Wellington, FL – February 11, 2013 – The city of Gulfport, MS, was alive with hunter action as the Gulf Coast Premier I Horse Show got underway last week, but it was the chestnut Warmblood owned by Margaret Duprey’s Cherry Knoll Farm that stole the limelight. With Katie Cooper in the irons, Sandlot caught the judges’ eyes and was awarded the Pre-Green Hunter Championship.
Wednesday morning welcomed riders to the opening day with a brisk chill, as Katie Cooper entered the hunter arena at the Gulf Coast Premier I with Duprey’s talented 6-year-old mount. The pair has been working together since spring of 2012, with Cooper training out of Caves Farm in Owings Mills, MD. They captured the rosette tricolor at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series in 2012 in the Pre-Greens, falling just a few points behind professional hunter rider Louise Serio.
The Gulf Coast Premier may have been a change of scenery, but the new venue only upped the game for Cooper and Sandlot. They dominated the Pre-Green Hunter division riding to two first place ribbons and two second place ribbons over fences. After earning the fourth place finish in the under saddle, Cooper clinched the winning title in the Adequan Pre-Green Hunter Classic. Sandlot stood center ring as the duo posed for the presentation shot.
“This was his first real outing for 2013,” Cooper beamed. “He is a very lightly shown horse, but he is an exceptional jumper. He is in his second year of competing in the Pre-Greens, but instead of putting him in the First Years, we decided to develop him slowly.”
Cooper continued, “He was a delight to ride this week, and his jump is exceptional – very scopey, soft and naturally correct. He definitely has the potential to be a competitive horse, but we want to make sure that he is developing correctly. He is really absorbing everything from last year, he is much more confident and has so much potential. The courses were inviting and straightforward, it was the perfect design for him. He really stepped up and did a great job.”
Owner Margaret Duprey of Cherry Knoll Farm remarked, “I am thrilled to see a young horse with such potential excelling. He has been doing wonderfully with Katie, and he is sure to have a bright future.”
Cooper will continue to compete with the gelding through Gulf Coast, and hopes to reach their ultimate goal of showing in Kentucky in the spring and summer. If their record continues to stay as consistent and strong as this past week, there is no doubt that they will prove themselves unstoppable. For more information on Cherry Knoll Farm, Inc. please visit http://www.cherryknollfarminc.com/.
Kendall Bierer for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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