• Save

Shawn Casady and Stars Go Blue Score $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby Victory

Shawn Casady and Stars Go Blue – Photo By: Emily Riden.

Lexington, KY – May 11, 2013 – Saturday evening at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show kicked off with the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Rolex Stadium. It marked the first event in the seven-part series presented by Hallway Feeds during the spring and summer, and at the conclusion of the series the Leading Rider Awards for the Series will be presented. Last year’s winner of the Junior Rider Award Shawn Casady has taken the early lead in the series after winning this evening’s class aboard Stars Go Blue, owned by Marigot Bay Farm of Dover, MA. The duo earned scores of 87 and 90 during the two round class to lead the victory gallop.

Bobby Murphy built an 11 obstacle course for the first round of tonight’s event set at 3′ with four 3’6″ option fences. There was a two stride line as well as a bending line and multiple rollbacks. One of the options included a large brush and many of the fences were decorated to imitate natural obstacles a rider would experience when hunting. The top 12 scoring horse and rider combinations were invited to return for the handy round, which also had four options as well as a trot fence and multiple inside turns to showcase handiness.

Kelley Farmer claimed an early lead with Grayon, owned by Jay Golding of Gordonsville, VA, after scoring an 89 during the first round. They were the last to return in the handy round, delivering a flawless trip until the very last fence which they met a bit deep, resulting in a score of 78. Their total was good enough for the fourth place award.

Havens Schatt jumped up in the standings aboard Kindle, owned by R. Bruce Duchossois of Aiken, SC. The duo had a smooth first round that received an 80 and was ranked 11th. They really showcased their brilliance during the handy round, taking all the inside options for a score of 88 that eventually picked up the third place award.

Jennifer Hannan and veteran mount As Always, owned by Jennifer Smith of Wellington, FL, were in top form for tonight’s event. They also had a solid first round effort, receiving a score of 83 from the judges that had them ranked eighth. With smooth inside turns and very nice trot jump the duo’s efforts was honored with a score of 86 to capture the second place prize.

The best of the best proved to be young rider Shawn Casady with Stars Go Blue. During the first round, Casady piloted the talented gelding to a score of 87 that was ranked third. They returned for the handy round ready to perform and were smooth through all of the turns and jumped crisply over each fence. The judges announced a score of 90 for the excellent performance, vaulting them to the top of the leader board to claim the winning honors.

“I’ve been riding Stars Go Blue for almost two years,” noted Casady. “He’s always been a trusty mount and I’ve always been able to rely on him during these kinds of events. He’s very straight forward and he’s very experienced so he just wants you to trust him and let him do his job.”

Casady continued, “During the handy I just wanted to make sure to find all of the jumps and make sure he had his eye on the tall brush, that was really the only big question, everything else was pretty straight forward. The course was really nice, and I think everyone had a good time.”

The $15,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Rider Awards will present a $10,000 cash prize to the professional rider accumulating the most points in the seven classes that make up the series. The amateur rider and junior rider accumulating the most points will each receive a $2,500 cash prize. Riders will receive points only on their highest placed horse in each of the classes. The awards will be presented at the conclusion of the Hallway Feeds class at the Kentucky National Horse Show on September 21, 2013.

Last year, Casady was the recipient of the Junior Rider Award for his excellent results throughout the series. “I really like the series,” he expressed. “Hopefully things will keep going well, because that’s a great way to end the summer.”

Hallway Feeds’ close proximity to the Kentucky Horse Park provides the opportunity to utilize the freshest feed, manufactured with time-honored commitments to high standards of quality and the latest scientific advances. Combining a premium nutrition package with a professional level of dedication in horsemen and women provides equine athletes with the Formula for Success.

For more information on Hallway Feeds, please visit www.hallwayfeeds.com.

The Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby Series would not be possible without many generous sponsors including Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Central Equipment, Alfagreen Supreme, Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher, Caddel Equine Therapy Center, KER Sport Horse Nutrition, The Tack Shop of Lexington, Turf Town Properties, Trouw Nutrition and PNC Bank.

Tomorrow’s hunter events will include championship and reserve championship awards in the Junior Hunter and Children’s Hunter divisions. Next week, riders will return to the Kentucky Horse Park for the Kentucky Spring Classic, with the second $5,000 Hallway Feeds National Hunter Derby scheduled for Saturday evening.

For more information about Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Leave a Reply