Lillie Keenan and Veronique win High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers at Brandywine Valley Summer Series (AnLi Kelly-Durham/PMG)
The jumper divisions kicked off with the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers. Saly Glassman and GK Calluci, owned by Kindle Hill Affiliates of Gwynedd Valley, PA, rode to a double clear finish as the first to show over the course. They set the time to beat at 33.639 seconds, which held up for the second place honors. Glassman also completed a double clear effort with her second mount Cover Girl, also owned by Kindle Hill Affiliates, and their jump-off time of 33.75 took home the third place award. Victoria Press piloted Whisper, an entry owned by Heritage Farm of Katonah, NY, to a fourth place finish, with a fault-free time of 35.245. In the end it was junior phenom Lillie Keenan of New York, NY who piloted Chansonette Farm's Veronique to a double clear effort for the win. They topped Glassman's time by almost three seconds, breaking the beam at a speedy 30.838 seconds.
"I bought Veronieque from Patricia Griffith a few years ago and I've had her for almost three years. She was my first High Junior Jumper," commented Keenan. "She had last year off because of an injury and this is the first time she has done the Highs. She's been awesome. She came back totally strong and ready to go thanks to William Howard, who rehabbed her. She's awesome for these kinds of classes because she wants to win."
Keenan continued, "She's naturally very quick across the ground and she jumps the fences quickly, and when we are schooling her I have to think about slowing her down because she can get ahead of herself. She wants to go, she wants to win. I just let her go at her speed, and one of her strengths is that she can turn on a dime."
"I love this show. My favorite horse show is Devon, so it's nice to come back here and not have the pressure and still be able to get experience in the ring. For some of these horses it's a lot going in there for the first time. I really like it here, it is quiet and fun," commented Keenan of the Brandywine Valley Summer Series.
Next, the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers had a chance to test their skills on Kenny Krome's challenging course. For the second time today, it was Keenan who bested the class, this time aboard Zentina B. The duo went double clear with a time of 33.215 seconds. Not even half a second behind them was Saly Glassman once again, this time aboard Kindle Hill Affiliates' Lorado 28. They crossed the finish line in 33.758 seconds, good enough for second place. Taking home the third place honors was Alex Matz and Jolly Mone, an entry owned by Trelawny Farm of Bedford, NY, finishing with a time of 35.29 seconds. Calgary, ridden and owned by Madeline Turner of Montclair, NJ, went clear and jumped off to a time of 39.268 seconds, earning her the fourth place ribbon.
"I only got Zentina B a few weeks ago, so this is our first horse show together. She's really funny because she is like a pony, little, compact, and likes to go really fast. She's a bit sassy in the schooling area because she's a mare and likes to have her personal space," explained Keenan of her new mount. "We tried to win, but I obviously don't know the horse very well. I was just testing her out to see if she could do the turns and go quickly. She was perfectly happy to do it and very game."
To round out the evening, the Children and Adult Jumpers took their turn in the Dixon Oval during the NAL/WIHS Child/Adult Jumper Classic. Krome's difficult track included two double combinations, a triple, and a liverpool, separating the good from the very best. Despite the challenging questions asked in this classic round, Angelena Daprato of Annandale, NJ was victorious aboard her ride Red Bull. The pair turned in two clean rounds, breaking the beam in 35.434 seconds, good for the win.
"Sometimes, he is really easy and sometimes he is a very hard ride, but I've had a lot of difficult horses, so with all that experience it just makes it easier. I thought it went really well, I was a little worried because of the size of the jumps, but everything went well," commented Daprato on her winning classic round.
Following behind Daprato was Lucy Matz riding Umberto Ter Linden, an entry owned by Faith Stewart of Malvern, PA. They went double clear with a time of 38.064 seconds, earning them the second place ribbon. Less than three-tenths of a second separated second and third place, with Alexis Rappaport of Berwyn, PA and her own Valkenier, garnering the third place honors with their time of 38.305 seconds. Madeleine Jefferson piloted 2oodles, owned by Leigh Berman out of Bayertown, PA, to the fourth place finish stopping the clock at 38.448 seconds.
The second annual Brandywine Valley Summer Series will continue tomorrow with the High and Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumpers and the Marshall and Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Classic. This week's jumper divisions will conclude on Friday with the High and Low Junior/Amateur Owner Hall of Fame Jumper classics.
For more information about the Brandywine Valley Summer Series, please visit http://brandywinevalleysummerseries.com.