By Sara Cavanaugh
Thursday, May 22
Ten different riders representing nine different states took first place in the seven equitation classes at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair on its opening day. The wide geographical dispersements of the prizes showed the country-wide appeal of Devon.
Shelley Wakeman of Westlake Village, CA, took the first blue in section A of USEF Show Jumping Talent Search, followed in the next section by Grace Rogers of Burlington, VT, then Joanna Hyyppa of Portland, CT, won the third section.
Jennifer Waxman of Chagrin Falls, Ohio won one section of Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) Equitation, Jumper Phase, with Kimberly McCormack of Clermont, NJ, taking another, Chase Boggio of Canton, GA, winning the third section and Jacqueline Lubrano of Glenmoore, PA, winning the fourth section.
Meanwhile, in the Gold Ring, Matthew Metell of Falmouth, MA, won section A of the USEF Hunter Seat Medal, Michael Desiderio of Chester, NJ, won section B and Emma Lipman of Bedford, NY took section C.
In the pony hunter breeding division, Hometown Hero, owned by Meg Rhodes of Keswick, VA, handled by Kenny Wheeler, was Colt Champion, with Northwind Marissa, owned by Brenda Draper of Pefferlaw, Ontario, Canada, handled by Richard Taylor, as Filly Champion.
Friday, May 23
Jacqueline Lubrano, 17, of Glenmoore, PA, won the Ronnie Mutch Equitation Championship on Friday at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. In equitation, junior riders 18 and under are judged on their position and control of the horse over jumper-type courses, and Lubrano placed first, second and third in three of the four classes. Lubrano said she first rode at Devon in lead line classes, then showed a couple of times in local hunters before beginning to ride in 2004 in the very competitive equitation classes. “I’m very excited,” said Lubrano. “I wasn’t expecting this at all.”
Lubrano said her win was particularly exciting because she lives nearby and her parents and many of her friends were in the stands watching. “I have a greener horse than I usually ride, so it was nice to have it all come together today,” said Lubrano.
She said that, to enable her to concentrate on riding, she is now home schooled instead of attending high school. “I won one section of the Maclay here two years ago, so to win the championship is really big for me,” said Lubrano.
With about 160 juniors entered in the equitation classes, each class was divided into three or four sections. Reed Kessler of Wellington, FL, rode her Flight to win the fist junior jumper class, a timed first jump-off competition. Fifteen horses jumped clean in the first round to qualify for the jump-off, where Kessler’s time of 30.885 beat second-placed Jennifer Waxman and Shakira, whose time was 31.432.
Kimberley McCormack, last to go in the $3,500 Junior Jumpers Gambler’s Choice, proved to be the best, riding her Hetoile Platiere to win with 1,220 points over Alexandra Arute on Saphira.
Saturday, May 24
Jessica Springsteen, 16, of Colts Neck, NJ, was named Best Child Rider on a Horse after dominating both younger junior hunter sections, riding the Grand Junior Jumper Champion, and, two days earlier, winning an equitation class. “I had so much fun,” said Springsteen. “I look forward to coming to Devon.” Springsteen’s father, Bruce, is on tour and so missed her exciting wins, but her mother Patti was thrilled with her victories.
Springsteen was Small Junior Hunter Champion, 15 and Under, on Sublime, with 20 points, and Large Junior Hunter Champion, 15 and Under, on Tiziano, with 22 points. Tiziano was also Devon Grand Junior Hunter Champion. “Both horses are pretty much alike,” said Springsteen. “They both have big strides.”
"I call Jessie 'the computer,' said one of her trainers, Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill. “You just program her and hit enter.
Of all my students, I’ve never had to reprimand her for all the things you have to reprimand all the others for, for being late, or for being rude, for a couple of examples."
“Sublime is the true meaning of a show horse,” said Madden. “He wants to be turned out, trail ridden, then poofed up and taken to a show. He knows when to turn it on.”
“Tiziano was supposed to be Mom’s fun horse, but I think she’s pretty happy watching him win,” said Madden.
Kaitlin Campbell of Pipersville, PA, riding Rocky W, won the $15,000 Junior Jumper Classic with the fastest time in a five-horse jump-off from a starting field of 28, and that win gave the 16-year-old’s mount the Devon Junior Jumper Championship.
Campbell said that she had ridden the Pony Jumper Champion at Devon in past years but that this was her first time in Junior Jumpers. “It’s crazy,” said Campbell of her championship. “I couldn’t even imagine it.”
Kimberly McCormack of Lexington, KY, who rode two horses in the division, including the reserve champion Heloile Platiere, was Leading Junior Jumper Rider.
Sunday, May 25
Almelo, owned by Mimi Abel-Smith of Middleburg, VA, and ridden by 17-year-old Katherine Newman, defeated a field of 20 starters, including the top professional hunter riders in the country, to win the $10,000 International Hunter Derby at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair last night.
The Derby is a two-round class, with the first round over a classic-type course, with 20 starters. The top 13 came back to compete over a handy hunter course, with both scores added to determine the winner.
Newman’s quick turns and smooth round in the second, Handy, phase of the event won her the judges’ points to put her on top.
Top professional hunter riders Jennifer Alfano and Scott Stewart placed second and third on Jersey Boy and Lazy Sunday.
“I thought I’d be in there, but I never thought I’d win it,” said Newman.
To the strains of the song "Tequila," the pony Tequila and his owner/rider Carter Ware of Middleburg, VA, led the victory gallop after winning the $2,500 North American League Pony Jumpers class in an eight-horse jump-off.
Tequila’s fast time of 30.599 just edged out second-placed EZ To Spot and Adam Sklansky, whose time was 30.840. Tequila’s win last night gave him the Pony Jumper High Score Award with 15 points after three classes on Saturday and Sunday.
“It was so exciting,” said Carter, 13. “I was really, really nervous. It was nerve wracking riding in front of all those people. I was also nervous about going under lights.”
“Tequila is from Argentina, and he’s out of a famous polo pony there, Marguerita,” said Ware. “We’ve had him three years, but
I only started showing him at the end of last year. I fox hunt with Orange County and Piedmont,” said Ware. “I also show in hunters, but I like jumpers better. Riding hunters is so serious, but riding jumpers is a lot of fun.”
“I’m a perfectionist when I’m riding hunters, but Mom says just let go and use your fox hunting instincts for jumpers,” said Ware. “We went in the ring tonight, and he jumped really big. He got fired up and he jumped some huge fences.”
Misdee Wrigley Miller of Paris, KY, won the Championship Drive-Off of the Carriage Pleasure Drive earlier in the day, driving a tandem to a Shooting Brake. A tandem consists of two horses hitched to the carriage with a third horse in front, guided only by reins.
Tuesday, May 27
McLain Ward has been Devon Horse Show Leading Open Jumper Rider five times in the last 10 years, but for the last three years Laura Chapot has taken that honor. From Ward’s performance in the first two open jumper class of this year’s show though, it looks like he’s determined to take that title back.
Ward of Bedford Hills, NY, rode his Goldika to win the $7,500 Open Jumper speed class yesterday afternoon, finishing an incredible six seconds faster than second-placed Darragh Kerins on Toscane R.
In a sport where first and second are usually only tenths of a second and not unusually hundredths of a second apart, six seconds is a world apart.
Then in last evening’s $7,500 Open Jumper Time First Jump-off class, Ward just missed making it a daily double, placing second to Hillary Dobbs on Corlett.
In a four horse jump-off from a field of 21 starters, Dobbs, daughter of CNN’s Lou Dobbs, went third and posted the first clean round in 39.957.
Ward on Larioso made a determined effort to win, and in fact did have the best time of 38.234, but he had the second-to-last fence down to settle for second.
Ward, a member of the Athens Olympics Gold-medal winning team, is a member of the 10-man squad that will compete in Europe this summer in Samsung Super League shows to decide the four-man team that will compete in this summer’s Olympics, where the equestrian disciplines will be held in Hong Kong because of the restrictions of quarantine in China.
Ward leaves on June 14 for Europe, where he will compete at Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Aachen, Germany; and Rome, Italy. An almost sure bet to make the team, Ward said he plans to stay in Europe until the team leaves for Hong Kong.
His Athens mount, Sapphire, is having a break from competition until Rotterdam, but Goldika, who has had a year off from competition due to an injury, will also go to Europe with Ward to be used as his speed horse.
Friday, May 30
Hillart Dobbs of Sussex, NJ, said two nights ago she hoped to win the Devon Horse Show Leading Open Jumper Rider title, and yesterday she placed second in the afternoon speed class and then won the evening $20,000 Gambler’s Choice on Corlett to get closer to her goal.
So while Dobbs has an edge in the race, she still has some work to do to win the title. Still, for a 19-year-old Harvard college student, riding for the first time in the Open Jumper division, who came straight to Devon from her final exams, it’s pretty heady stuff.
Dobbs and Corlett scored 1,340 points in the Gambler’s Choice, where each fence caries points according to its difficulty, to beat second-placed Jimmy Torano on Magic Cruise, with 1,310 points. Callan Solem on VDL Orlando was third with 1,240 points, and Ward was fourth with 1,180 points.
Laura Chapot rode Harold Vogel’s Bradberry to win the $7,500 NAL Open Jumper during the afternoon session. Zipping around the course in the very quick time of 58.800, Chapot was over two seconds faster than second-placed Dobbs on Marengo. Chapot won the class for the fourth year in a row, having won in 2005 on Samantha, in 2006 on Sprite and last year on Cilthe Z.
After the first three mateur owner hunter classes, Bridget Hallman of Oyster Bay, NY, riding her Gray Slipper, leads in the 18 to 35 years of age section, while Betty Oare of Warrenton, VA, on Madison, holds a slight lead in the over 35 years of age section.
Saturday, May 31
In her very first year of competing in the open jumper division at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, Dobbs not only rode the Open Jumper Champion, The Dobbs Group's Corlett, she was Leading Open Jumper Rider. That’s a feat no one in their very first attempt in the highly competitive Devon Horse Show Open Jumper division has accomplished before. And in the process, one of the riders she beat was Ward. “It feels surreal,” said Dobbs. “I know what a rare thing this is to win. To win against so many top riders, you have to be competitive in every class. Things really went my way. My horses jumped super, they were really on their game. I couldn’t be happier with them.” Dobbs said her mother and father, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs, had been at the show the whole week.
Kent Farrington on Up Chiqui won the final Open class, the $50,000 Idle Dice Stake to give Up Chiqui the Open Jumper Reserve Championship.
Whitney Weeks of Southport, CT, rode her Subliem to the only double-clear round to win the $15,000 Amateur Owner Jumper Classic, a victory that gave her the Championship and made the the Leading Amateur-Owner Jumper Rider.
“It’s really gratifying to be champion,” said Weeks. “Two years ago I won the Classic, but I’m not usually totally consistent. When I won the first class Friday, I was afraid that was all I would win.”
Caroline Clark Morrison of Iron Station, NC, rode her Milan to the Amateur Owner Hunter Championship, over 35 years of age, and with 25½ points, Milan was Grand Amateur Owner Hunter Champion and Morrison was Leading Amateur Owner Hunter Rider.
“It was an emotional win,” said Morrison. “I’ve been coming here for 30 years, and it’s been 13 years since I was champion here. I don’t show a lot. I have a three-year-old son, so I only go places where he can have fun. With the fair, this is a great place for him. He remembered everything about it from last year.”
Sunday, June 1
The Oberkircher family of Ft. Washington, PA, dominated the local hunter division, taking the championship in one section, the reserve championship in two other sections and the Local Hunter Grand Championship. Katherine (Katie) Oberkircher rode her own Cover Girl to the championship in section A, and, with 26 points, also won the Local Hunter Grand Championship.
With 124 horses entered in the division, horse show management divided the classes into three sections.
David Oberkircher rode his mother Kathleen’s Loretta to the reserve championship in section B, won by champion Mr. Roberts, owned and ridden by Dr. Suzanne J. Smith of Milford, NJ, and David also rode his sister Margaret’s Jukebox Hero to reserve in section C, under champion Hidden Agenda, owned by Shannon Muldoon of Malvern, PA, and ridden by John Muldoon. Both Katie, 16, and David, 13, attend Germantown Academy, in 10th and seventh grades, respectively.
“I’ve had Cover Girl since last November,” said Katie. “She’s really nice. She’s easy and very honest.”
“I show at least twice a month, all in Zone 2 (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York),” said Katie. “This is my fourth year showing in the local division at Devon, but this is by far the biggest thing I’ve ever won.”
“This means a lot to me,” said Katie. “It gives me confidence to go on showing, and hopefully I can come back to Devon next
year and do the same thing.”
“I love Devon, the whole atmosphere,” said Katie. “I’m really sad when it ends.”
Devon enjoyed record attendance at the horse show and fair, with over 105,000 spectators in paid attendance. The fair also realized a record income, although final figures were not available for profit because all expenses were not in.
“It was a record year in all categories,” said Devon Horse Show and Country Fair President Wade L. McDevitt. “It was truly a spectacular event for the community, for the exhibitors and for the over 2,000 volunteers.” |
