Ryan Genn following his victory aboard Umberto. Photo by Emily Riden.
Wayne, IL – September 14, 2014 – Perfect weather, a newly remodeled Grand Prix Ring and a beautiful course set the stage for another great show day at the Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse Show at Lamplight Equestrian Center. The headline event for the day was the $30,000 WeatherTech Grand Prix presented by WeatherTech.com.
Hector Loyola designed the course to test the twenty-four competing horse and rider combinations. The course used every inch of the Grand Prix Ring, weaving from one side to the other and down to the very end. A triple combination to the half wall-half plank Chicago Equestrian jump at the end of the course seemed to be the true test for most horses. Passing all the tests with flying colors to earn the victory was Ryan Genn of Lebanon, OH aboard Umberto.
Brother Theo Genn was the first of eight to attempt the jump off on Paradox, owned by Thomas Bruinsma of Ada, MI. The youngest Genn set the bar high with a clear round and a time of 45.259 seconds.
Next to take on the jump off track were Lisa Goldman and Centurion B, known for their speedy jump-offs. The pair pulled a rail at the WeatherTech jump, ending up with 4 faults and a time of 45.366 seconds.
Fourteen-year-old Giavanna Rinaldi of Wayne, IL, in her first Grand Prix attempt, pulled the plank at the Chicago Equestrian jump but put in a good time of 44.706 seconds on GPS Brilliant Disguise. The pair placed third in their first Welcome Stake earlier in the week.
Putting in a fast time of 44.342 seconds was Athena and Kelsey Thatcher of Bluffdale, UT, but they unfortunately pulled a rail on the out of the combination for four faults.
Taking another turn was Theo Genn on his second mount, Palim Palim owned by Nancy Gooding of Larkspur, CO. Taking his time in hopes of adding another clean round to the list, Genn had a slower time of 48.562 seconds, but he pulled a rail as he angled the second to last jump.
Happy Z with Wilhelm Genn is a Chicago favorite with long record of wins. Returning for the jump-off Wilhelm Genn now had a chance to take over the lead from son, Theo and Paradox. Wilhelm Genn set another fast time with 44.354 seconds, but he had two rails for eight faults.
It was then back to Ryan Genn, who would not be outdone with his mount Umberto, owned by North Star of East Aurora, NY. Ryan managed to one-up brother Theo with the only other clear round and a faster time of 44.065 seconds.
“Theo’s horse doesn’t like to turn left, and my horse turns amazingly so I just flew around. My horse is like a little motorcycle so I knew I had him in the left hand turns,” said Ryan Genn.
In usual fashion as the last one to jump off, Lisa Goldman and Zacantos Z put in a very quick round for the fastest time of the class in 43.945 seconds, but they pulled a plank at the Chicago Equestrian jump. The round landed her in the third place slot, and she also took sixth on Centurion B.
The Genn family proudly took home first, second, sixth and seventh place, but the win today was more than that for the group. The boys’ grandfather passed away just a few days ago, and the three decided they wanted to try to win one for the grandpa they were so close to – and they did.
The family has a program for getting multiple horses organized and ready for their posted order of go. Having enough staff is key so the next horses can be brought down, and each rider has a jump setter so they can warm up at their own pace.
“It’s a lot of fun to compete against each other,” Ryan said. “We’re really competitive, but it doesn’t get to the point where someone gets mad. I definitely wanted to beat Theo when I went in there, but I would have been just as happy if he would’ve come right behind me and beat me. We want each other to do their best.”
“We’re all on the same team,” remarked Wilhelm. “We’re happy for each other but individually we all like to win. We’re a pretty competitive family.”
The boys are eager to learn and improve and are hard workers.
“When you lose that you lose your edge. I’m very proud of them,” said Wilhelm, “especially today.”
$5,000 Marshall and Sterling Children’s/Adult Jumper Championship
Another of the Championship classes held at the Showplace Fall Classic was the $5,000 Marshall and Sterling Children’s/Adult Jumper Championship held in the Grand Prix ring and sponsored by Luxmax USA and the Scarnechia Family. Luxmax USA is a manufacturer of LED video displays for architecture and concerts. The company has produced the background screen displays for such groups as Maroon 5, Keith Urban, The Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Michael Jackson and Beyonce’s Superbowl halftime show. Vice President of the company, Robert Scarnechia, has two daughters, Sarah and Emily, who ride with Lisa and Mary Goldman, and he decided to get involved.
“I’m really impressed with the professionalism of the show and the facility is amazing,” said Scarnechia. “I think our company and our sponsorship can do some good here.”
Daughter Sarah recently attended the Children’s Adult Jumper Championships in Saugerties, NY. The Children’s team from Illinois was guided by Chef Mary Goldman and included team members Caelinn Leahy, Louisa Brackett, Sarah Scarnechia and Grace Knox. The team won the gold. Scarnechia also placed third today in the Marshall and Sterling Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic today.
Today, thirty-eight horse and rider combinations tackled the thirteen jump course for the M&S Children’s/ Adult Jumper Classic Championship. The course included a triple combination midway through and oxers, which allowed for turning and galloping. The jump off also demanded turning and galloping with an additional oxer-vertical combination. The course produced eight double clear rounds, but one rider clearly rose above the rest. Grace Knox, 14, of North Barrington, IL and Rapidash set a speedy time of 35.743 seconds for the win. Knox had an interesting dismount at the end of the course, thankfully just after going through the timers.
“I tried to turn inside the jump on the landing to shut the timers off faster, but he turned really quickly and I didn’t,” laughed Knox. “He really tried hard. I wasn’t mad at all.”
Knox was also part of the Gold Medal Team at the Championships in Saugerties and also placed third in the individual competition. She plans to show in Ocala this winter and complete online school.
Competition continues tomorrow with the anticipated Illinois Hunter Jumper Association Medal Finals and more Marshall and Sterling Championships. For more results, please visit www.showplaceproductions.com.
Brenda Mueller for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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