Category Archives: Events

Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jacksonville Winter Series, Show Jumping

Tryon Fall Classic and Other Classic Co. Updates

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Just some updates and reminders.  The 21st Annual Tryon Fall Classic is three weeks away at Harmond Field, Sept. 23-25.  The highlight of the show will again be the Tri State Age Group Equitation Finals.  The top ten riders from the NCHJA, SCHJA and GHJA in 11 and Under, 12-14 and 15-17 will compete for a silver trophy for each age group.  A list of qualified riders is on our website home page at www.ClassicCompany.com and invitations have been mailed.  If you think you have qualified and are not on the list, please call Tissy at our home office.  By moving the show from FENCE, we have reduced the costs of production and we have lowered the stall and entry fees from last year.  We have also added several opportunity classes that do not require membership to either USEF or USHJA to compete.  For those of you who have not competed at Harmond Field, you will be very impressed by the stabling and footing in the show rings.  Carol and I are looking forward to seeing you at our annual event.  Please call our office for reservations: 843 768 5503.

The Atlanta Fall Classic I & II, Nov. 9-20, will have many new classes this year along with the annual finals for NCE and NHJL.  Qualified riders for NCE will be posted soon on our website.

We are well into the planning for the winter shows: Jacksonville Jan. 11-29, Pensacola Jan. 11-29.  Both circuits will offer USEF AA rated hunters and $25,000 Grand Prix classes each week.  More details on both will be available soon.

See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX:  (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311  Johns Island  SC 29457

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS

Pfizer Million Weekend Prepares to Make History as Well as Honor It

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©ESI Photography. West Point Cadets present the American Flag in the background of the awards for the first ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson last year.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 30, 2011) — The purpose of Pfizer Million Weekend will be two-fold this year as the world’s richest day in show jumping also falls on the ten-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. While handing out the biggest purses that the sport of show jumping has ever seen, HITS will also take time to remember the heroes of September 11, 2001.

Following the pinning of the first ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final Champion, HITS will welcome the cadets of the West Point Military Academy Color Guard and Equestrian Team to escort the American Flag into the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium. A group of five West Point cadets will set the mood to the tune of the National Anthem as riders, spectators, and HITS staff alike take a moment to remember the events of the 2001 attacks.

“Many of the cadets who now attend West Point are doing it because of what happened that day,” said Sherry Cashman, coach of the West Point Equestrian Team. “It is a meaningful way for them to be honored for that as well as have the chance to participate in an event of this caliber.”

The West Point cadets will be joined, this year, by local servicemen and women, visiting the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds as honored guests. Uniformed fire, police and ambulance personnel from Saugerties and the surrounding region will be thanked and celebrated as they march alongside the West Point Cadets into the Grand Prix stadium.

Just a car-ride away from lower Manhattan, emergency service organizations in the Hudson Valley region heard the call for help on September 11, 2001. Many local groups donated time, manpower, supplies and equipment to the rescue and rebuilding efforts.

Continue reading Pfizer Million Weekend Prepares to Make History as Well as Honor It →

Auctions, Benefits, Breeds, Contributors/Press, Racing

Old Friends Day at River Downs Honors Appygolucky

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GEORGETOWN, KY – AUGUST 30, 2011 – Monday, Sept. 5 is Old Friends Day at River Downs racetrack in Cincinnati, OH.

Join us for an exciting day of racing as River Downs celebrates the careers of Ohio millionaire Catlaunch and recently retired fan favorite Eagle Time. The benefit will raise money for Old Friends, the Thoroughbred Retirement Facility in Georgetown, KY.

In addition to the second running of the “Old Friends” race, the event, held from 11 AM – 5 PM, will feature a silent auction of select racing memorabilia. Featured items include a Moneigh by Old Friends retiree Danthebluegrassman and other unique collectibles. All proceeds will benefit Old Friends.

While at the track fans are invited to stop by the Old Friends booth and learn more about the organization and its many retired equine athletes.

The Old Friends benefit at River Downs began last year as a tribute to Appygolucky, an Old Friends retiree who was once considered the King of the Claimers at the River Downs. He also set the track record for a mile at Beulah Park, which still stands.

Appy passed away in 2009, but his legacy of helping fellow claiming horses lives on.

For additional information contact Vivien Morrison at val226@aol.com.

About Old Friends
Old Friends is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that cares for more than 100 retired racehorses.  Its Dream Chase Farm, located in Georgetown, KY, is open to tourists daily by appointment. Old Friends also has a satellite facility in Greenfield Center, New York, Old Friends at Cabin Creek: The Bobby Frankel Division, which is also open to visitors. For more information on tours, reservations at the Old Friends B&B, or to make a donation, contact the main farm at (502) 863-1775 or see their website at www.oldfriendsequine.org.

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Dressage Rider Caroline Roffman Takes Three for Three Tri-Colored Ribbons at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships

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Caroline Roffman riding Bon Chance at the 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships. (Photo compliments of PhelpsPhotos.com)

Wayne, IL (August 30, 2011) – On the same weekend that Hurricane Irene battered its way up the East Coast, dressage rider Caroline Roffman took the 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships at the Lamplight Equestrian Center by storm. Roffman, of Wellington, Florida, rode away with three Reserve Championships aboard San City, Bon Chance, and Pie, once again solidifying her place in the dressage world as a successful trainer and competitor.

“San City was Reserve Champion in the Five-Year-Old division, Bon Chance tied for the Championship in the Six-Year-Olds, although because it is an American show the tie breaker goes to the American horse, and Pie finished as Reserve Champion in the Developing Horse Championships,” Roffman said. “What a weekend!”

Roffman was especially pleased with San City, a Hanoverian eventing stallion owned by Linda Crabtree, who made history in the Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test when he earned an 89% and a comment of “Wow” from judge Linda Zang.

“On the first day San City was amazing and he went above and beyond what he had ever done before,” Roffman said. “He really couldn’t have done any better. His 89% score was the highest ever given in the U.S. He was a little tired the second day, but I am still so proud of him.”

Continue reading Dressage Rider Caroline Roffman Takes Three for Three Tri-Colored Ribbons at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships →

Awards, Breeds, Community/Charity, Products/Services, WHIN, Wild Horse Sources

WHINNY Awards to Honor Animal Rights Advocate Madeleine Pickens

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The Women’s Horse Industry Network has announced that Madeleine Pickens has been selected to receive a WHINNY award. The awards dinner will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2011 at the Radisson Hotel Opryland. It will be videotaped as part of a one hour special on HRTV.

“We are very happy to present this award to Madeleine. This woman not only works hard to help animals and horses but has put her money where her boots are and where her passion lives. People like Madeleine deserve to be recognized and applauded for their efforts.  We will do everything we can to help promote her and her efforts.  It definitely will be my pleasure to hand her this award,” states WHIN’s Executive Director, Catherine Masters.

Animal rights advocate Madeleine Pickens started her career in horse racing in 1983, a passion she shared with her late husband and Gulfstream Aerospace founder, Allen E. Paulson. They achieved enormous success in racing and had a total of 800 horses, including breeding and racing World Champion and U.S. Hall of Fame inductee, Cigar. They achieved much esteem for their successes racing many champion Thoroughbreds, breeding many brood mares, and creating three successful farms from the ground up. Together, they owned a breaking and training farm at Ocala and a breeding farm at Brookside North in Kentucky where many of their champions were raised. They also had one more facility in California. Madeleine managed all the business aspects, farm decisions, and race decisions for the entire operation. The Paulsons owned more than 115 winners of graded stakes races. To this day, they still hold the record for the leader of the most ‘Breeder’s Cup’ champion horses and earnings.

Today, she is still breeding a few racehorses, but adamantly opposes horse slaughter and the use of the drugs in these animals. Until that is cleared up, she won’t ever participate in the race world like she had once been.

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Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, USEA

Richland Park CIC3* Win Boosts Davidson to Top of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Leaderboard

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Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM. StockImageServices Photo

Mere seconds played a huge role in the final outcome of this year’s Richland Park CIC3* (Richland, Michigan), one of the final legs of the $20,000 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series.

Buck Davidson, riding Ballynoe Castle RM, and Jennie Brannigan, aboard Cambalda, had been neck-and-neck all weekend, jostling for a top position. The two riders began the event tied for second with 43.3, but after cross-country day, Davidson and ‘Reggie’ finished double-clear just a second under the optimum time over Ian Stark’s challenging course; Brannigan and ‘Ping’ also finished fault-free but were seven seconds under the optimum time. Both moved into a tie for the lead after overnight leader Phillip Dutton and Ben picked up a few time faults; they headed into show jumping Sunday morning knowing how incredibly close the standings were.

Final Results

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Alltech National Horse Welcomes Sasco Creek Farm and Weeks Family as $50,000 Welcome Speed Sponsor

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Lexington, KY – August 29, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, announced today that Sasco Creek Farm and the Weeks family have graciously agreed to join forces with this year’s event as sponsors of the $50,000 Sasco Farm Welcome Speed Stake, presented by Mr. & Mrs. William H. Weeks and family.

The Alltech National Horse Show CSI-W 4* will be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, site of last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

The $50,000 Sasco Creek Farm Welcome Speed Stake is the first class in an Open Jumper division that features fabulous prize money for the inaugural event, including the Saturday night main event, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Shoe Grand Prix.

As owner Bill Weeks points out, Sasco Creek Farm, located in Connecticut and also in Wellington, Florida, was purchased as the home base for his family of equestrian competitors, daughters Alexa and Whitney and wife, Olivia Weeks. “We built the barn for the girls so they could learn to take care of their own horses and train at home,” he said. “My wife and daughters grew up riding and over time I also fell in love with the sport.”

Continue reading Alltech National Horse Welcomes Sasco Creek Farm and Weeks Family as $50,000 Welcome Speed Sponsor →

Breeds, Championships, Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord Earn Third Consecutive Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship

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Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord. Photo: Jen Corcoran/E Motion

Louisville, Kentucky – It’s an annual tradition in Louisville. Champions are crowned, history is made, dreams come true, and sterling silver trophies glisten under the lights of Freedom Hall. American Saddlebred Horses, Roadster Horses and Hackney and Harness Ponies compete to be called a World’s Champion, a World’s Champion of Champion, or the most desired title: a World’s Grand Champion.

On Saturday, it was a three-peat triumph for rider/trainer Merrill Murray, who celebrated his third – and final – $100,000 Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship victory atop the American Saddlebred gelding Courageous Lord.

The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled on Stake Night – the final night of the weeklong event – for Courageous Lord, clearly the fan favorite. After a crowd rousing victory pass, Murray thanked God, and his wife, blacksmiths, chiropractor, vet, farm owners, and fans of Courageous Lord. And mentioned the ride was no longer his.

The 10-year-old chestnut, trained by Murray, was sold to Peter and Lynn Via of Fox Grape Farms about a month ago. Murray announced after his grand performance, which included a work off, the ride now belongs to Dr. Owen Weaver.

In other stakes, Real Action, ridden by Peter Cowart, won the Three-Gaited Grand Championship, and Gabe Deknatel and The Daily Lottery repeated as champions in the Amateur Five-Gaited Championship.

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Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

One Year to Go to 2012 London Paralympic Games

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Marco Alves at the 2008 Paralympic Games where he won Brazil’s first Paralympic equestrian medal

Lausanne (SUI), 29 August 2011 – Today, 29 August 2011, marks the one-year countdown to next year’s Paralympic Games. A record number of 4,200 athletes from 150 countries are set to convene in London (GBR) between 29 August and 9 September 2012 and compete in 503 events in 21 sports.

For the XIV Paralympic Games and the fifth appearance of Para-Dressage on the programme – equestrian sport made its Paralympic debut at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996 – there could not be a more fitting host nation. Great Britain has been a Para-Dressage power house when it comes to Paralympic, World and European events, taking team gold at every turn and pushing the level and quality of the sport to greater heights.

“We count ourselves as one of the luckiest International Federations in the family and feel our sport is coming home with the 2012 Paralympic Games, as Great Britain has such a strong tradition of equestrianism and para-equestrianism,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya commented. “The location of the equestrian events in Greenwich Park means we are at the heart of the Games and we are very proud to be given centre stage. We are really looking forward to the event and will be counting the days to what will be glorious Games.”

Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations had made the trip to Atlanta, GA (USA) to compete on borrowed horses in the first Paralympic competition in 1996. In 2008 the number of competitors had increased to 78 and the number of nations had nearly doubled; the horses, no longer borrowed, flew in from all corners of the globe.

Continue reading One Year to Go to 2012 London Paralympic Games →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Yann Candele Takes Over Hagyard Challenge Series Lead

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Yann Candele and Azzaro won the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, and steady results have earned the rider the lead in the Hagyard Challenge Series standings. Photo: Heather Bellock/PMG

Lexington, KY – August 29, 2011 – Canada’s Yann Candele has taken over the lead in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series after earning strong finishes with four mounts over the last two weeks during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and the KHJA Horse Show. Two weeks ago, Candele took home the winning prize aboard Azzaro during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and also placed fifth and sixth. During the KHJA Horse Show, Candle placed sixth, ninth, and eleventh in the prestigious class to earn valuable points towards the $45,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

McLain Ward, who claimed the first and second place honors in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show aboard Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve and Vocas, currently holds the second place position. Young rider Christina Kelly placed third in Thursday’s event aboard Creata Van Ten Biesen and her steady results throughout the series have now earned her enough points to be tied for third place in the standings with Ian Millar. During the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Millar showed Instyle and Star Power to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, during both of the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classics.

The Hagyard Challenge Series features seven show jumping events at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $45,000 Leading Rider Award, presented after the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier held on September 23, 2011, during the Kentucky National Horse Show.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: presenting sponsor Pfizer Animal Health, Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra 200, Wyatt Equine Law Group, Johnson Horse Transportation, Chase, and J. P. Morgan.

Continue reading Yann Candele Takes Over Hagyard Challenge Series Lead →