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Gulf Coast Classic Mid-Week Wrap Up and Magnolia Classic Preview

Devin Ryan and Zosja*** sail over the CWD Grand Prix jump in Friday’s $10,000 Welcome Class.

Action Packed Mid-Winter Week!

Gulfport, Mississippi (February 27, 2013) – Sponsors, exhibitor parties, world class casinos, grand prix action and the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce visits – just another week at the Gulf Coast Winter Classic!

Rave Reviews!

Noted course designer Michel Vaillancourt said, “This is one of my favorite horse shows.  The grass grand prix field is what separates this circuit from any of the others.  It’s not that it stands out because it has a good grass, natural footing.  It stands out because it is one of the best grass fields in North America.  You don’t see many horse shows with natural footing nowadays. Most have moved to a synthetic footing.  But grass is really the best thing that the horses can jump on.  With all of the rain that the show experienced, the footing held up so well – I was amazed.  While the show management runs this show perfectly, the grass field really adds an entirely new dimension to it.  It’s a major plus and what separates this show from the others,” he added.

It’s Party Time at the Gulf Coast Classic!

What a week!   Mid-Winter Week kicked off with the Island View Casino Exhibitor party at the only locally-owned casino in the area and offered complimentary food, drink and entertainment to all of the Gulf Coast Winter Classic adult exhibitors, vendors as well as parents and friends of the riders.

The parties continued and on Friday, the annual Domino’s Pizza Exhibitor party welcomed all Gulf Coast Classic exhibitors with complimentary food, drink and entertainment at the Harrison County Fairground and Equestrian Center.  A great time was had by all.  “This is one of our most popular exhibitor parties at the show – everyone just loves it.  We are very appreciative of Domino’s generosity,” commented Janet McCarroll, Gulf Coast Classic Show Coordinator.

Sponsor Sightings!

Official Service Provider, Equestrian Connect’s Tamara Otus made the trip from California to visit with exhibitors and show them how Equestrian Connect can make horse showing so much easier.  And less expensive!  The Atlanta Spring Classic entries closed last week, but if competitors used the Equestrian Connect service, deadlines were extended by two days!  Competitors were able to lock in the discounted stabling rates and save themselves the added expense of rush postage.

Devin Ryan and Zosja *** Grab Some Friday Welcome Cash!

The Mid-Winter Week’s Friday’s $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Class saw a field of 22 jumpers tackle the course designed by Michel Vaillancourt.  Only seven would jump the first round clean and Devin Ryan, of Long Valley New Jersey riding Eagle Valley Partner’s Zosja***, took the win with a clear first round effort in 70.075 seconds and a second clear round in 34.424 seconds, awarding him with some Friday cash.  This was the second consecutive Welcome class Ryan has won at the Gulf Coast Winter Classics this year.   “I love this horse show,” said Ryan. “You get great competition, world class designers and a great facility,” he added.

In second place was Trapp O’Neal of Magnolia, Texas riding TKO Partnership’s Capitano in a first round clear effort in 72.515 seconds and a clean second round in a time of 36.981 seconds. Third place finisher was Coraldo, owned and ridden by Alison Lindsay of Southlake, Texas. The pair finished the first round clean with a time of 69.843 seconds and although they had four faults in their second round, they had the fastest second round time of 33.357 seconds.  Fourth place was awarded to Vernon G, owned and ridden by Kelsey Van Ackeren of Austin, Texas, who jumped the first round clean in a time of 72.909 seconds and their second round in a time of 39.818 seconds, although they had four jump faults. Fifth through seventh places all had clear first rounds but elected not to participate in the second round.  Fifth place went to Obelix, owned by DDM Equestrian, LLC and ridden by Bob Brawley of Flower Mound, Texas, who jumped a clean first round in 70.286 seconds. Sixth place went to Cookie Monster, owned by Wilhelm Genn and ridden by Ryan Genn of Lebanon, Ohio. The pair jumped the first round clean in a time of 73.138 seconds. Seventh place went to Palim Palim, owned by Nancy Gooding and ridden by Wilhelm Genn, of Lebanon Ohio, in clean first round time of 70.286 seconds.  Eighth place was awarded to Bon Giorno, owned by Showcase 81 LLC and ridden by Bryn Sadler of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who jumped the first round in a fast time of 66.952 seconds, but accumulated four jump faults.  Ninth was awarded to Skymiles, owned by Loretta Patterson and ridden by Holly Shepherd of Great Bay, Alabama, who rode the first round in a time of 71.443 seconds and had four jump faults.  Tenth was awarded to Roman Saluut, owned and ridden by Devin Ryan, who finished their first round in a time of 69.163 seconds and four jump faults.  Ryan circled back with his own Calissandro to collect the eleventh place ribbon after riding the first round in a time of 71.443 seconds and four jump faults, and Theo Genn rode Bridelbourne Stables LLC’s Winchester to the twelfth place spot with a time of 72.339 seconds and four jump faults.

Holly Shepherd pilots Belvedere over a fence during the $2,500 USHJA Hunter Derby Friday. Flashpoint Photography
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Holly Shepherd pilots Belvedere over a fence during the $2,500 USHJA Hunter Derby Friday. Flashpoint Photography

Belvedere and Holly Shepherd Take the Derby Win!

Belvedere, owned by Ellen Herrington, and ridden by Holly Shepherd of Grand Bay Alabama, found their way to the winner’s circle in Friday’s $2,500 USHJA Hunter Derby.  Curtain Call, owned by Shannon Reid and ridden by Courtney Calcagni of Lantana, Texas, secured second place, while Helen Gilbert’s Bonfire, ridden by Shannon Hicks of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, finished in third.  Fourth place was awarded to Providence, owned by Mary Keevil and ridden by Catherine Jackson of McLean, Virginia.  Fifth place went to Daphne, owned by Barbara Herberich and ridden by Scott Petrie of Medina, Ohio.  Sixth place was awarded to Wahlberg, owned and ridden by Nicole White of Moorestown, New Jersey.  Seventh place went to Iceberg, owned by Kim Segal and ridden by Jordan Siegel of Flower Mound, Texas. Fells Point, owned by Rodney and Meredith Bross of Monkton, Maryland, finished eighth, and Kalifornia, owned and ridden by Heather Zuber of Zionsville, Indiana, finished in ninth.  Outsider, owned by Caves Farm, LLC and ridden by Katie Cooper of Owings Mill, Maryland, finished in tenth place, while Caracas, owned and ridden by Mary Claire Ray of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, finished in eleventh.  Subtitle, owned and ridden by Meredith Bross, wrapped the class up with the twelfth position.

On Deck

The Gulf Coast Classic Company welcomes Merial, makers of UlcerGard, to its Magnolia Week.  They have a special offer this week so make sure to stop by their booth and see what it’s all about and thank them for their support.

Thursday, the Gulf Coast Classic Company welcomes Chronicle of the Horse to the show grounds.  Friday afternoon, the complimentary luncheon will be Derby ringside while Friday night features a Gulf Coast Classic “Crawfish Boil” party sponsored by Harrison County, Mississippi complete with shrimp, crawfish and a “Swamp Hop” band (New Orleans music with a “kick”) and all of your Gulf Coast favorites.  All are welcome to attend this great exhibitor party at the County Farm Hurricane Shelter around the corner from the show starting at 6 pm.

Sponsor CWD, makers of fine French custom saddles, will be sponsoring this week’s $35,000 CWD Grand Prix on Sunday.  And CWD plans to celebrate!  Stop by the CWD booth on your way back from the ringside action for the CWD Post Prix party at the CWD booth.  Have a beer, grab some snacks, play some games and enjoy your Sunday.  Robin from CWD looks forward to seeing you!

Have you seen the news?  Sidelines Magazine and the Gulf Coast Classic Company have partnered on a special contest to walk the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix scheduled for March 10 with a top grand prix rider.  It’s easy to enter: send in a picture of you and your horse on the sidelines. Sidelines will post the picture on their Facebook page and Classic Company will too. Sidelines will select and announce the winner prior to the March 10 grand prix. Good luck to all!

Make sure to book your VIP table for this weekend. For only $275 patrons are treated to a table seating eight with lunch for Friday’s $10,000 Welcome Class and for Sunday’s $35,000 CWD Grand Prix with a table seating eight, complimentary champagne and a first-class catered meal from one of the area’s fine restaurants. This week’s VIP restaurant is local favorite, Back Bay Restaurant, known for their seafood and creole cuisine. They will be serving lunch from 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm.  Individual tickets are also available, so be sure to stop in the office today and reserve your spot for the best ringside seats, food and champagne on the show grounds!

The Gulf Coast Winter Classic in Gulfport, is where the fun will be this winter, so don’t miss it!  Mardi Gras in neighboring New Orleans ended a couple of weeks ago, but that festive atmosphere spills onto the show grounds. With its close proximity to the Gulf Coast beaches, class offerings, prize money, and social scene, the Gulf Coast Classic Company’s Gulfport shows are a must on everyone’s show list.  The show will feature weekly $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derbies, the $10,000 International Hunter Derby Week V and a weekly Grand Prix to name a few highlights.  The grand prix schedule continues this Sunday with the $35,000 CWD Grand Prix on March 3 and the circuit grand finale, the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix, scheduled for March 10.

Anyone who has shown with the Classic Company knows what sets them apart from the rest:  Classic Shows are FUN!  And, this year the fun continues at the Gulfport show with complimentary exhibitor parties, breakfasts, luncheons and office snacks to make your showing experience the best ever.

Classic Company never charges a scratch or add fee for those last minute adds and scratches, so if you haven’t entered yet, go to the prize list or simply click on Equestrian Connect to fill out your entry form and stabling requests.

Equestrian Connect is Classic Company’s Official Service Provider and allows exhibitors to store their data one time, on the web, and then use that data to automatically fill out hunter/jumper entry forms across the country.  The service offers a free 45 day trial period for new members.  At the conclusion of the trial period, Equestrian Connect offers an annual subscription, or a “pay as you go” service.    The service allows exhibitors to save both time and money.  This is the one-minute online entry service that will help you get your entries in on time and you to the show!

So, whether you are a seasoned veteran or a novice looking for a positive show experience, look to the Gulf Coast Classic shows in Gulfport, and let the good times roll!

The Classic Company is a USHJA’s Members Choice Award winner, recognized for producing top quality show jumping events in the United States.  For more information on Classic Company and its exhibitor-friendly, top quality hunter jumper events, please visit them at www.ClassicCompany.com or call them at 843-768-5503.

All sponsorship, marketing and press inquiries should be directed to Lisa Engel, Sponsorship, Marketing and Public Relations Director at classicsponsorship@gmail.com.  All program advertising should be directed to Nate Poliquin, Program Sales Representative at classicshowads@yahoo.com.

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

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