Brooke Kemper and her own Classified (Allison Hartwell)
"The footing was perfect," said Kemper, "The turf is so nice, we just want to have a picnic out here," she laughed. Kemper and her mount Classified turned in double clear rounds in times of 79.430 seconds and 33.45 seconds, respectively. "I haven't competed him since November," commented Kemper. "This was a really nice course for him and he went well," she said. "I'm still getting him conditioned for the entire circuit here," she added.
The only other horse and rider team to turn in double clean rounds was fellow Virginia native, Jason Berry of Verona. Berry won second place honors in the irons of Frances Porter's Ignite after turning in double clear rounds in times of 80.960 seconds and 35.690 seconds, respectively.
Penny Brennan of Ocala, Florida and her own Sun Tzu also went clean in the first round in a time of 78.127 seconds, but four faults in their second round in a time of 31.360 seconds would see them finish in third.
Amanda Forte of Glenmore, Pennsylvania and Cerulean Stables, LLC's Hhs Louis went clean in their first round in a time of 84.374 seconds but a rail in their second round in a time of 33.515 seconds saw the pair finish in fourth.
Calligraphy, owned by Krisley Hill Equine Investments and ridden by Haley Lubow of Nashville, Tennessee turned in a clean first round, but their time of 86.881 seconds resulted in two time faults which saw the pair finish in fifth overall.
Brennan added a sixth place ribbon in the class after she and her own Japan turned in a four fault first round in a time of 75.546 seconds.
Forte returned for the seventh place ribbon in the irons of Cerulean Stables LLC's Rincola Black Adder after they turned in a four fault first round in a time of 81.306 seconds. Eighth place was awarded to Loretta Patterson's Copycat, ridden by Holly Shepherd of Grand Bay, Alabama; the pair turned in a first round effort in a time of 85.536 seconds and five faults.