Kelly Sims / 86 / 87 / 173
3. No Introduction / Christopher Coberly / Fox Meadow Farm / 86 / 86.5 / 172.5
4. Consent / Kat Fuqua / Kat Fuqua / 88.5 / 83.87 / 172.37
5. Commentary / Julie Curtin / Amy Squier Perez / 84.62 / 85.5 / 170.12
6. Chevito / Sophia Mitchell / Sophia Mitchell / 82.75 / 86.5 / 169.25
7. Trademark / Samantha Schaefer / Take 3 LLC / 86 / 82 / 168
8. Cascartini / Havens Schatt / Ken and Amy Wexler LLC / 81.5 / 84.75 / 166.25
9. Bond / Geoffrey Hesslink / Shadowfax Equestrian LLC / 80.5 / 84 / 164.5
10. Frankly Stated / Hallie Grimes / Can We Keep It? LLC / 83.5 / 80.5 / 164
11. Levland / Christina Fisher / Christian Fisher / 83.12 / 75.5 / 158.62
12. Mostly Sunny / Havens Schatt / Caroline Moran / 86.37 / 45 / 131.37
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Kat Fuqua and Grand Remo are Grand to Claim Overall Junior Hunter Grand Championship
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The 2020 National Horse Show continued Friday, October 30, bringing world-class athletes and horses back to the Alltech Arena of the Kentucky Horse Park for another day of highly-anticipated sport. Returning to the ring for the penultimate day of hunter competition, Junior Hunter riders took center stage Friday morning to put forth one final effort in the Stake round. The day culminated in the crowning of each division’s respective champions, and it was Kat Fuqua and Grand Remo who received the top call, the Overall Junior Hunter Grand Championship and The “Huntland” Perpetual Cup, out of the 56 total entries.
Kat Fuqua and Grand Remo crowned Overall Junior Hunter Grand Champion
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Accumulating a total of 26.5 points in the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division, Fuqua and her very own Grand Remo kicked off the classes with a blue ribbon for their over fences trip. In the handy, Fuqua navigated a seamless round, taking the inside turns and showing off Grand Remo’s stylish jump. The 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding went on to wow the judges in the under saddle class, where he was rewarded for his floating trot and elegant movement. A score of 80 in the Stake class would seal the deal for Fuqua and Grand Remo, naming them as the Overall Junior Hunter Grand Champions.
Partnered together since August 2019, Fuqua and Grand Remo have built a strong relationship. Their ever-growing show record is sprinkled with top results in the Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under divisions across the country, most recently claiming the championship tricolors in Tryon, North Carolina. The 13-year-old rider is well-known as a talented young athlete under the tutelage of Jimmy Torano. Fuqua will remain at the National Horse Show to compete in Sunday’s 2020 ASPCA Maclay National Championship, presented by Chansonette Farm, aboard Heathrow HX.
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FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Kat Fuqua – Overall Junior Hunter Grand Champion
On Grand Remo:
“Grand Remo is a Large and we have had him for about a year. He has been really great, especially in the hacks. He is super sweet.”
On her trips:
“He was really, really well behaved. I think this is his second time showing in an indoor and in the first class we got a 90! That was really exciting. [In the handy] I just wanted to make sure that I did all the inside turns and kept going on a forward pace so that it didn’t get boring.”
On being Overall Junior Hunter Grand Champion:
“It’s really exciting because the first time I was here was two years ago and I just did the Small Junior Hunters.”
On competing at the National Horse Show:
“I think it is definitely one of my favorite shows. It is really nice here and my horses really like Kentucky. It is really pretty! The ring and the jumps are all really nice.”
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RESULTS
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner
Small Junior Hunter 15&U Under Saddle
1. Cassano / Amanda Wildauer /
2. E Di Luca / Reynolds Cole / Reynolds Cole
3. Heaven’s Dream / August Iwasaki / Isabella Griffin
Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Under Saddle
1. Boccaccio / Natalie Jayne / Wolfstone Stables and Sales Ina
2. Custom Made / Hallie Grimes/ Can We Keep It? LLC
3. No Introduction / Christopher Coberly / Fox Meadow Farm
Large Junior Hunter 15&U Under Saddle
1. Grand Remo / Kat Fuqua / Kat Fuqua
2. Brightside / Ellie Dupuis / Ellie Dupuis
3. Just Ed / Sally Ives / Can We Keep It? LLC
The Gochman Family Large Junior Hunter 16-17 Under Saddle
1. Cosido / Jordan Ricker / Jordan Ricker
2. Chevito / Sophia Mitchell / Sophia Mitchell
3. Mercy Me / Ellie Ferrigno / Donald Stewart
Small Junior Hunter 15&U Under Stake
1. Consent / Kat Fuqua / Kat Fuqua
2. Paper Trail / Ellie Dupuis / Ellie Dupuis
3. Heaven’s Dream / August Iwasaki / Isabella Griffin
Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Stake
1. Custom Made / Hallie Grimes/ Can We Keep It? LLC
2. Bond / Isha Swani / Shadowfax Equestrian LLC
3. Carluca / Madison Rauschenbach / Donald Stewart
Large Junior Hunter 15&U Stake
1. Seaside / August Iwasaki / Elizabeth Reilly
2. Rockaway / Savonna Adell / Savonna Adell
3. *Cash* / Alexander Alston / Alston Alliance, LLC
The Gochman Family Large Junior Hunter 16-17 Stake
1. Adore / Hannah Smith / Hannah Smith
2. KT Lansini / Cameron Brown / Cameron Brown
3. Chevito / Sophia Mitchell / Sophia Mitchell
Junior Hunter 3’3” 15 & Under
1. Knightly / Raina Swani / Brendan Williams
2. Delightful / Abigail Gordon / Abigail Gordon
3. Nuff Said / Madeline Rubin / Briar Field Farm LLC
Junior Hunter 3’3″ 15 & Under Handy
1. Knightly / Raina Swani / Brendan Williams
2. Delightful / Abigail Gordon / Abigail Gordon
3. Nuff Said / Madeline Rubin / Briar Field Farm LLC
Junior Hunter 3’3” 16-17
1. Balito / Mia Chimenti / Chase Hollow Equestrian Partners
2. Madison / Susannah Gerhardt / Susannah Gerhardt
3. Covert / Elizabeth Nestor / Elizabeth Nestor
Junior Hunter 3’3″ 16-17 Handy
1. Poetic / Aristea Santoro / Melissa Williams
2. Keebler / Riley Hogan / Donald Stewart
3. Balito / Mia Chimenti / Chase Hollow Equestrian Partners
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CHAMPION AND RESERVE RESULTS
Horse / Rider
Small Junior Hunter 15&U Under
Champion: Consent / Kat Fuqua
Reserve: Heaven’s Dream / Augusta Iwasaki
Small Junior Hunter 16-17
Champion: No Introduction / Christopher Coberly
Reserve: Custom Made / Hallie Grimes
Large Junior Hunter 15&U
Champion: Grand Remo / Kat Fuqua
Reserve: *Cash* / Alexander Alston
The Gochman Family Large Junior Hunter 16-17
Champion: Chevito / Sophia Mitchell
Reserve: Cosido / Jordan Ricker
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Karl Cook and Fecybelle Power to Win in T & R Development $36,600 International Speed CSI4*
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Jumper action continued Friday afternoon at the 137th National Horse Show, which hosted competitors in the T & R Development $36,600 International Speed CSI4* class run under a power-and-speed format. As one of the final challengers, Karl Cook (USA) and Signe Ostby’s Fecybelle bested a skilled pack of international entries by a margin of only half-of-a-second to climb to the top of the ranking and capture the coveted front spot in the victory gallop. Dominic Gibbs piloted Mountain King Ranch LLC’s Delia B to the lion’s share of the prize money in the EquiJet $10,000 Junior Jumpers, and Julia Curtis and her own Kennedy VD Rechri concluded the day with a new blue ribbon in tow thanks to their performance in the $10,000 Amateur Jumpers.
Course designer Guilherme Jorge (BRA) constructed a pattern of 15 total efforts for the T & R Development $36,600 International Speed CSI4*, which saw seven partnerships complete the track without lowering any fences that were set at 1.45m to 1.50m in height. After completing the first round of nine fences, exhibitors who had not incurred any faults immediately advanced to the speed portion of the class without stopping and navigated six obstacles under the pressure of the clock. In total, 12 combinations moved on to the speed phase, and seven of those turned in another successful effort.
Karl Cook and Fecybelle
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The first to go, Daniel Bluman (ISR) jockeyed Colestina to the initial pace-setting round without any faults in 29.38 seconds, but they were quickly overtaken by Jordan Coyle (IRL) and Ariso in a clear time of 28.43 seconds to claim the early lead. With the reins on his quick-footed and reliable speed horse, Catoki, McLain Ward (USA) ensured that Coyle would not retain the top spot long, slicing even more time off the clock as he broke the beam in a blazing 26.65 seconds with all the fences still intact. Ward and Catoki retained their lead until almost the very end of the class, when Cook and Fecybelle raced around the track in a lightning-fast fault-free time of 26.15 seconds, just edging ahead of their counterparts. As the class concluded, Cook and Fecybelle still sat atop the leaderboard as the victors, and Ward and Catoki claimed the runner-up spot. Hunter Holloway (USA) moved into the third-place position riding Hays Investment Corp.’s Pepita Con Spita in a clear time of 27.84 seconds.
In the EquiJet $10,000 Junior Jumper contest earlier in the day, 19 entries showcased their efforts for a shot at the title over the winding 13-effort course. Run as a speed class, horse-and-rider pairs only had one shot to jump to the top of the leaderboard, and Gibbs best took advantage of his opportunity with a swift ride aboard Delia B. With no faults to their names, Gibbs and Delia B tripped the timers in 53.232 seconds, a lead that would hold for the remainder of the class by more than two seconds. Thursday’s class victors, Zayna Rizvi and North Run’s Quivive S Z claimed second place in a fault-free 55.335 seconds, and Sophee Steckbeck was just milliseconds off the pace to earn third position riding her own Alania in 55.404 seconds. Accumulating the greatest number of points in both EquiJet Junior Jumper classes, Rizvi and Quivive S Z were the winners of the Andrea Fuelhart Douglas Memorial Trophy.
McLain Ward and Catoki
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Run over the same course, the $10,000 Amateur Jumper class was the second chance for amateurs to jump the 1.40m fences in attempts to secure a prize money check after Thursday’s debut class for the division. Also a speed class, the contest saw slower speeds than the junior counterparts, but the standings were close, nonetheless. As the quickest of only two double-clear pairs, Curtis and Kennedy VD Rechri garnered the win with a time of 59.562 seconds, and Raleigh Hiler was not far behind on Kurt Hiler’s Cassina 64 in a clear time of 60.779 seconds. As the fastest of the 4-faulters, owner-rider Joanna Wolffer and HH Earley rounded out the top three spots. The “Skymaster” Memorial Trophy, donated in memory of Maryedith Adikes, was also earned by Curtis and Kennedy VD Rechri as the Amateur-Owner competitors with the greatest number of points from the two eligible classes.
Show jumping at the National Horse Show will continue Saturday with the $25,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper Grand Prix and the highly-anticipated $213,3000 National Horse Show Grand Prix CSI4*. Sunday will be the final day of riding and will feature the 2020 ASPCA Maclay National Championship, presented by Chansonette Farm.
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Julia Curtis and Kennedy VD Rechri
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FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Karl Cook (USA) – T & R Development $36,600 International Speed CSI4* winner
On competing at the National Horse Show:
“It is a great arena! They have really done the footing well so with a class like tonight where you are turning as sharp as we did, it feels good. The ambiance in an indoor is always different than an outdoor and I think the horses definitely feel that. Because of this year’s events, it is the only indoor show I’ll do this year, so it has been really nice.”
On the course:
“The approach to the short speed class like today, or even a jump-off, is different than how you approach a normal speed. A normal speed is longer so you have to take more into consideration, you can’t just go all out. For me, it was just getting a nice efficient first round and ride nice and accurate. I knew in the jump-off that I wasn’t going to make up time in the lines because I had to do six strides to the combination and six to the skinny oxer that was second to last. I knew that the turn to the first fence in the jump-off, the approach to the third to last, and the going to the last was where you could do it. They were kind of blind turns with a lot of angle. Fecy is super quick over the jumps, she doesn’t over jump or anything like that. She really did so well turning today and understanding what I was asking because the angel was a lot. She very well could have said ‘no!’ ”
On his plan after watching McLain Ward’s ride:
“I knew I couldn’t really change my plan because there is not really much else to do. I actually didn’t see anyone go before I went, like with my own eyes, except Rodrigo [Pessoa], who went right before me. All I had to go off of was the jump-off times I was hearing in the warm-up ring. When I heard 28-something and then 27-something seconds, and then McLain went in and got 26.6. I didn’t see any of those, but in my head I figured ‘I guess I will go for second [place] today!’ It didn’t really change my plan because I had to do the same thing anyway and just hope that that was quick enough.”
On his consistent wins:
“It feels really good because I have stayed pretty local to California for the past many years because I just didn’t feel like I was ready. You can always get experience no matter where you go, so I felt it was more efficient to stay around in California. I went to Florida earlier this year and I was happy with how it went. I didn’t go as well as this, but I didn’t expect coming out here for it to go as well as it has now. It was definitely a surprise to us! I have trained for it and I can’t be more proud of my horses and my whole team. Whenever you do well it gives you confidence and with the way this tour has gone for me, maybe I need to let it not give me too much confidence.”
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RESULTS
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults | Time
T & R Development $36,600 International Speed CSI4*:
1. Fecybelle / Karl Cook / USA / Signe Ostby / 0 / 0 | 26.15
2. Catoki / McLain Warn / USA / Marilla Van Buren, McLain Ward & Bob Russell / 0 / 0 | 26.65
3. Pepita Con Spita / Hunter Holloway / USA / Hays Investment Corp. / 0 / 0 | 27.84
4. Ariso / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Elan Farm / 0 / 0 | 28.43
5. Colestina H / Daniel Bluman / ISR / Blue Star Investments / 0 / 0 | 29.38
6. Christos / Bliss Heers / USA / Bridgeside Farm LLC / 0 / 0 | 33.53
7. Heart On Fire / Shane Sweetnam / IRL / Sweet Oak, Spy Coast & Paul Tracey / 0 / 0 | 34.60
8. Picador / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Elan Farm / 0 / 4 | 27.28
9. Bull Run’s Faustino de Tili / Kristen Vanderveen / USA / Bull Run Jumpers Five LLC / 0 / 4 | 27.35
10. Villamoura / Sydney Shulman / ISR / Jill Shulman / 0 / 4 | 28.00
11. La Caramba / Rodrigo Pessoa / BRA / Rodrigo Pessoa & Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC / 0 / 8 | 28.68
12. Aston des Etisses / Margie Engle / USA / Storm Ridge Capital & Gladewinds Partners LLC / 0 / 8 | 57.06
