Annabel Revers and Quax (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group)

Lexington, KY - May 15, 2015 - Annabel Revers has become a familiar face in equitation ring, and today the 15-year-old rose to the top in a field of 29 entries, taking home the blue ribbon in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Class at the Kentucky Spring Classic.

The young talent from Weston, Massachusetts placed fourth last week, but came back today with Quax ready to win. The pair impressed the judges with a smooth trip around Bobby Murphy's course, which included an in-and-out to a single on a bending line, rollbacks and a brush jump.

"I thought it was a great course, but I wasn't sure how Quax was going to react to the jump at the end of the ring," Revers said. "He spooked a little bit, but it wasn't enough to be noticeable. He was great, though. He turns so well and maintains a really nice rhythm around the whole course."
 
Revers' equitation also stood out on the flat, where the judges asked the riders to show at the walk, working trot, sitting trot and canter. The pair rode away with the win, continuing on the path to Regionals, which Revers has already qualified for.

Coming in second place behind Revers and Quax were Sophie Simpson and Clifford, an entry from Blue Hill Farm LLC of Wellington, Florida.

Although 16-year-old Simpson competes regularly in the equitation ring, her horse Clifford is brand new, doing the Maclay for only the second time today.

"Clifford is a really green horse; he's only 8," Simpson said. "He's just starting equitation, but he was awesome. I thought that for a horse's second time going around the Maclay, the course was spooky enough with the brush jump and the wall, but I knew he was going to be really good. He's really straightforward and really brave, so I was really happy with him. He handled everything very well."

Simpson has also qualified for Regionals and is looking forward to competing there, with her sights set on eventually qualifying for Finals.

"I'm hoping everything goes well, and we can continue to Finals," Simpson commented. "It would be a heartbreak if it didn't, but I'm excited for both."

Third place went to Martha Ingram and Tenacious, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram from Nashville, Tennessee. Helen Voss and Mark Bone's Cashmere took the fourth-place spot, with fifth place going to Elizabeth Bailey and her horse Acido 7. Rounding out the top six were Anna Bremermann and her horse Pretentious K.

Up next at the Kentucky Spring Classic is "Derby Day," with the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby taking center stage.

For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.