Molly Sewell and EL Raymond. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography.
Lexington, KY – June 27, 2014 – As EL Raymond finished his first round course in today’s $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, Leslie Campbell could be spotted ringside doing a happy dance and cheering enthusiastically. With Molly Sewell in the irons, her horse had just turned in a beautiful round that would shoot him to the top of the leader board, where he would remain untouched through both rounds of the derby.
EL Raymond’s first round score of 92 was closely contended by another mount ridden by Sewell, Joe Cool, owned by Emery Hanson. Sewell and Joe Cool earned a first round score of 91, putting Sewell in both the first and second place position to return for the handy round.
Following Sewell’s pattern of coming back for the handy round on two consecutively ranked horses was Steve Heinecke. He returned in the third place spot aboard Jane Olsen Fisher’s Swag and in the fourth place position aboard Fisher’s So Lucky. Rounding out the top five returners were Christopher Payne and previous Hallway Feeds Derby winner, Harlan, owned by Susan Moriconi.
With Payne returning multiple mounts, Heinecke and So Lucky stepped up in the order as the first of the top five ranking riders to come back to compete over the Joseph Carnicom designed handy course. Their trip quickly bumped them to the lead with a score from the judges of 86 plus four high option bonus points for a second round total of 90 and a grand total of 179.
That score would end up holding up for the second place position, only being overtaken by Payne and Harlan and Sewell and EL Raymond. Payne and Harlan turned in the best performance of the second round with a judges’ score of 88.50, coupled with four high option bonus points for a 92.50 total. Combined with their first round score of 87 they would finish on 179.50, just edging out Heinecke for the second place honor.
Sewell and EL Raymond were the last to return and they duplicated their first round performance with a second 92 score, giving them a 184 score overall and clinching the victory.
“He’s pretty much perfect. I will tell you what though – he knows when it means something,” Sewell said of ‘Raymond.’ “He really rises to the occasion. I’ve done him in a couple derbies, and he loves the handy rounds. It gets his attention, and he tries five times harder than he normally does, which is already giving 100 percent.”
The 17-year-old Warmblood, whose name, EL Raymond, actually stands for ‘Everybody Loves Raymond,’ has lived up to that name ten-fold throughout his longstanding career.
“He’s just kind of a go-to guy. You always can count on him, and it’s a pleasure to ride him,” Sewell said. “I ride a lot of young horses, and they aren’t always consistent. It’s kind of a joke in the barn; I always ask Leslie every time that she comes back from riding him how he was. She’s always like, ‘Really, you have to ask me? He was perfect.’ He always is perfect. Everybody loves Raymond. I think that he has the biggest fan club at every horse show.”
A large part of that fan club base can be attributed to the fact that Raymond was leased out to a number of riders before finding his forever home with Leslie Campbell and Over the Hill Farm three years ago.
“He’s been in a lot of different barns. He was a lease horse for a long time,” Sewell said. “Any time we go to a horse show, people come up to him and hug him and kiss him and say ‘We love this horse!”
In addition to loving Raymond, Campbell and Sewell also love being in Kentucky at competing at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following his success today, EL Raymond will most likely return for more of the Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby Series. The seven-part series, presented by Hallway Feeds, offers series end cash prizes totaling $15,000 to the leading riders throughout the year.
Today marks the final day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, but the series continues next week with the Kentucky Summer Classic, which kicks off on Tuesday, July 29 and runs through Sunday, August 3.
To learn more about the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
Kentucky Summer Series Fast Facts
Events:
Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, USEF National Pony Finals, Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and KHJA Horse Show, and the 2014 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals.
What:
The Kentucky Horse Show LLC’s 2014 series includes five weeks of top competition throughout the summer. These premier hunter/jumper competitions host the Hagyard Challenge Series with seven grand prix competitions that culminate with a Leading Rider Award, as well as the Hallway Feeds National Derby Series.
Where:
Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™. Home to the United States Equestrian Federation.
When:
NORTH AMERICAN JUNIOR & YOUNG RIDER CHAMPIONSHIPS – July 15-20, 2014
KENTUCKY SUMMER HORSE SHOW – July 23-27, 2014
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby
KENTUCKY SUMMER CLASSIC – July 29 – August 3, 2014
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix sponsored by GGT Footings
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby
2014 USEF PONY FINALS – August 5-10, 2014
BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL HORSE SHOW – August 12-17, 2014
USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals
USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Championship
$25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic
$40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby
WCHR Member Event
KHJA HORSE SHOW – August 20-24, 2014
$10,000 Hagyard Welcome Stake
$30,000 KHJA Grand Prix
$5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby
Sponsors:
A special thanks to the generous sponsors of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows: Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Hallway Feeds, Audi of Lexington, GGT Footing, Equestrian Services International, Johnson Horse Transportation, Farm Vet, Dietrich Insurance, Take2 Thoroughbred Program, Sleepy P Ranch, and the Official Hotel The Clarion
Hours:
8am – 5pm daily
Parking:
Horse Show Exhibitors may purchase a weekly parking pass at the main Horse Park entrance for $15.00. Dogs are permitted at the Kentucky Horse Park on a leash.
Directions:
The Kentucky Horse Park is located 8 miles northeast of Lexington, Kentucky at Exit 120 on Interstate 75.
Information:
Before Show – (859) 233-0492, Email: hakshows@earthlink.net
During Show – Telephone: (859) 254-3343, Fax: (859) 231-6097
Stabling – Email Tom Blankenship at tomblank@bellsouth.net
Stable office – Before Show: (843) 269-4737, During Show: (859) 255-0605
Prize List Advertising – Email Cindy Bozan at cindy@kentuckyhorseshows.com or call (859) 608-3709
Vendors – Email Cindy Bozan at cindy@kentuckyhorseshows.com or call (859) 608-3709
Shownet – www.shownet.biz
Website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com
Ring Dimensions/Specs:
The Stonelea Ring, Murphy Ring, Walnut Ring, Stonelea/Murphy Schooling Ring, the Alltech Arena and the Rolex Stadium have Otto Sport footing consisting of fine sand and synthetic fiber on pvc mats. The Claiborne, Annex, and Covered Arena (old) rings’ footing consists of a sand cushion on limestone base. The dimensions of the competition areas are as follows:
Stonelea: 140′x 280′, Murphy: 135′x 280′, Stonelea and Murphy Schooling: 110′x 400′
Walnut: 300′x 370′, Claiborne: 140′x 270′, Annex 130′x 250′, Covered Arena (old): 145′x 285′ Rolex Stadium: 360′ x 384′, Alltech Arena: 132′ x 265′
Shopping:
Vendors offering equestrian equipment, apparel, jewelry and home furnishings are located adjacent to the Stonelea Ring.
Hotels:
CLARION HOTEL (Formerly Holiday Inn North) – 859-233-0512 – Approximately 4 miles (OFFICIAL HOTEL)
Discover the place where elegant comfort in an ideal location meets excellent service and affordability. At the Clarion Hotel Lexington, you’ll find well-appointed accommodations with options of double/doubles, double queens, king rooms or suites, exceptional amenities such as our free hot breakfast buffet, and Southern hospitality at its finest. The best hotel for Keeneland – located in the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region – home of the Kentucky Horse Park, the Lexington Convention Center, University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail – our Lexington hotel is on Newtown Pike at Exit 115 on I-75, close to all the big attractions, and is the perfect place to stay whether you’re here to get down to business or have some fun. Best of all, bring your furry friends for any trip because the Clarion Hotel in Lexington is also pet-friendly.
CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS:
Reservations may not be made through the Horse Show office. To reserve a campsite at the Kentucky Horse Park for any of the horse shows, please call the Campground store at (800) 370-6416 or 859-259-4157 or email Sherry Logan at sherryd.logan@ky.gov. Be specific as to the show name and the dates you wish to stay. Check-in time is 2:00 p.m. and check-out is 12:00 noon. You must make arrangements with the Campground store if you plan to arrive earlier than 2:00 p.m. or stay later than 12:00 noon. Vehicles that are not removed from a campsite by check-out time will be towed.
Management:
Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC
P. O. Box 11428
Lexington, KY 40575-1428
859-233-0492 (phone)
859-233-0495 (fax)
email: hakshows@earthlink.net
website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com
Media Contact:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12230 Forest Hill Blvd.
Suite 214
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
www.phelpsmediagroup.com