Lexington, KY – September 28, 2012 – It was a thrilling $50,000 World Cup Qualifier at the Kentucky National Horse Show as 41 competitors gathered at the Rolex Stadium for their last chance to take the top honors and the highly coveted Leading Rider Award for the 2012 Hagyard Challenge Series. It was Shane Sweetnam who held on to his solid lead at the top of the standings for the 2012 Hagyard Challenge Series.
Consisting of seven grand prix classes held during the 2012 show series at the Kentucky Horse Park, the Hagyard Challenge Series, sponsored by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, offers a $50,000 Leading Rider Award. Sweetnam stepped forward to receive the award during the World Cup Qualifier at the Kentucky National Horse Show.
During the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, Sweetnam piloted Solerina to the first place finish in the $10,000 Hagyard Welcome Stake, and also picked up the first place award with his other mount, Amaretto D’Arco, during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic on August 24, 2012. Sweetnam captured the lead with 830 points, and added an additional 40 to his cumulative score to win the prize money.
Kaitlin Campbell held the second place position with 710 points. Reed Kessler finished the series in the third place position, even though her Kentucky Spring Series rankings held steady for three of the Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix events. Beezie Madden was acknowledged for her 390-point finish to take the fourth position, while Ashlee Bond was awarded the fifth place spot in the rankings with 290 points.
Madden won the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic with Simon during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, while Bond and Cadett 7 led the way during the Kentucky Spring Classic’s $32,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic. Rebecca Conway rounded out the top six positions with her powerful finishes throughout the series with her top mounts.
The 2012 Hagyard Challenge Series concluded with the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier during the Kentucky National Horse Show this past week, and riders are now getting prepared for the 129th Edition of the Alltech National Horse Show.
The sponsor the series, the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, is one of the oldest and largest equine veterinary practices in the world. Founded in 1876, the institute offers a staff with qualifications unparalleled by any single non-university veterinary group in the equine industry, and Hagyard veterinarians have dedicated themselves to the health and well-being of the horse for more than 130 years.
The facility at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offers 13 Digital Radiology systems, 1.5 Tesla Siemens Open MRI, Nuclear Scintigraphy, an on-site laboratory, an on-site pharmacy, full surgical services, 24-hour ambulance and emergency services, and Hyperbaric Medicine. The institute has practiced veterinary medicine for more than 133 years and is currently composed of over 60 experienced veterinarians, with 12 board certifications in specialty areas of Medicine, Surgery, Critical Care, and Theriogenology.
For more information about the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, please visit http://hagyard.com.
Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: presenting sponsor Pfizer Animal Health, Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra HA, Johnson Horse Transport, J. P. Morgan, Hallway Feeds, MWI Veterinary Supply, Powell-Walton-Milward, Kirk Horse Insurance, LLC, and Stoll Keenon Ogden.
For more information about Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, in 2012, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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