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Ramiro Quintana and Whitney Win $50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix

Ramiro Quintana and Whitney.

Lexington, KY – July 26, 2014 – Argentine rider Ramiro Quintana has been partnered with Whitney for two years, but their hot streak just began this summer. After winning their first grand prix together two weeks ago in New Jersey, they traveled to the Kentucky Summer Horse Show to showcase their winning ways. In front of a packed house at the Kentucky Horse Park for Hats Off Day, the pair raced away with the $50,000 Rood and Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix victory against an international field.

Thirty-eight entries took their turn over Steve Stephen’s technical and large track this evening, but only five managed to have a perfect round and advance to the jump-off. “I was expecting a little bit softer,” admitted Quintana. “It was quite big. I thought it was a really, really big 1.50m. The triple combination was quite scopey and careful. That got a lot of people. Whitney has a lot of experience though, so she was fine, but there were a lot of big jumps.”

The jump-off included the end of the triple combination, as well as multiple sharp rollbacks. The first to return was Great Britain’s Gemma Paternoster with Osiris, owned by Julia Harrison-Lee. They were the pathfinders, leaving each rail intact as they stopped the clock in a tidy 40.926 seconds to set the time to beat. Venezuela’s Emanuel Andrade tried to catch Paternoster’s effort with Hardrock Z, owned by Hollow Creek Farm, but their attempt led to a rail in the combination for four faults and the fourth place award. Paulo Santana of Brazil was even less lucky, bringing down all of the final oxer in the combination and having to retire from the round with Taloubet, owned by Santana Stables, taking home fifth place.

Quintana was prepared to face the challenge at hand with his experienced mount Whitney, owned by St. Bride’s Farm. Tight turns at the end of his round and a stride left out to the final oxer paid off when he dashed across the finish line in a speedy 38.008 seconds with all the fences up to take over the top spot. Venezuela’s Juan Ortiz was the only remaining contestant with Tina De Noyelles, owned by the Synchronicity Group. He gave it his all, but one extra stride to the final fence proved costly when he stopped the timers at 38.700 seconds, just 7/10ths of a second shy of Quintana for second place.

Juan Ortiz and Tina De Noyelles
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Juan Ortiz and Tina De Noyelles

“I was second in this same class last year, and I sold that horse because of that placing to Jenny Booth,” said Ortiz. “She’s become a big part of my support team and family. Thanks to her we were able to acquire this mare and develop her with the goal of going to the Pan Am Games next year.”

Talking about the jump-off, Ortiz noted, “Because of my Latin blood, I tend to get too greedy. Tonight I tried to be very efficient through the beginning of the track so that I could slow it down and not take any chances at the end. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going a little wider than I should have to roll back. That’s where I lost the class.”

Quintana said regarding the jump-off: “My mare is naturally fast. I thought if I stayed tighter on my track and kept the natural pace that she likes to have that she was going to get ahead of Gemma. Whitney left the last jump up, which was kind of nice. I’ve lost a lot of classes with her at the last fence trying to chase. I stayed calm and just gave her a better ride and the jump stayed up. It worked out well.”

Quintana continued, “I was nervous watching Juan because he was on it for a while. He went a little bit wider on the rollback to the second to last fence. I think that’s where he put one more stride there than I did, and I got him there.”

Quintana is thrilled with Whitney’s performance today. He has owned the 11-year-old mare for the last two years and has been working hard to get her in top form. “This is her second win with me at the grand prix level,” he said. “She’s had a lot of ribbons, a lot of good results, but not a win. Now this is her second grand prix win back-to-back which is quite exciting.”

Today’s event was a part of Hats Off Day, a special celebration of the horse and its impact on the state of Kentucky hosted by the Kentucky Horse Park. A large crowd filled the Rolex Stadium to cheer on Quintana during his winning round.

“The crowd was wonderful,” he smiled. “I had a good time with them. It’s exciting. It felt like an event with people watching and clapping and cheering. It’s a lot of fun. I wish we had more of that at the shows here in the States.”

Quintana also gave a special thanks to his owners at St. Brides Farm in Upperville, VA. “David and Barbara Roux have been fantastic. They’ve been supporting my career for the past two years. This win means a lot to us, and we’ve been working hard to get here.”

The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will conclude tomorrow with the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classics for the High Junior and Amateur-Owner Jumper divisions. Riders will return next Tuesday for the kick-off of the Kentucky Summer Classic, featuring the fourth $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by GGT Footings.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series, 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

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