Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2.

Lexington, KY – July 28, 2013 – As the first week of competition at the Kentucky Summer Series concluded, it was Haley Gassel who stepped into the center of the Rolex Stadium to claim her winning prize for the $5,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Amateur-Owner Classic, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. The talented young rider piloted Quite Dark 2 to the lone double clear effort to capture the victory. In the $7,500 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Junior Jumper Classic sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Mexico’s Juan Pablo Gaspar and his lucky mount Shamrock dashed through the finish to best a seven-horse jump-off.

For today’s High Amateur-Owner and Junior Classics, Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England set a track mimicking’s last night grand prix. The test included an open water, a vertical-vertical double combination, and the triple bar-oxer-vertical triple combination. For the jump-off, riders had to show over a wide oxer and roll-back to a vertical before turning to a new oxer and jumping the last two parts of the triple combination. Then they continued over a single oxer, rolling back to another vertical with a bending line to an oxer and finishing over a single vertical just passed the gate.

Only four horse and rider combinations managed to best the course and advance to the tiebreaker during the High Amateur-Owner Classic. Friday’s winners Haley Schaufeld of Leesburg, VA, and Harley 86 were the first to return. They had the pace, but they made an error coming across the single to the single oxer after the combination. Their four-faults in a time of 37.810 seconds would hold up for second place.

Chelsea Moss of Medford, NJ, attempted to catch Schaufeld’s time with Dolce D’ive Z, but after rolling back to the first vertical they lowered the height of the new oxer, incurring four faults as well in a time of 41.305 seconds, which was good enough for third place.

Haley Gassel, of Lenoir City, TN, was only focused on one thing with Quite Dark 2: going double clear. Although the pair had a conservative pace as they made their way through the track, the scopey horse left each rail in place, tripping the timers at 44.620 seconds.

Although Gassel had left the door open for the final competitors, Wilton Porter of Bartonville, TX, and Neolisto Van Het Mierenhof, they were unable to take advantage of the opportunity. The win was almost in their grasp, but a miscalculation to the final oxer sent rails flying, and they finished in fourth place with a time of 45.109 seconds, sealing Gassel’s victory.

“Quite Dark 2 is a little bit slower. I try to go double clean before I think about the pace, and double clean won today,” said Gassel. “The course was definitely a little bit technical. Some of the lines walked on the half stride, but it was doable. My horse is used to a big German guy, so he takes a lot of leg and a little hand to keep him up and going forward. If he gets too low that’s when he has the rails. If you ride him right he won’t touch the rails.”

Gassel imported Quite Dark 2 from Germany in February, and the college junior is now focused on the 2014 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC). She noted, “He originally was my backup horse, but now he is my number one horse. He’s definitely capable of doing it. I plan to go to Midway College for Equine Rehabilitation after Young Riders.”

Today’s winner in the Junior Jumper Classic just finished competing in the NAJYRC last week for Mexico, where he finished seventh individually. Today though, all the luck was on Juan Pablo Gaspar’s side with talented mount Shamrock. Seven horse and rider combinations returned to the Rolex Stadium to compete over the short course, but only three could leave the rails intact a second time.

The first to do so was Friday’s winner and NAJYRC Individual Junior Silver medalist Katherine Strauss of Southampton, NY, with her veteran partner Chellando Z. They quickly made their way through the course, jumping each fence with room to spare and clocking in at 39.252 seconds.

Gaspar was not willing to let Strauss have the victory today though. He picked up a very quick pace and spun through each of the tight turns, never touching a rail and dashing across the finish line in 38.043 seconds, a full second faster. Strauss attempted to catching Gasper with her second mount, Capacity, and although they were clear she fell short of the time again in 40.289 seconds. Capacity and Chellando Z would take home third and second, respectively, but the blue ribbon went to Gaspar and Shamrock.

“I am very happy, and I thank my horse,” smiled Gaspar. “I think the jump-off was really good, very competitive. Shamrock is a little bit strong sometimes, but I’ve had only him six times, so I am very happy with him.”

Gaspar continued, “I think he is my grand prix horse now. Next week I am looking to do the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and if he jumps really well then hopefully the grand prix as well.”

Earlier in the day, Lizzie Van Der Walde took home both first and second place competing the NAL/WIHS Low Junior Jumper Classic, sponsored by Johnson Horse Transportation. She qualified for the jump-off with her first mount Zibon 2, owned by 2VR Showjumpers of Morriston, FL, setting a clear time to beat of 40. 397 seconds. When Van Der Walde entered the ring with her second mount Zadermus, owned by Dasilva Investments of Ann Arbor, MI, though, there was no stopping them. They left all the fences in place and blazed through the timers in 37.003 seconds, a winning time by three seconds. The third place award went to Andre Mershad and Laqueria, owned by Juan Ortiz of Wellington, FL, while Lucas Porter of Bartonville, TX, and Patriot placed fourth, each producing double clear rounds as well.

“I thought both horses jumped really well,” expressed Van Der Walde. “Zadermus is a little faster naturally; he’s quick-footed. He’s really hot, so it took a little while to get used to him, but we’ve clicked now. He’s really forward and he turns really well, so in the jump-offs you can get him to the long distance and he’ll leave them all up.”

Van Der Walde trains with grand prix rider Aaron Vale, and always enjoys coming to the Kentucky Horse Shows. “I love Kentucky; it’s one of my favorite shows that we come to all year,” she stated. I love the competition and the classes are big enough to be challenging. It’s a really nice show.”

The first class of the day was the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. There were three riders that produced double clear efforts, but a winning time meant Kenzie Donovan of River Hills, WI, and Colando rode home with the blue ribbon. Anne Gardner of Charlotte, NC, and Cassandra Z were just one second shy of the lead for second place, while Cindy Fuller and Ingaletta, owned by Full Stride Farm of Cumming, GA placed third.

Today marks the conclusion of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, but the Kentucky Summer Classic will get underway on Tuesday. The highlight events in the Rolex Stadium will include the fifth $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

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