Chris Ewanouski and Cortina.
Lexington, KY – July 30, 2014 – All eyes were on the up-and-coming horses of the future in the Rolex Stadium today as they vied for winning honors in the 7 & 8-Year-Old Jumpers and the 6-Year-Old Jumpers. Chris Ewanouski captured the first blue ribbon with his 8-year-old mount Cortina, while amateur rider Joyce Green piloted Cassidy to the top prize in the 6-Year-Old Jumpers.
Great Britain’s Richard Jeffries designed the track for the 7 & 8-Year-Old Jumpers, which yielded nine clear rounds for the first round. Emanuel Andrade was the second rider to enter the ring with Boy IV. He was the pathfinder in the jump-off, stopping the clock at a speedy 38.804 seconds to set the time to beat. Luifer Larrazabal did not let his fellow Venezuelan hold on to the lead for long though, tackling the jump-off with G&C Close Up in a clear time of 36.524 seconds. When the jumps went up for the 8-year-old horses, Chris Ewanouski set out to show the other riders how it is done with Cortina. They easily cleared all of the obstacles in the tiebreaker, dashing across the finish line in 35.402 seconds to capture the win and relegate Larrazabal and Andrade to second and third, respectively.
“I didn’t get to watch very many in the jump-off, but I made an early inside turn. I think that’s where maybe I caught them a little bit,” explained Ewanouski. “I also felt like I took a little bit of a chance to the skinny. It came up a little bit long and on a little bit of an angle, but she was pretty fast there.”
Ewanouski continued, “We’ve had her for just a little over a year now. We showed her a little bit in the 7-year-olds. She is a little bit sensitive, really fast, but she’s easy at the same time. We’ve been taking it one step at a time and trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves. I think she’s really fast and careful, and I think she has all of the right parts, so I don’t want to rush her. I want to take it slow and see how far we can go with her.”
The young jumper classes offer Ewanouski a good opportunity to start testing how much Cortina has learned in the last year. “It’s a really good division for the horses,” he noted. “For her, where she was a little bit behind when we first got her, she wasn’t quite ready to go right into the 7 and 8 year old classes. We did a lot of schooling classes, a lot of small 1.30m and 1.20m and just got her relaxed in the ring and treated it more like a schooling class than an actual competition. I think that’s why she’s doing so well now, and we can start stepping her up.”
The 6-Year-Old Jumpers were up next to showcase their skills in a power and speed event. Unfortunately, the course proved to be too challenging for the young horses, and only the last to compete advanced to the speed phase. Ramiro Quintana was the first to show over the power phase without any jumping faults, but a conservative pace aboard Duplikaat would result in one time fault for second place. David Blake was next in the ring and had just a single rail during the power phase with Dinozo to capture the third place award. Besting the professionals was amateur rider Joyce Green with Cassidy, the last to show. She left each rail intact during the power phase to take home the blue ribbon prize.
“This was one of the biggest tracks that we’ve jumped so far,” smiled Green after her win. “We got Cassidy as an unbroken 4-year-old, and my trainer, Marcelo Barros, has been great with him. He’s an amazing horse. He’s so amateur friendly. He handled this big course perfectly today. I was really proud of him.”
As an amateur, Green enjoys working with young horses and helping to produce them. “I have two really nice 6-year-olds. I’m just excited about bringing them up from scratch and having them go really nicely for me as an amateur. I’m excited about what’s to come with them.”
Joyce also appreciates having the 6-Year-Old Jumpers to help prepare her mounts for the higher ranks. “I think they’re amazing classes. They’re perfect because they bring them along on a track to eventually, hopefully, the grand prix. Each year they ask a little bit more of them. I think for 6-year-olds this was a little bit tough today, but it was a good prep for Friday’s championship class.”
Joyce concluded, “Kentucky is my favorite show. The Kentucky Horse Park is beautiful; the courses are always really nice, and everyone is really nice to us. It’s one of our favorite shows for sure.”
The Kentucky Summer Classic will continue tomorrow with the fourth event in the Hagyard Challenge Series, the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, getting underway at 6:30 p.m. The Series features seven grand-prix events that offer a $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus. On Saturday, the highlight will be the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by GGT Footing.
For more information about 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