Michael Hughes and Sans Soucis Z (The Book LLC)

Lake Placid, N.Y. - Michael Hughes rode Sans Soucis Z to victory in the $30,000 Lake Placid Open Jumper Classic Friday at the 47th annual Lake Placid Horse Show, presented by Sea Shore Stables LLC.

In the first round, 15 of 35 entries rode fault-free over the 15-jump course designed by Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Germany. The first to return for the eight-jump tiebreaker was Andrew Kocher on Uppie De Lis and he set the mark to beat with a clean round in 42.782 seconds.

Two rides later Hughes and Sans Soucis Z took over the lead with a clean ride in 42.207 seconds. None of the remaining 13 entries could beat Hughes's score, although Catherine Tyree did finish in a faster time of 40.569 seconds on Enjoy Louis. However a rail down at the second-to-last fence gave her a score of four faults and a sixth-place finish. Kocher's score on Uppie De Lis held up for second place and third place went to Paul O'Shea who finished clean in 43.405 seconds on Primo Calypso.

"Going so early in the jump-off and knowing that I had some really fast horses and riders going after me, I didn't think my time would hold up," Hughes said. "Soucis is a big slow horse and I really didn't think our time was going to be enough to win but I'm very happy with the way it worked out."

Earlier in the day, Tori Colvin and Laura Chapot took top honors in the 1.35 and 1.40 meter jumper classes. Colvin and Chapot took four of the top five places in the Pepsi Beverages Co. 1.35-meter Jumper Class with Colvin winning the class on Chanel B 2 and also placing third on Don Juan. Chapot placed second on Umberto and fifth on Bec Hugo with Jennifer Jones taking fourth place on Farina.

In the Whiteface Mountain 1.40-meter Jumper Class, Chapot continued her streak of winning at least one class every day, sweeping the top two places. She won the class on Zealous while also placing second on Shooting Star. Third place went to Michael Hughes on Virginia WZ with Olympic veterans Peter Leone and Kevin Babington taking fourth and fifth on Capito Z and Super Chilled respectively.

In the Hunter ring, the Amateur-Owner division was completed and emerging as Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter champion was Cascarillo, ridden by Katie Robinson.

The Lake Placid Horse Show runs  through Sunday at the North Elba Showgrounds, highlighted by the $75,000 Devoucoux Grand Prix of Lake Placid on Sunday afternoon. The I Love New York Horse Show follows, July 5-10, featuring the $100,000 Equine Insurance Services/Great American Grand Pix on Saturday, July 9. Admission to the horse show is just $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.

For a behind the scenes look at the horse show, guided walking tours are offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 11:30 a.m. The tour groups meet at the horse show retail booth, and the tours, costing just $1.00, last approximately one hour.

Weekend highlights of the Lake Placid Horse Show include:

Saturday, July 2 - $20,000 CMJ Sporthorse 1.40m Open Stake; $7,500 High PeaksResort Low Junior Jumper Classic; $7,500 Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic; $5,000 J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Adult Amateur Jumper Classic;THIS National Children's Medal; $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby; Various Hunter & Jumper Classes

Sunday, July 3 - $5,000 The Wild Center Children's Jumper Classic; $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic; Juliam Farm Lead Line Class (1:00 PM); C.M. Hadfield's Parade of Champions (1:30 PM); $75,000 Devoucoux Grand Prix of Lake Placid presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC (2:00 PM) ; $1,000 MME Adult Amateur Hunter Classic; $1,000 MMG Children's Hunter Classic; Various Hunter, Jumper, & Equitation Classes

A generous Thank You to the Sponsors of the 2016 Lake Placid Horse Shows, presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC including: 17 Hands Gallery; Adirondack Life; Anonymous; Bainbridge Farm; Beacon Hill Horse Transportation, Inc.; Michael & Barbara Bitterman; Debbie & Jim Burrows; C.M. Hadfields Saddlery, Inc.; Carolina Arena Equipment; Casella Waste Management; Jane Forbes Clark; Clifton Park Rental; CMJ Sporthorse; Community Bank NA; Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, Lake Placid; Darkbrook Rustic Goods; David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks; Deeridge Farms; Der-Dau Custom Made Boots; Devoucoux, Inc.; Eastern Hay & Grain; Equestrian Living; Equine Insurance Services/Great American; FarmVet, Inc.; Featherlite Coaches; Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort; Hampton Inn; Hannaford Supermarkets; High Peaks Resort; Hollow Brook Wealth Management, LLC; Hooker Family; Horse Watch; Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC; Hunt, Ltd.; iEquine Media Inc.; J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines; Juliam Farm; Kate Levy & Family; KJ Robinson; Lake Placid CVB/Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST); Lake Placid Lodge; Lake Placid Summit Resort Hotel & Suites; Michael Morrissey Enterprises; Milagro Tequila/Empire Merchants North; Mirror Lake Inn/The Cottage Café; North Star; Northwoods Inn; Oakcroft; On A Fence Designs; ORDA - Whiteface Mountain; Pepsi Beverage Company; Prevost; Pure Placid; Purina Animal Nutrition; Ruthie's Run; Sage Hill Farm; Sand Castle Farm - Marsha Dammerman; Michael Schultz; Sea Shore Stables, LLC; Select Sotheby's International Realty; Sidelines; Dennis Sisco & Alexine Lesko; Stadium Jumping, Inc.: Storm Ridge Capital, LLC; Stretton Enterprises, Inc.; The Brown Dog Deli & Wine Bar; The Clothes Horse; The Wild Center; Town of North Elba Park District; Village of Lake Placid; WNBZ Rock 105; Woodlea Farms and WPTZ News Channel 5.

Those unable to attend the horse show can watch all the action live on line via ShowNet on their newly redesigned website at www.ShowNet.biz.