Aaron Vale and Quidam's Good Luck (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group)

Lexington, Ky. - Aaron Vale has taken the early lead in the 2016 Hagyard Challenge Series by claiming the second and third place positions during Thursday's $34,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic CSI3*. Vale, who has been competing at the Kentucky Horse Shows for 28 years, rode Quidam's Good Luck and Finou 4 to double-clear rounds, finishing just shy of the winner, Pablo Barrios on ASD Farfala. The Kentucky Spring Horse Show also featured the lead-off event for the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby series, where Geoffery Hesslink and Rookie led the victory gallop, giving him the lead in the standings.

In the Hagyard Challenge Series, Pablo Barios of Venezuela is holding the second place position in the standings after claiming the victory on Thursday aboard ASD Farfala, and is just 10 points behind Vale. Victoria Colvin is currently ranked third in the standings after she went double-clear with Austria 2 to earn fourth place honors.

The Hagyard Challenge Series consists of seven grand prix classes to be held during the 2016 show series at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the final event, a cash prize of $50,000 will be awarded to the rider accumulating the most points throughout the series as well as a $10,000 prize for the reserve champion.

The series concludes with the $65,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic held during the Kentucky National Horse Show. Following that exciting competition, the winner of the $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus will be announced and presented with the cash prize by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. New this year is the $200 Best Turned Out award, sponsored by Bob Mickler's, which will go to a well-deserving groom following each grand prix. In addition, a Hagyard's Handsomest Hound contest will also be held at each grand prix, sponsored by MedVet Medical & Cancer Centers for Pets.

Hagyard Equine Medical Institute is one of the oldest and largest equine veterinary practices in the world. Founded in 1876, the institute offers a staff with qualifications unparalleled by any single non-university veterinary group in the equine industry, and Hagyard veterinarians have dedicated themselves to the health and well being of the horse.

The facility at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offers 13 digital radiology systems, 1.5 Tesla Siemens MRI, nuclear scintigraphy, an on-site laboratory, an on-site pharmacy, full medical and surgical services, 24-hour emergency services and hyperbaric medicine. The practice has performed veterinary medicine for more than 137 years and is currently composed of over 50 experienced veterinarians, with 13 board certifications in specialty areas of medicine, surgery and theriogenology.

For more information on the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, please visit www.hagyard.com.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include title sponsor MWI Animal Health and presenting sponsor Zoetis as well as Dean Dorton Allen Ford, PLLC, Hallway Feeds, Audi of Lexington, Pike & Preston, Sallee Horse Vans and Hagyard Pharmacy. Additional sponsors include Equine Therapy and FooteWorks.

The Kentucky Spring Horse Show concluded on Sunday, May 15, and one of the highlight events was the kick-off of the 2016 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby series. Hesslink currently holds the lead in the standings with his winning effort aboard Rookie as well as the third place spot on Esco. Douglas Boyd, who placed second with Calido's Son, and Aaron Vale, who picked up the third place award with Madewell, follow Hesslink closely in the rankings.

The five-part series will feature a $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby throughout the spring and summer, and at the conclusion of the series the Leading Rider Bonus will be presented.  The $15,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Rider Bonus will award a $10,000 cash prize to the professional rider accumulating the most points in the five classes that make up the 2016 Hallway Feeds series. The series-leading amateur and junior riders accumulating the most points will each receive a $2,500 cash prize. Riders will receive points only on their highest placed horse in each of the classes. The awards will be presented at the conclusion of the Hallway Feeds class at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show on August 21.

Hallway Feeds' close proximity to the Kentucky Horse Park provides ample opportunity to utilize the freshest feed, manufactured with time-honored commitments to high standards of quality and the latest scientific advancements. Combining a premium nutrition package with a professional level of dedication in horsemen and women provides equine athletes with the formula for success.

For more information on Hallway Feeds, please visit www.hallwayfeeds.com.

The Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby series would not be possible without many generous sponsors including Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Fenwick Equestrian Products, EquiVision, Inc., Caddel Equine Therapy Center, Bauer Hay & Straw, Alfagreen Supreme, Trouw Nutrition, The Andersons, Mark Fischer Inc., Double S Liquid Feed Services, Inc., Agri-Business Insurance Services and Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Refresher.

The Kentucky Spring Classic held May 18-22 will also feature a FEI CSI3* rating. The $35,000 Welcome Speed will be held on Wednesday, followed by the $35,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic on Thursday, as riders try to accumulate valuable points for the Hagyard Leading Rider Bonus. On Saturday, May 21, riders will compete under the lights in the Rolex Stadium during the $130,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix. Once again all three FEI classes will count for the Longines Ranking List and the Thursday and Saturday classes will also count for the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List. In addition, the featured national classes will be the $50,000 Bluegrass Grand Prix, which counts towards the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List, and the $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix to be held on Sunday, May 22, in the Rolex Stadium. The $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby will be held in the Stonelea Ring on Saturday, May 21.
   
EQSportsNet will be streaming live webcasts of the $130,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3* during the Kentucky Spring Classic on Saturday, May 21. EQSportsNet Full Access subscribers can also watch all rounds of the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows series on demand at www.eqsports.net.

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

Hagyard Challenge Series Standings
PLACE    TOTAL    RIDER
1    290    AARON VALE
2    280    PABLO BARRIOS
3    100    VICTORIA COLVIN
4    80    KARL COOK
5    70    KRISTEN VANDERVEEN
6    60    DANIELA STRANSKY
7    50    CONOR O'REAGAN
8    40    ALEJANDRO KAROLYI
9    20    PETER WYLDE
10    10    BRITTNI RAFLOWITZ

Hallway Feeds Series Standings
PLACE TOTAL RIDER   
1    250    GEOFFREY HESSLINK PRO
2    225    DOUGLAS BOYD PRO
3    175    AARON VALE    PRO
4    150    WINN ALDEN    PRO
5    125    JENNIFER HANNAN PRO
6    100    HUNTER HOLLOWAY JR
7    75    CAROLINE WEEDEN    PRO
8    50    BROOK BAILEY AM
9    25    ASHLEY VOGEL JR