Traverse City, MI - Another beautiful day greeted riders and their horses on the second day of the multi-series Horse Shows by the Bay equestrian festival in Traverse City, MI. In the Grand Prix Ring at Flintfields Horse Park this afternoon, jumpers excited fans with a series of power and speed classes. Ashley Charpentier rode Buttercup to a first place finish in the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class, while Kenzie Donovan piloted Volarnah to the top of the Low Junior / Amateur-Owner Jumper class. Both events utilized a continuous power and speed format, challenging riders to adapt quickly to the many twists and turns in designer Chris Brandt's colorful course.

Following a lively 1.35m jumper class, in which David Jennings nearly made a clean sweep of the top three places, the High Junior/Amateur-Owner class featured a bevy of bold turns atop the new footing in the Grand Prix ring. In a class sponsored by Kilkenny Insurance of Wellington, FL, Ashley Charpentier and Buttercup were the last to ride but the first to finish. The duo sped cleanly through both the power and speed portions of the competition, completing the speed section in a scant 40.735 seconds. Alex Parrish was just a few seconds behind on Frisco, clearing the speed segment in 43.021 seconds. Kim Farlinger and Arcardia 3 rounded-out the top three places with a nearly fault-free trip.

"I really liked today's ride," said Charpentier of her victorious trip in the Grand Prix ring today. "She (Buttercup) is a really fast horse, and sometimes I don't even need to try. On those inside turns, going so fast, she has a massive stride so it always feels smooth. In the power and speed format, you have to turn your eye a little bit sooner, look for that jump a little bit earlier - you want to get that first opportunity to get up there, instead of waiting for everything to be perfect. My horse is so fast, though, that she just glides along, and I'm not too concerned about getting up there to make the time." She added, "I like the new footing. I think I like it a little bit better than at some other rings, because it seems a little bit faster, and it stays a bit more moist. Sometimes other rings get hard after a while, and you can hear the horse's feet smack."

"My favorite thing about Buttercup," laughed Charpentier, "is mostly winning. She's amazing. I got her in January. I showed her in the low jumpers in Florida, and we've been doing some highs at home, now we're doing high juniors, so we're doing well."

In a highly competitive Low Junior/Amateur-Owner class, many horse and rider combinations were able to score impressive times in the speed portion of their respective rounds. Aboard the talented gray mare Volarnah, Kenzie Donovan cleared today's obstacles the fastest, with a final time of 33.163 seconds. The two exhibited a near-ideal trip, as they calmly tackled the power portion and then picked up the pace in the speed section. Also performing ideally was Carly Morrison on Duvel, who cleared the speed course in only 34.495 seconds. Coming in a very close third was Anna Levy on Papageno with a speed time of 34.784 seconds. Also achieving fast, clear rounds were Erin Haas on All of a Sudden, Daniel Hudlow on Tuxedo, Lisa Jacquin on Udora, Rachel Reid on Blossom, Rachel Geiger on No Stranger, and Hannah Olson on Billy the Kid.

Donovan is a 21-year-old recent graduate of Georgetown University, and has only been partnering with Volarnah since February of this year. "She's always game," said winner Donovan of Volarnah. "If she sees a jump - doing the tight turns and even being deep, she just tries so hard. She's really little, so she can make all the tight turns, and I can go as fast as she'll let me go and just collect her right before the jump and she's super. With her, though, I have to remember to sit up and make sure she doesn't get too strung-out on her front end. She's super careful, so it's never a problem. What my trainer, Emily Williams, stresses the most is just making sure you have your eye on the track, and don't just focus on the jump, but also know where you want to go afterwards, and keep your pace in check so you don't get too over-paced or under-paced. She may have gotten a little over-paced today, but it worked out."

Second place finisher Carly Morrison noted, "The best part about being out there today is just doing your best with your horse. We've been together for about three years, and he'll do anything. We have a really good relationship, he's really willing. The length of the course was pretty long, so it was hard to keep him fired-up throughout the whole entire thing, but he was great." Morrison owns Duvel and trains with Mac McQuaker at Gryphon Farms in Ontario, Canada.

Throughout the month of July, Horse Shows by the Bay will continue to offer riders and fans an ideal summer experience. Feature events for the remainder of this first week, Series I, include the $10,000 Welcome Prix on July 8 and the $30,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City on July 10.

During Series II, held July 13-17, highlights include a new $10,000 Horse Shows by the Bay Open Hunter Classic, a new $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Classic, and a $30,000 Grand Traverse Bay Grand Prix and VIP Sponsor Luncheon. Series III, which occurs July 20-24, includes a $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, a $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix, and a $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes and VIP Sponsor Luncheon.

During the fourth and final week of competition, exciting events include the $30,000 D-BRAIDER Cherry Capital Classic Grand Prix, as well as a $10,000 Children's/Adult Jumper Prix and VIP Sponsor Luncheon. By the conclusion of this action-packed celebration of equestrian sport, over half a million dollars in prize money will have been awarded.

For more information or to view schedules, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com or call 231-267-3700.