Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule take championship in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 3'6 Hunters (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group)
The day began with the Amateur-Owner 18-35 3'6 Hunters, as Danhakl piloted her flashy chestnut Golden Rule to two third-place finishes. Despite only being the gelding's third show this year, the pair from Pacific Palisades, California, earned two blue ribbons and a red ribbon on Friday, adding up to enough points for the division championship.
"Golden Rule has just been a phenomenal horse," Danhakl said. "He has been champion pretty much every time I've shown him. He just has a really great rhythm and a nice, slow, sort of even way of going, so he's pretty easy to see the distances on. He has a big stride and is scopey. He's my dream horse."
Kelly Bauernschmidt and her horse Legato placed first over fences and eighth in the handy, and combined with the previous day's blue ribbon and fifth-place finish, the duo earned the division's reserve championship.
The next division of the day was the Amateur-Owner 35 plus 3'6 Hunters, in which Becky Gochman, of New York, New York, delivered smooth rides atop Last Call, her stunning seal bay gelding. The pair earned a blue ribbon, two second-place ribbons and a third-place ribbon over the course of two days, boosting them to the top of the pack to claim the division championship. Gochman proclaimed Last Call is a perfect delight, and the barn favorite always gets a ton of carrots.
Becky Gochman and Last Call (Lauren Baker/Phleps Media Group)
"Last Call is a great horse; I have had him for not quite a year yet, but he is very sweet and he always wants to do his job," Gochman said. "He's so adjustable that it makes it easy for the rider. He is so big, and in the beginning I was a little intimidated, but he feels so comfortable to me now that I don't think about his size."
The division's reserve championship was awarded to Emily Morin and Ace of Spades, of McLean, Virginia. The pair combined a first-place finish with two fifths, a fourth and a third to earn the tricolor.
In the Amateur-Owner 18-35 3'3 Hunters, Danhakl captured both the division's championship and reserve championship aboard her horses Enough Said and First Light, respectively.
"First Light has come such a long way," Danhakl commented. "Every week, he just gets easier and easier to ride. I've only had him for a few months, and I've just kind of been getting to know him, figuring him out. He was great yesterday. Now he's going well for me, which is nice."
Saturday's final division, the Amateur-Owner 35 plus 3'3 Hunters, got underway with Becky Gochman back in the irons on Mythical. The duo captured the division's championship, with the reserve championship going to Dawn Fogel atop Summer Catch, of Louisville, KY.
The action of week one at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show will continue Sunday in The Claiborne for "Derby Day." The highlight events will include $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby and the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby.
To learn more about the Kentucky Spring Horse Show please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.