Lexington, Ky. - Patti Blackmore (Louisiana, Mo., Region 4) placed third at last year's Finals in the First Level Adult Amateur division, and this year she improved upon that performance to claim the Second Level Adult Amateur Championship aboard her own Hanoverian gelding Rubico (by Rotspon). As the only combination to break seventy percent, they earned a decisive win with a total score of 71.905%. "I breathed a sigh of relief after our counter canter portion of the test," laughed Blackmore, who is a small animal veterinarian and mother of twin 12-year-old girls. "My family is so supportive, in fact my daughters are helping to clean stalls for the horses at home so that I could be here." Reserve Champion with 68.810% was Jessica Iorio (Region 8), who is also a busy mom with three young boys at home in Foxboro, Mass. She and her warmblood mare Roulette (by Loerke) are former die-hard eventing competitors, but an injury forced a change in career. "It's worked out well and competing in dressage has been more exciting than I expected," said Iorio, who drove all night Monday to come to Kentucky. "Roulette did the best she could despite the chilly weather and I was thrilled with how she held it together in the ring."

Two talented five-year-olds ruled the day in the morning's Training Level Open Championship. Champion Patricia Becker (Wadsworth, Ill., qualified in Region 2) rode Joan Pecora's five-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Edward to a strong performance and a winning score of 77.933%. "He warmed up so well despite the cold and the wind, and I think it was the best test we've had all year," noted Pecora. "It's such a great experience coming here, and is so important for a young horse's future to get exposed to a big venue like this." Mike Suchanek of Cambridge, Minn. (Region 4) and Douglas Leatherdale's Hanoverian mare Fleur De Lis L may both be newcomers to the dressage ring, but they did not let the fact that this was their first show season keep them from earning the Reserve Championship with 74.667%. "She didn't put a foot wrong today, and I'm honored to be here," said Suchanek.

Heather Blitz of Medfield, Mass. is no stranger to international dressage competition in the U.S. and Europe, but the Region 8 rider made it a point to add the Finals to her calendar this year. Her decision paid off as she won today's hard-fought Third Level Open Championship with Oak Hill Ranch LLC's young Danish Warmblood stallion Ripline on a score of 71.239%. Despite Ripline's long 24-hour trip to Kentucky, Blitz was thrilled with both her young star and the Finals. "I'm really happy with my horse and how he's handled everything here," Blitz said. "I'm also very impressed with this event, and it was incredibly worthwhile to come here. The facility is of such a high quality, and the indoor looks like a top-notch European show. I will definitely come back." Reserve Champion Debbie Hill of Gurley, Ala. (qualified in Region 2) was a big winner at last year's inaugural Finals, and returned to Lexington this year to claim even more honors despite currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. She and her partner, Marchella Richardson's charming Hanoverian gelding Boccaccio IOF (Bugatti Hilltop x Roxette by Rubinstein), didn't even let a broken bridle in warm-up shake their concentration, earning a total second-place score of 69.872%. "He was pretty fresh out there this morning," she said. "I had a few little bobbles but overall he was so good. I'm just so happy to be here."

The afternoon's Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship was dominated by Region 2's Rachael Hicks of Prospect, Ky. as she claimed both the Champion and Reserve Champion honors with her two mounts, Fabio Bellini (Westfalen gelding [Furst Heinrich x Dakota by Davignon I]) on 71.750% to edge out stablemate Don Cartier (Rheinlander stallion [Don Schufro x Carmina by Cartier]) with 70.458%. "Today the sun came out and we enjoyed the brisk weather, and I think it energized them a little bit. They're both so different and so I have to ride them very differently," said Hicks of her mounts, both of which she's had since they were four years old and brought through the levels. As a busy mom, Hicks works hard to find time to be in the saddle. "I have three young kids, and every morning I get them to school, and then I have few precious hours with the horses on the farm before 3pm when the kids come home and I become a mom again."