Tag Archives: Kentucky National Horse Show

Competitions, Kentucky Horse Shows, Show Jumping

Sharn Wordley Claims Overall Victory in Hagyard Rider Challenge Series

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Lexington, KY – October 21, 2021 – After holding onto a strong lead throughout the Hagyard Rider Challenge series, New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley ultimately took home the Leading Rider Award after earning a total of 540 points. The Hagyard Rider Challenge was a four-part series of premier show-jumping events held at the Kentucky Horse Park, concluding on September 26th with the $50,000 Betsy Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Medical Institute at the Kentucky National Horse Show.

After winning the $137,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3* presented by Hagyard at the Kentucky Spring Classic and placing ninth in the $135,000 Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix CSI3*, Wordley led the pack with 290 points going into the final competition at the Kentucky National Horse Show. Wordley once again proved to be a force to reckon with at the Kentucky National Horse Show, speeding to victory in the $50,000 Betsy Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Medical Institute, helping him secure the overall win for the Hagyard Rider Challenge series.

Cormac Hanley took home second in the series, earning 330 points after claiming victory in the $50,000 Hagyard Grand Prix Saturday, August 7th, at the Kentucky Summer Classic. After starting the series out strong, Daniel Coyle was not far behind Hanley, claiming the blue ribbon in the $137,000 Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix CSI3* Saturday, May 15th at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show.

“Once again, we are proud sponsors of this series. It was great to see people back at the Kentucky National Horse Show and to feel the energy surrounding the event,” said Dr. Kevin Pfiester. “The entire series was exciting, and Sharn certainly didn’t disappoint in the finals. We congratulate him and all of the amazing participants.”

For more information about the Kentucky Horse Shows, please visit www.KentuckyHorseShows.com.

Competitions, Kentucky Horse Shows, Show Jumping

Sharn Wordley Leads Hagyard Rider Challenge at Kentucky National Horse Show

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Lexington, KY – August 16, 2021 – As the conclusion of the Hagyard Rider Challenge quickly approaches, New Zealand’s Sharn Wordley remains the rider to beat.

After winning the $137,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3* presented by Hagyard at the Kentucky Spring Classic and placing ninth in the $135,000 Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix CSI3*, Wordley leads the pack with 290 points. Following behind Wordley are Cormac Hanley and Daniel Coyle, tied for second with 250 points.

The Hagyard Rider Challenge is a four-part series of premier show-jumping events held at the Kentucky Horse Park, concluding on September 26th with the $50,000 Betsy Grand Prix presented by Hagyard Medical Institute at the Kentucky National Horse Show.  As in previous years, points are tracked throughout the Series, with the leading rider receiving a bonus cash prize at the end. This year’s bonus will be $20,000, and Hagyard will team up with Audi of Lexington and Central Kentucky Ag Credit to award the top rider at the end of the last event.

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute has hosted the popular challenge series since 2006. Each spring and summer, the events are held at the Kentucky Horse Park directly across from Hagyard’s Campus in Lexington. In September, the rider that accumulates the most points in the Series will be presented the Leading Rider Award during the Kentucky National Horse Show. The Series typically feature two CSI3* classes making riders eligible to earn points toward international show-jumping rankings.

For more information about the Kentucky Horse Shows, please visit www.KentuckyHorseShows.com.

Competitions, Show Jumping

American-Breds Shine at Classic Champions Developing Jumper Finals

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Out of the Blue SCF ridden by Jennifer Waxman. Photo by EQ Media.

LEXINGTON, KY – Sept. 21, 2019 – On the penultimate day of the 2019 Classic Champions Developing Jumper Finals, young jumpers competed in the Rolex Stadium for the final round of competition in the Classic Champions series. The finals, held during the Kentucky National Horse Show, was the culmination of the season at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Classic Champions Developing Jumper Finals opening classes on Wednesday served as a warmup to allow the horses the opportunity to become familiar with the Rolex Stadium. Thursday featured a power-and-speed format and the results were used to produce the final order of go. Each entry returned Saturday with a clean slate. The top prize of the Classic Champions series was fair game for all the contenders.

Tom Holden, vice president of Classic Champions and course designer for the week’s event, asked the horse-and-rider combinations to rise to the occasion with a fair but challenging course as the finale to the series. The Table II Sec.2(ab) format offered riders the option to stay in the arena or return at the end if they were successful in advancing to the jump-off round.

The judges selected the winners of the Classic Champions Award of Distinction to one outstanding jumper from each age division for style, ride-ability, quality of canter and overall potential for future success in the sport. Whether or not these young horses won their classes, the judges gave the award-winners the nod for having the qualities to become a top jumper.

Continuing her hot streak into the weekend, AliBoo Farm’s Belgian Warmblood mare (Calano Z x Role Model), Palano ABF, received the honor in the 4-year-old division.

Waxman earned the first, second, and fourth place with Out of the Blue SCF, a Belgian Warmblood mare (Verdi x Casa Blanca La Silla), One in a Million SCF (Presley Boy x Werly Chin De Muze), and Olive Martini SCF (Amaretto D’Arco x Allisson) in the 5-year-old section. She then went on to produce a second and fifth place with New Moon SCF (Cunningham x Gera 28) and Nightshade SCF (Baldev x Olisina) in the 6-year-olds, and finished her day with a victory on Maui SCF (Verdi x Lazuli) in the 7-year-olds.

Out of the Blue SCF earned the Classic Champions Award of Distinction in the 5-year-old division. Waxman, originally from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, thanked Lisa Lourie from Spy Coast Farm for the opportunity to compete her talented young jumpers.

Our Day Farm’s Maggie Jayne took the charge in the 6-year-old division with Elizabeth Lang’s American Warmblood stallion (Dulf Van Der Bisshop x Ed Dakhla), Wisconsin ODF. Jayne and the stallion edged out Waxman and New Moon SCF by less than one-half second to clock through the timers in 36.378 seconds.

All three top finalists in the 6-year-old section, including third place finisher, Kim Woodsum’s Belgian Warmblood stallion Narcotique B, ridden by Lisa Goldman-Smolen, are all American-bred young athletes. Narcotique B (O’Splendido x Jenna B), bred by Allyn McCracken and her Bannockburn Farm, was awarded the Classic Champions Award of Distinction in the 6-year-old section.

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info@EQmedia.agency

Competitions, Show Jumping

David O’Brien Earns Top Prizes on Day 2 of Classic Champions Developing Jumper Finals

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David O’Brien and Octavious SCF won the 5-Year-Old division. Photo by Shawn McMillen.

LEXINGTON, KY – Sept. 19, 2019 – Day two of the Classic Champions Developing Jumper Finals kicked off competition in the Rolex Stadium at the 2019 Kentucky National Horse Show Thursday. Young Jumpers in the 4, 5, 6, and 7-year-old divisions had the opportunity to gain confidence and experience at one of the country’s most picturesque venues.

Course designer and vice president of Classic Champions, Tom Holden, builds inviting courses that allow the up-and-coming horses to become confident and enjoy the work. Holden, who hails from Ireland, has spent many years working as part of the Irish Young Horse Championships.

Each of Thursday’s divisions from the 5 through 7-year-olds were held in a Table II Section 2(d) format, a two-phase competition. All horse-and-rider combinations complete both rounds regardless of faults in the first phase. Scores are decided by accumulating the faults incurred over both phases and any time penalties.

Spy Coast Farm’s David O’Brien was victorious in both the five-year-old and seven-year-old divisions with Octavius SCF and Maldonado SCF, respectively.

“The courses today were great,” said Spy Coast Farm’s Lisa Lourie. “They were very well designed and asked the right questions for young horses but not dumbed down. It was very appropriate.

“We’re very excited at Spy Coast because we are starting to really develop some top quality jumper horses. After a decade of work to inspire quality breeding, America is finally becoming a place where people recognize they can now purchase very good young horses.”

O’Brien and the five-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve x Beluga) were one of only six double clear rounds and crossed through the second-phase timers in an efficient 35.320. The farm’s 7-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve x Simbette) was one of only three to finish double-clear in his division with a winning time of 29.716 seconds.

“What I really enjoy about this show and these classes is that they are all about bettering the young horses,” O’Brien explained. “Even if a horse has a problem or an error somewhere, they can always get out of it and regroup which builds their self-esteem.”

Maggie Jayne and Alex Jayne’s American Warmblood stallion (Amaretto D’Arco x Athena), Arizona ODF, took the red ribbon while Megan Wexler and Dolce Vita rounded out the top three.

Taylor Flury piloted the 4-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Calano Z x Role Model), Palano ABF, to a second consecutive high score of 85.00 points in the 4-year-old exhibition division. She also picked up another win in the 6-year-old class with Nefertari ABF, a Belgian Warmblood mare (Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve x JFA Cirque D’chiari ABF) also owned by Flury’s Aliboo Farm, Inc.

EQ Media LLC
info@EQmedia.agency