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SAUGERTIES,
NEW YORK August 5, 2008) --
In the days between HITS-on-the-Hudson V and VI, HITS is hosting the
2008 USEF Junior Hunter National Championship for the East Coast.
It’s the fourth consecutive year that the event has taken to the
rings at HITS Saugerties and competition kicked off yesterday with the
WIHS Equitation Classic, the USEF/Pessoa Medal and the ASPCA Maclay
Horsemanship Medal.
Taylor Ann Adams and Miracle
bested a field of 47 other pairs in the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Medal
to take home the blue ribbon for owners Paulexi LLC, while in the ASPCA
Maclay Horsemanship Medal, Lauren Vogel and her mount Fidelity
surpassed a field of 20 other pairs to take first. The WIHS Equitation
Classic Hunter Phase was split into two sections. The winner of the
First Hunter Section was Victoria Birdsall and her mount Cheyenne and in the Second Section it was Katherine Newman and Double Diamond. In the jumper phase, it was Chelsea Moss and Onatello VDL who beat out 32 other combinations to take top honors. The overall champions were Katherine Newman and Double Diamond and Victoria Birdsall and Cheyenne.
In the mid-afternoon, riders and trainers gathered for a rider’s
meeting in the VIP pavilion where rules, regulations and special
announcements were made concerning this year’s event, including
news of a special $10,000 Top Trainer Award sponsored by Heritage Farm
and HITS, Inc. The award will go to the trainers of the riders who
place in the top four in today’s USHJA Hunterdon Cup with money
divided $4,000 for first, $3,000 for second, $2,000 for third and
$1,000 for fourth.
"I have been coming to this event for many years and I felt it was
Heritage Farm's turn to give back,” said trainer Andre Dignelli.
“It's nice to see 50 kids walking through the gate for it."
Other barns getting involved in the spirit of the Finals include Don
Stewart Stables, Inc., SBS Farms, Inc. and Quiet Hill Farm who each
will sponsor one of the three luncheons during the week. In addition, a
special Groom’s Award, also sponsored by Don Stewart Stables,
Inc., will award $500 to each Champion’s groom and $250 for each
Reserve Champion’s groom in the four main divisions.
The USEF Junior Hunter National Championship is designed to encourage
and promote the basic training and development of Junior Hunters.
Divided into four sections, the Finals feature competition for Small
Juniors 15 and Under, Large Juniors 15 and Under, Small Juniors 16-17
and Large Juniors 16-17. In addition to the USHJA Hunterdon Cup,
today’s competition included the Hunter Handy and the Under
Saddle Phases for the Small and Large Junior Hunters in both the 15
& Under and the 16-17 divisions, while Wednesday’s schedule
includes the Classic Rounds and the awards presentations.
One trainer at HITS-on-the-Hudson for the finals is Cynthia Williams
from New England Farm. Williams is a regular at HITS Saugerties and her
up-and-coming student Sophie Cohen started things off in the 15 &
Under Large and the 15 & Under Small Divisions on Tuesday morning.
“I like the feel of everything in Saugerties. Showing in the
Grand Prix and Grand Hunter rings make you feel special,” said
Cohen. “Coming to the Junior Hunter Finals is a great experience
for me.”
Cohen is in Saugerties with her two mounts, Hero and Que Sera.
Cohen and Hero have been a formidable combination for about three years
under the guidance of Williams. “Hero is an amazing horse,”
said Cohen. “He has taught me everything and at 14 it is
incredible that he can still qualify for the finals.”
Her other mount is a new ride for Cohen and she is doing the
instructing. “He is one of the most gorgeous creatures
ever,” added Cohen. “He is really coming along nicely and
thanks to all of the things that Hero taught me in the ring, I can be the teacher with Que Sera.”
After today’s competition, Cohen currently sits in the top ten
for both the Large and Small Junior Hunters in the 15 & Under
divisions.
In addition to Cohen, some other riders to watch include Johanna
Hyyppa, Katherine Newman, Jennifer Waxman, Taylor Ann Adams and Laura
King-Kaplan. Both Adams and King-Kaplan were victorious in their
respective sections last year and have their eyes focused on the Grand
Championship. Results from the 2008 USEF Junior Hunter National
Championship for the East Coast are available at www.HitsShows.com.
HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on
producing hunter/jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the
village of Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in
Gainesville, Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a
nationwide company with world-class hunter/jumper circuits in
California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com
Media should contact Chris Mayone at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com.
TODAY’S
TOP-10 RANKINGS IN EACH DIVISION AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE UNDER SADDLE
AND HUNTER HACK PHASES OF THE NATIONAL JUNIOR HUNTER FINALS:
Large Junior Hunter 16-17
Horse # Horse
Rider
Ranking as of 8/5
1757 NORTH COUNTRY
JOHANNA HYYPPA
1
1712 VON TRAPP
CHRIS
NELSON
2
1739 BERING C
TAYLOR BROWN
3
1707 CENTO
JENNIFER WAXMAN
4
1637 ANDIAMO
MEGAN FELLOWS
5
1665 TURNER
KELLY TROPIN
6
1730 GRAN RIVERA
LIANA
MAGRO
7
1693 ALTAIRE
HALLIE BUTTENWIESER
8
1725 CELANO
CASSANDRA SHIPP
9
1691 TUSCAN SUN
JULIA
WEISS
10
Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
Horse # Horse
Rider
Ranking as of 8/5
1687 ROAD TO
BLUE KELLY
RHATIGAN
1
1735 ON THE ROX
ANDE
FARISH
2
1642 CLOCKWORK
LUCY
PARRISH
3
1727 QUE SERA
SOPHIE COHEN
4
1734 BENTLEY
BAILEY HUGHES
5
1664 ELYSIUM
DANIELLE FRANCHI
6
1646 MONTEGO BAY
CATHERINE MAHER
7
1674 ABSOLUTE
APPEAL HALEY GASSELL
8
1705 MIRACLE
TAYLOR ANN ADAMS
9
1638 GAME POINT
AVERY
WAITE
10
Small Junior Hunter 16-17
Horse # Horse
Rider
Ranking as of
8/5
1706 RED PANDA
JENNIFER WAXMAN
1
1758 GENUINE
JOHANNA HYYPPA
2
1625 AMALFI
DANIELLE COOPER
3
1709 LYLE
CAITLIN
HOPE
4
1697 TOY STORY
LINDSEY
IRVIN
5
1663 PERUGINA
FAYE KEEGAN
6
1726 URLALA
EVE DIBARTOLO
7
1645 LAN DINA
BRIA MCCURDY
8
1670 ZUZU'S
PETALS KIMBERLY
WARD
9
1698 BLUES
CONSPIRACEY NICHOLE HUGHES
10
Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under
Horse # Horse
Rider
Ranking as of
8/5
1680 BOLD
VENTURE
ASHLEY ANN MCGEHEE 1
1767 CORVET Z
SAMANTHA
SCHAEFER 2
1736 CAPE TOWN
ANDE FARISH
3
1619 SIRIUS
BLACK
CHRISTINA GELLOS
4
1740 NO SUPERVISION
VIOLET
FLUDZINSKI
5
1644 PRACTICAL
MAGIC LEYLAN
GLEESON
6
1616 CAPTAIN
NEMO
COLLEEN LEWIS
7
1731 ANGELO
KATIE
DINAN
8
1728 HERO
SOPHIE COHEN
9
1738 GABLE
SCOTT GOODWIN
10
© D. Kadlic for HITS, Inc.
The Overall Grand Champion Trophy will be awarded on Wednesday, August 6 at HITS Saugerties.
© D. Kadlic for HITS, Inc.
Sophie Cohen and her mount Hero take to the Grand Prix ring at HITS Saugerties for the $3,000 Small Jr. Hunter 15 & Under, Hunter Hand Phase.
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