June 10, 2015

By Leah Oliveto

Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named Team and Traveling Reserve for the U.S. Pan American Jumping Team for the 2015 Pan American Games.

The following athlete-and-horse combinations will compose the U.S. Team (in alphabetical order):

The U.S. Pan American Jumping Team

Georgina Bloomberg (New York, N.Y.) and Gotham Enterprizes, LLC’s Lilli, a 2004 Deutsches Sportpfred mare

Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) and Robin Parsky and his own Gazelle, a 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare

Lauren Hough (Wellington, Fla.) and The Ohlala Group’s Ohlala, a 2004 Swedish Warmblood mare

McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) and Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild, a 2001 Warmblood gelding

The following athlete-and-horse combination has been named as the Traveling Reserve to the U.S. Team:

Todd Minikus (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Two Swans Farm’s Babalou 41, a 2005 Oldenburg mare

The 2015 U.S. Pan American Jumping Team is subject to approval by the United States Olympic Committee.

The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.

June 11, 2015

HITS, Inc.

Peter Leone and Wayfarer, owned by Leone’s Lionshare Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut, took first place in Sunday’s $100,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix, at HITS-on-the-Hudson III

SAUGERTIES, New York June 9, 2015: Olympian Peter Leone and Wayfarer dominated a challenging field to win Sunday’s $100,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix, the finale of the Spring Saugerties Series at HITS-on-the-Hudson. Leone also claimed third place on My Pleasure, owned by My Pleasure LLC.

Leone and Wayfarer, owned by Leone’s own Lionshare Farm, finished in 44.679 and were one of three entries to go double-clear out of the eight that moved into the jump-off in the Grand Prix, which was webcast live on HitsShows.com and is available for replay. Laura Chapot, who placed second on Quointreau Un Prince, also went double-clear and was a second shy of Leone’s first-place time. Chapot claimed fourth place, as well, on ISHD Dual Star, with a faster time of 44.853 but four faults.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my two up-and-coming international horses,” said Leone, of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wayfarer, he said, is a special horse to him and his family. “He was born in my barn. Raised in my fields. He has always, always been a good horse, and a winner since he was 5 years old.”

Going first in the jump-off was Michael Hughes on Luxina, owned by Christina Fried, who finished in 44.486 seconds, for the fastest course time, but had eight faults to earn sixth place. Second was Leone on My Pleasure, who finished clean in 46.306 and set the Great American Time to Beat.  “It’s always an advantage to ride two horses, versus one. You know the track, you know where you can make a tighter turn, where you can gallop faster. Going early with My Pleasure in such a big money class, I wanted to be prompt and clear,” said Leone.

Chapot went third on Quointreau Un Prince, whom she owns with Mclain Ward. They finished in a clean 45.740 and reset the Great American Time to Beat, which would hold for two more rounds. Next was Amanda Derbyshire on her Goldbreaker, finishing in 50.892 with eight faults to land them in eighth place. Leann Kelly on Leander, owned by Honor Way Farm LLC, took to the ring next and finished in 45.927 but eight faults put them into seventh.

Going sixth, Leone and Wayfarer went clean over all the obstacles and beat Chapot’s time by barely over one second to move into the lead. Next Chapot went again, on ISHD Dual Star, owned by Mary Chapot, but had four faults at the third fence to place fourth. Chapot and ISHD Dual Star also won the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix in both Weeks I and III. Last in the ring was Jeffery Welles on Cord 11, owned by Meco Equestrian LLC, but he, too, had four faults at the third fence and finished fifth.

Leone said, “I’m so proud of how both of my horses jumped, and especially proud of my home-bred Wayfarer; this is his first big time Grand Prix victory.” Leone added that he wanted to thank his sponsors “and my entire support team at Lionshare Farm, especially Wayfarer’s groom Valerie Huckstepp.”

Leone said he plans to jump Wayfarer in the Saugerties Summer Series and at the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo, on September 6. “I have a really good feeling about Wayfarer excelling at the 5-star level in the future. He’s almost there and yesterday was proof of our progress.”

He continued, “I’ll be back for this summer and then the 5-star in September. I take my hat off to Tom Struzzieri and the improvements he continues to make at his shows, in particular the improvements he has made with the footing in all of his arenas, and the effort he makes at new and cutting edge jump material each year.”

The HITS Saugerties Series returns to HITS-on-the-Hudson for three weeks this summer, July 15 – August 7, when the Sunday Grand Prix purses will grow progressively each week from $50,000 to $75,000 to $100,000. Additional live webcasts will be announced and shown on HitsShows.com. The Saugerties Series culminates in the fall with the HITS Championship in September, which includes the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI-5*, presented by Wells Fargo.

$100,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix — HITS-on-the-Hudson III
Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize | Round 1 Faults | JO Faults | JO Time
1 | Wayfarer | Lionshare Farm | Peter Leone | $30,000 | 0 | 0 | 44.679
2 | Quointreau Un Prince | Laura Chapot & McLain Ward | Laura Chapot | $22,000 | 0 | 0 | 45.740
3 | My Pleasure | My Pleasure LLC | Peter Leone | $13,000 | 0 | 0 | 46.306
4 | ISHD Dual Star | Mary Chapot | Laura Chapot | $8,000 | 0 | 4 | 44.853
5 | Cord 11 | Meco Equestrian LLC | Jeffery Welles | $6,000 | 0 | 4 | 57.496
6 | Luxina | Christina Fried | Michael Hughes | $5,000 | 0 | 8 | 44.486
7 | Leander | Honorway Farm LLC | Leann Kelly | $4,000 | 0 | 8 | 45.927
8 | Goldbreaker | Amanda Derbyshire | Amanda Derbyshire | $3,000 | 0 | 8 | 50.892
9 | VDL Wittinger | Amanda Flint | Amanda Flint | $3,000 | 3 | * | *
10 | Broken Heart | Herbert Sambol | Jeffery Welles | $2,000 | 4 | * | *
11 | Robin De Ponthual | John Gallagher | Peter Lutz | $2,000 | 4 | * | *
12 | Donar R | Redfield Farm | Adrienne Iverson | $2,000 | 4 | * | *

Hannah Patten and her Filou VD Wateringhoeve

Hannah Patten and Filou VD Wateringhoeve Win $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic, Presented by Vetera® XP Vaccines

Hannah Patten and her Filou VD Wateringhoeve took home the blue ribbon in Sunday’s $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic, presented by Vetera® XP Vaccines – the only pair to go double-clear in a jump-off of five.

“When I went in the ring, I was really just trying for a double-clean round. I wanted it to be a big confidence booster for Dexter and me,” said Patten, who finished the jump-off in 50.514. “When I won, I was so thrilled because I haven’t even had Dexter for a full year yet, and we are still just getting to know each other. I really have to thank Mclain Ward and my trainers, especially Shaine Brooks, for all their help with him. It was a very special win for me.”

Catherine Tyree, who had two mounts in the class, placed second and fourth. She had four faults on her Don’t Go and finished in 43.416, and 12 faults on her Phenix Royal, finishing in 43.996. In third place was Caitlyn Connors, who also finished with 12 faults in 41.447. Hayley Carlson finished fifth in the jump-off on Paraguana Des Dames, owned by Ketcham Farm at Cream Ridge LLC, with 12 faults in 51.336 seconds.

The $10,000 Junior/A-O Jumper 1.45m Classic held each week at HITS Saugerties is a qualifier for the Vetera® XP Vaccines $250,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix at the HITS Championship on September 5-6 in Saugerties.

$10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic, presented by Vetera® XP Vaccines.

Place | Horse | Owner | Rider | Prize | Round 1 Faults | JO Faults | JO Time
1 | Filou VD Wateringhoeve | Hannah Patten | Hannah Patten | $2,800 | 0 | 0 | 50.514
2 | Don’t Go | Catherine Tyree | Catherine Tyree | $1,800 | 0 | 4 | 43.416
3 | Bink-A | Caitlyn Connors | Caitlyn Connors | $1,250 | 0 | 12|  41.447
4 | Phenix Royal | Joseph & Mary Tyree | Catherine Tyree | $900 | 0 | 12 | 43.996
5 | Paraguana Des Dames | Ketcham Farm at Cream Ridge LLC | Hayley Carlson | $800 | 0 | 12 | 51.366
6 | S&L Slingback | Starlight Farms, LLC | Addison Gierkink | $700 | 2 | * | *
7 | Gabriel | WHISH LLC | McKayla Langmeier | $600 | 4 | * | *
8 | Cordero Zaffiro | Taylor Burns | Taylor Burns | $400 | 4 | * | *
9 | Carany | Hannah Patten | Hannah Patten | $375 | 4 | * | *
10 |Goodwins Loyalty | Christina Antonucci | Christina Antonucci | $375 | 4 | * | *

Sandy, Utah (June 9, 2015)– Truly successful equestrians settle for nothing less than the best for themselves and their horses. So it’s no surprise that out of all the dressage riders in the United States, the two who rank highest in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings love Premier Equestrian. Steffen Peters and Laura Graves, known as “Premier Equestrians” by this leading arena, footing, and jump manufacturer, are now ranked nine and ten, respectively, in the world. It is believed to have been at least six years since American riders have achieved two of the top ten rankings in the world at once — since July, 2009, in fact, when Peters was also one of the two top-ranked U.S. riders.

In the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings released on May 31, 2015, Peters and Legolas 92, a thirteen-year-old Westfalen gelding owned by Four Winds Farm LLC, moved from the eleventh slot to the ninth. The pair’s most recent successes include placing third at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final I Grand Prix with a score of 76.843 percent. Show ring victories don’t stop there for Peters, of San Diego, California. In his final show of the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad— a CDI4* Grand Prix in Achleiten, Austria— Peters took first place on his newer mount, Rosamunde. Their winning score was 74.560, only four months after Rosamunde (an eight-year-old Rhinelander mare owned by Four Winds Farm) began showing in the Big Tour.

Laura Graves and her own thirteen-year old KWPN gelding Verdades (Florett AS-Liwilarda, Goya)— who Graves got as a six-month old and has ridden to international success since— retained their tenth slot in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings since last month. Graves is currently focusing on training with Olympian Debbie McDonald, who is also a proud Premier Equestrian. Graves and Verdades, who Graves calls “Diddy”, achieved a fourth place and score of 79.125 percent in the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, and have not competed since. With that competition and her time in Hailey, Idaho with McDonald under her belt, the Geneva, Florida based Graves will be a formidable competitor in the 2015 Pan American Games in July.

Premier Equestrian, based in Sandy, Utah, congratulates Peters and Graves on putting double United States dressage talent in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings top ten. “A ‘Premier Equestrian’ is an equestrian who has been outstanding in his or her contribution to horses, riding, and equestrian culture; and who has achieved a high level of competition, generated awareness of the sport, and shared knowledge,” explains Premier Equestrian’s president Heidi Zorn. “Steffen and Laura do this so well, and we are proud to work with them.”

The company is globally recognized for its expert arena footing, premier dressage arenas, and revolutionizing horse jumps. The research behind Premier’s effective products, the materials they are created from, and the living testimonials of horses and riders who use them— like Graves, Peters, and McDonald— explain why Premier Equestrian is a leader in its market. Learn more about the company and its outstanding Premier Equestrians at www.premierequestrian.com.

Photo 1: Premier Equestrian Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 are ranked ninth in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings (Photo courtesy of Premier Equestrian)

Photo 2: Premier Equestrian Laura Graves and Verdades are ranked tenth in the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings (Photo courtesy of Premier Equestrian)

June 10, 2015

The Atlanta Summer Classic is a proud supporter of the Hope Clinic and will again be hosting the Annual Outback Steakhouse Dinner and silent auction to benefit the Hope Clinic this Friday night, June 12 in the VIP tent adjacent to the Olympic Arena.

The Hope Clinic provides affordable alternatives to the hospital emergency room for the primary care/internal medicine medical needs of the uninsured in Gwinnett County, Georgia. The Hope Clinic was founded March 29, 2002 by Dr. William Martin. After 30 years of practicing internal medicine in Gwinnett County, Dr. William Martin was seeing a trend he couldn’t ignore – an ever-growing number of needy patients falling through the cracks of the medical system.

He frequently saw patients get denied access to medical care because of their inability to pay or because their diagnoses left them uninsurable. Not only did this often result in personal, medical and economic tragedy for the patient and his or her family, it created an additional burden on existing ER facilities and ultimately, the entire community. Dr. Martin answered the call not only with a clinic that would provide healthcare for the community, but with an innovative and compassionate solution that benefits those who need it most.

The Hope Clinic’s mission is to provide the very highest quality of medical care to those with limited or no access to healthcare and to treat each patient with the utmost respect and kindness without regard to language, national origin, or ability to pay.

A total of 3,159 patients were served in 2014. Total visits provided by the Hope Clinic in 2014 were 7,538. 56% of all patients are female with 46% of Hope’s patients being Female Head of Household. 17.3% of the Hope Clinic’s female patients are totally dependent on others for food, shelter and clothing and considered indigent. Services include Chronic Care Management for those suffering multiple diagnosis, mental health care, well women care and acute care. The Hope Clinic’s goal is to provide a medical home to those who need it the most.

The Outback Steakhouse Charity dinner raises approximately $30,000 each year towards the Hope Clinic’s mission to provide services to the uninsured and indigent of Metro Atlanta through sponsorships and ticket sales. Outback Steakhouse will provide a buffet style menu at the VIP tent located at the Olympic Stadium during the Six Bar Class, presented by Regions Private Wealth Management. A silent auction is held during the event to raise money for the Hope Clinic. A cash bar is available as well. Tickets are $25 each or $200 for a table of 8.

Please join the Classic Company in giving back to a most deserving, local charity. Tickets are available in the show office.

• Friday, June 12: The Outback Steakhouse Dinner to benefit the Hope Clinic during the $10,000 Six Bar Class, presented by Regions Wealth Management
• Saturday, June 13: $35,000 Outback Steakhouse Grand Prix
• Friday, June 19: $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby
• Saturday, June 20: $35,000 Atlanta Summer Classic Grand Prix, presented by EMO

VIP opens at 6:30 pm. Tables of 8 are $450 per week and a cash bar is available each week. Be sure to see the office and purchase your table now for the best views, meals and events at the Atlanta Summer Classic. For those on the run, feel free to call Grace at 843.786.5503 to reserve your table.

The Atlanta Summer Classic is the first stop on the Great Magnolia Show Jumping Tour which combines three show-destination circuits. The Olympic spirit of the Atlanta Summer Classic, Brownland Farm’s pastoral venue in close proximity to America’s music scene in Nashville, Tennessee and the show-cation destination of the Charleston Summer Classic on Johns Island, South Carolina make up the Tour that offers more!

The Classic Company is a USHJA’s Members Choice Award winner, recognized for producing top quality show jumping events in the United States. For more information on Classic Company and its exhibitor-friendly, top quality hunter jumper events, please visit them at classiccompany.com or call them at 843-768-5503.

All sponsorship, marketing and press inquiries should be directed to Lisa Engel, Sponsorship, Marketing and Public Relations Director at lisa@classiccompany.com.

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See you at the ring,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX: (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311 Johns Island SC 29457