Sandy Ferrell and Shadowplay (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)
The highlight of the day was the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby, with fences set at 3' and four high option fences set at 3'5". The top 12 highest-scoring exhibitors after the first round returned to the Annex Ring for the handy round, in reverse order focusing on brilliance and handiness. Placings were determined based on a combination of the two scores from round one and two.
Sandra Ferrell and Shadowplay, owned by Perry Peterson, picked up their second Swan Lake Horse Shows derby win after also winning the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Blue Rock Classic at Swan Lake Stables in May.
"It was a beautiful night out and a nice course," said Ferrell. "It's very nice that they do these things for us. I'm just lucky to have a nice horse to ride.
"Shadowplay is very, very dependable," continued Ferrell. "Of all the derbies that I have competed him in, I think I've only really had one glitch in one class, which I'm going to pretty much blame on myself. He's always going to try. He's very quiet. He's brave; he jumps well. Even the low jumps he jumps in nice style."
Ferrell and Shadowplay held the top spot on the leaderboard the entire time with the highest first and second round scores, just as they did in May. In the first round, Ferrell opted to take all four of the high option fences earning a score of 89. She returned among the top 12 riders in the second, handy round as the leader and last to go. Coming in with the advantage of having the highest first round score and again taking all of the high fence options, Ferrell kept her first place ranking with an impressive score of 94 and a total combined score of 183.
Regarding the course, Ferrell commented, "It was nice. It was a little tricky going through the gap when we switched from round one to round two. In the first round, we all kind of galloped up through the gap to get to the white jump, and then all of a sudden in the second round, once we jumped the end jump and we weren't going to the white jump, the horses got a little confused.I had one step off my lead and one get a little wiggly, and some other people had trouble. That definitely technically caused some issues for some people."
As for Shadowplay, this will certainly not be his last derby with Ferrell who plans to continue to compete him in more derby classes in the future.
"There's one at the Maryland Horse and Pony Show which we'll do in a couple weeks," said Ferrell. "That could offer a whole new group of challenges: different arena, inside, jumps closer together. We all go in there on an even playing field; it's just whose day it happens to be that day."
Jeff Ayers and Romantik (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)
"I would have liked to have been first, but second was great," said Ayers. "That was fun, and the course was beautiful. I like how we go in and out of the ring like that. If I would have one criticism of my horse she had a little bit of trouble staying balanced going down the hill toward the end of the course, and I think that hurt my score a little bit. Otherwise she was perfect.
"Romantik's been competing in the national hunter derbies this year, and she always gets a ribbon," continued Ayers. "She hasn't won one yet, but we've been second a number of times. She's young, so I'm really pleased with her progress. She was also reserve champion in the 3'3" Performance Hunters today. "
Ayers has been coming to Swan Lake Horse Shows for 10 years and is a loyal exhibitor of their events.
"They do a good job," said Ayers. "They're very accommodating. I like the permanent stabling, and the footing is good."
Chrissy Serio and Levianto earned the in in the 2'9" Swan Lake Horse Shows Hunter Derby (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)
The $500 2'6" Swan Lake Horse Shows Hunter Derby kicked off derby competition in the Annex ring at 11 a.m. and also ran in the same format as the USHJA National Derby Susan Symons and Amanda Flint's Corazon, trained by Thomas Brennan, came out on top and took home the win.
In the Grand Prix Ring, the $2,500 Open Speed Class headlined the day, with Helen Goddard earning the win. Goddard topped the field aboard her own Sweetheart. She and the 16-year-old gelding finished the faults converted class clear in a time of 71.473 seconds. Finishing in second were Tracy Magness and Barsa, owned by John Bartko. The pair also navigated the Catsy Cruz designed course without fault, but they would finish behind Goddard in a time of 73.865 seconds.
Immediately preceding the $2,500 Open Speed Class, Hope Batchelor claimed two out of the top three placings in the $250 High Child/Adult 1.10m Jumpers. Batchelor and her mounts made up 50 percent of the four combinations returning for the jump-off, and it was she and Orlando who rode to the top of the leaderboard, finishing fast and faultless in a time of 33.786 seconds. Taking the second place spot were Aizlynn Radwanski and Cordela on a clear round time of 34.031 seconds, while Batchelor and Ciola claimed third in a time of 39.615 seconds.
Competition at the Swan Lake Fall Festival continues on Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. and with the $25,000 Swan Lake Fall Festival Grand Prix kicking off at 4 p.m.
To learn more about the Swan Lake Fall Festival and all horse shows at Swan Lake Stables, visit www.swanlakehorseshows.com. For up to the minute updates, find Swan Lake on Facebook here.
Swan Lake Horse Shows Fast Facts:
Where:
Swan Lake Stables
381 Flatbush Rd
Susan Symons and Corazon took the top call in the 2'6" Swan Lake Horse Shows Hunter Derby (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)
When:
Premier Horse Shows:
Swan Lake Fall Festival - August 26-30, 2015
National A Horse Shows:
November Harvest Classic - November 6-9, 2015
For the full event schedule click here.
Horse Show Contact:
For information prior to shows:
E-mail: [email protected]
Call: (603) 748-1027
For information during shows:
Call: (717) 359-5357
Media Contact:
Emily Riden
Phelps Media Group
[email protected]
(717)368-8102
12012 South Shore Blvd., Suite 201
Wellington, FL 33414
www.PhelpsMediaGroup.com
Website:
www.swanlakehorseshows.com
About Swan Lake:
Swan Lake Horse Shows is one of the largest horse show series on the East Coast, hosting a variety of hunter/jumper events throughout the year, including AA, A and B-rated USEF/USHJA Shows and numerous local and regional horse shows.
Swan Lake Stables is situated on more than 300 acres, and with seven outdoor competition rings as well as a 350'x120' indoor arena, Swan Lake is able to fully accommodate all of its competitors. The property also offers riders a lake for swimming with their horses and miles of trails to enjoy during down time from competing.