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| By Phelps Media Group | The 2005 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) serves as one of the country’s most prestigious and competitive indoor equestrian events, with prominent riders, Olympic veterans, and superstar equines competing for top honors and fabulous prize money. Located at the MCI Center in downtown Washington D.C., the show began on October 25 with a full schedule of hunter competition. The evening performances highlighted the Children’s and Adult Hunter Championships. The win in the $10,000 Children’s Adult Hunter Championship and The H. Fenwick Kollock Memorial Perpetual Trophy went to 14-year-old Melissa Ott of Cincinnatti, OH, and Nicole. They came into the second round sitting in third place with a score of 80.5. About her first trip, Ott said, “Pretty much everything was good, except into the five stride.” She went on to say, “My second round was smoother, and everything was the same.” After that smooth second round, they scored an 84 for a total of 164.5. The two remaining trips failed to top that total, and Ott and Nicole led the victory gallop. Nicole is an eight-year-old Westphalian mare that was imported by Peter Pletcher and purchased from Heidi Austin Fish. The last class of the day was the $10,000 Adult Amateur Hunter championship. It was a tough battle with the top two competitors, but Cecilia Halsey of Madison, AL, and her 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Galway Bay, rose to the top. Their consistency showed in their scores of 82 and 83 for a winning total of 165. After a 20-year absence from the show ring, Halsey returned last year and showed for the first time at an Indoor Final in the 2004 WIHS. She and Galway Bay were leading going into the second round, but she had to settle for second place by a half point. There would be no settling for second place this year. The professional divisions started on October 25 with the first classes of the WIHS. Early leaders include Krista Weisman’s Chopard and rider Scott Stewart in the Regular Conformation Hunters (1st, 1st, 1st), Showcase Ltd’s Sequel and Terry Brown in the Second Year Green Hunters (1st, 1st), and GG Valentine and Jennifer Alfano, who rode for Barbara Kearney in the Regular Working Hunter division (1st, 4th). On the second day of competition on October 26, the professional and amateur hunter divisions wrapped up. The first championship of the 2005 WIHS was awarded in the Regular Working Hunter division. After finishing second and fifth over fences yesterday, placing third in the under saddle class and winning the stake class, Touchstone and Jenny Karazissis walked into the ring for their championship ribbon. The reserve championship went to Grey Slipper and Louise Serio, who rode for Bridget Hallman. Touchstone is owned by LRW Farm, but he will be going home with his new owners, Tammy and John Williams of Davlyn Farm. This was Karazissis’ first championship at WIHS. “I have to thank Karen Healey and Mary Ann Weisberg-Perry for giving me the ride on Touchstone initially,” said Karazissis. “It’s great that the Williams and their trainer, Chance Arkelian, let me continue with him here at Washington. This might be the last time I’ll ride him, so it’s a little bittersweet.” Champion in the Second Year Green division went to Sequel and Terry Brown, who rode for owners Showcase Ltd. Brown traveled from Canton, GA, to show at Washington. Brown mentioned that Sequel “notices everything, everywhere, everyday.” When he arrived at Washington, the 11-year-old Hannoverian Sequel knew that he had a job to do. “When I call on him, he almost always comes through,” she said. “He’s got heart, and he’s an athlete. When I know things are lining up for him, I can pressure him, and he’ll go spectacularly.” Rider Scott Stewart is famous in the equestrian world as a top hunter rider and proved why the accolades continue to come his way. He rode Alexa Weisman’s Music Street to the reserve championship in the First Year Green division, and he swept the Green Conformation division on his own horse Granted and Molly Ohrstrom’s Truly. It was his performance on Krista Weisman’s Chopard, however, that sealed the honor of being named Leading Hunter Rider and Grand Champion Hunter of the 2005 Washington International Horse Show. He and the 11-year-old Chopard won all five classes in the Regular Conformation division, which also gave them the Grand Champion Hunter and The Rave Review Challenge Trophy. Reserve champion in the Regular Conformation was Popeye K, ridden by Tommy Serio and owned by Elizabeth Spencer and Spencer Ranch. Stewart and Chopard won the same honors in 2003, but Stewart said that this year’s performance at Washington was “probably the best he has ever gone.” Champion in the First Year Green division was Costello, ridden by Louise Serio and owned by Shaw Johnson Price. Costello also competed in the Amateur Owner Over 35 division with his owner and received top ribbons; however, it was Shaw’s other horse Reese who earned the tricolor in the division. Reese won the over fences class and was third in the under saddle class. It is her first championship with Reese since she started showing in the Amateur Owner division this past January. Price only started showing two years ago after a 15 year absence from the show ring. In addition to the division championship, she was named Grand Amateur Owner Champion and the Leading Amateur Owner Hunter Rider. Due North and Avery Dimmig followed up their division championship at Harrisburg last week with another tricolor performance at Washington in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters. They were first over fences and fourth under saddle yesterday and followed it up with second and third over fences. Reserve champion was Dream Date, ridden and owned by Rachel Geiger. This is also Dimmig’s first championship at Washington. She showed as a junior in the equitation, but she has returned to the hunters as an amateur thanks to her mount. On Wednesday night, the Children and Adult Jumpers took center stage. In the $10,000 WIHS Children’s Jumper Championship, 24 starters were challenged by courses designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. Scoring was under Table II, Sec 2a. Time First Jump-Off. Twelve of the 24 produced first round clears to advance to the second round tiebreaker against the clock. In the jump-off it was Kali Jerman of Farmingdale, NJ, and Canon coming home with the runaway victory. Jerman crossed the finish line in a blazing time of 30.703 seconds for the win. Her time was 2.90 seconds faster than second place finisher Laura Pfeiffer of Temperance, MI. Pfeiffer and her mount, Cortez, broke the beams in 33.604 seconds. Caspar and Olivia Clancy finished third with a clear go in 33.734 seconds and Braveheart and Alexandra Arute were fourth, coming home in 33.755 seconds. In the $10,000 Adult Jumper Championships, 17 starters went to the post. Again Steve Stephens designed and again the scoring was Table II, Sec 2a. Time First Jump-Off. Only three of the 17 adults managed to negotiate the first round course without penalty. In the jump-off, Foul Play ridden by Mindy Blackford of Mayfield Heights, OH, went first and set the pace with a fast and fault-free performance in 33.934 seconds. But Rockville, Maryland’s Ericka Schaefer aboard her mare, Maizy Toltien, was able to shave 1.65 seconds off of Blackford’s time for the win. Schaefer tripped the timers in 32.280 seconds. Third place went to Ima Good 1-2 and Patty Van Housen who pulled an early rail in the tiebreaker. Gotham’s Georgina Bloomberg came into Washington on a roll. She won the Amateur Owner Championship and the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classic last Friday night at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg and the week before that took the top prize in the $50,000 Knockout at the Las Vegas Invitational in Nevada. Fifteen horses went to the post in the late afternoon feature for Amateur Owner riders. The scoring was Table II, Sec. 2a. Time First Jump-Off. Five horse and rider combinations mastered Stephens’ first round challenge and advanced to the tiebreaker. In the jump-off, in case of a tie, time was the deciding factor. Tracy Weinberg of Lovettsville, VA, and Larone set the early pace with four faults and a finish time of 31.630 seconds. Bloomberg, with two horses qualified for the speed phase, returned first with Action. A tough inside cut and a problem coming home cost Bloomberg eight faults and her finish time was 29.344 seconds. Then, Reggae and Cayce Harrison of Wellington, FL, took over the lead with the first fault-free journey over the jump-off course, tripping the timers in 29.879 seconds. That set the stage for Bloomberg and her second mount, Lumina 2. Knocking almost two full seconds off of Harrison’s time, Bloomberg and Lumina raced across the finish line with no faults and a blistering time of 27.949 seconds. For more information about the Washington International Horse Show, visit www.wihs.org. | ||