Lake Placid, NY - Darragh Kenny of Ireland and 14-year-old Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL were stars of the 35th annual I Love New York Horse Show, Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC.
Kenny rode Sandor De La Pomme to victory in the $75,000 Woodlea Farms Grand Prix and Colvin won both the Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship and the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Eastern Hay & Purina Mills.
Coming on the heels of his win the previous week in the $75,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix of Lake Placid, Kenny became only the fifth rider to sweep both of Lake Placid's Grand Prix in the same year. He joined Leslie Burr Howard (1985 and 1989), Debbie Dolan-Sweeney (1995), Margie Goldstein Engle (2001) and Jeffery Welles (2006) as the only riders to accomplish the feat.
Kenny was one of only 4 entries of 28 in the field to reach the jump-off by riding without penalty over the 15-jump first-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds designed by Olaf Peterson, Jr. of Germany. Kenny was the second to return for the 9-jump tiebreaker and he rode fault-free again, finishing in 45.685 seconds to take the win.
Candice King of Wellington, FL placed second on Whistler with a clean jump-off ride in 45.849 seconds. Third place also went to King who had 4 jump-off faults and a time of 45.284 seconds on her other horse, Kismet. Fourth went to Charlie Jacobs of Boston, MA who had 4 faults and time of 46.178 seconds on Leap Of Joy.
"The course was the winner today," Kenny said. "It was a good course but with no room for error. When I saw Candice have that last rail I knew that even though I'd have to be fast, I wanted to be careful to go clean first."
Following the Grand Prix, the Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence was awarded to Kenny as the rider winning the most combined prize money in the $75,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix during the Lake Placid Horse Show and the $75,000 Woodlea Farms Grand Prix during the I Love New York Horse Show.
Prior to the Grand Prix, Schaefer Raposa rode Wilco to victory over a 23-horse field in the $10,000 Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort High Junior Jumper Classic and Kelly Soleau rode Centre Ice to the win over a 29-horse field in the $10,000 Champlain Valley Equipment High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Both Classics are member events of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series.
Also on Saturday, Victoria Colvin won the Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship which was held in the Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix Field. The Championship is open to those who placed first or second in the Pessoa/USEF Medal, ASPCA/NHS Maclay, Platinum Performance USEF Talent Search, National PHA or WIHS equitation classes at the two Lake Placid shows.
The following morning, Colvin was back in the winner's circle again after ridingInclusive to victory in the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Eastern Hay & Purina Mills. Colvin also placed third on Havana with second place going to Scott Stewart and Declaration, winner of the first Hunter Derby in Lake Placid in 2010.
Thirty-two horses competed in the Hunter Derby, held for the third year in the Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix Field. Bobby Murphy designed an Adirondack-themed course incorporating hiking trails, trout fishing, bears, owls, canoes, boats and Adirondack chairs. Riders had the option of choosing either the River Run Handy Trail or the Deeridge Handy Trail.
"Lake Placid is the best place for theme concepts," Murphy said. "We started it last year with the Olympic theme and it's something we wanted to continue this year. People come up here to vacation and have a good time and they're familiar with a lot of what we incorporated into the course.
"Most of our exhibitors have gone trail riding on the River Run down to Mr. Feldman's farm and many go hiking up the mountain trails. We get great support from the local community in providing the materials for the course and I really have to thank the crew who worked till 11:00 Saturday night building it."
In the first round, Colvin and Inclusive, owned by Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, topped the field with a score of 189 points from judges Phillip DeVita, Scott Hofstetter, Scott Williamson and Julie Winkle. Standing second with 184 points was Bring It On, owned by North Star and shown by Darragh Kenny of Ireland who won both Grand Prix during the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows. Stewart and Declaration, owned by Fashion Farm, stood third with 182 while Colvin and Havana, owned by Dwight & Irwin, were fourth with 171.5.
Colvin and Havana topped the second round with 206 points, with Stewart and Declaration posting the second highest score of 200. Colvin and Inclusive scored 194, giving them an overall total of 383 for a one-point edge the over the 382 score of Stewart and Declaration.
"He really was great today and it was so much fun to be able to ride him in the Grand Prix field," said Colvin. "It's such a treat to be able to ride in that field. I just love it!"
Colvin and Havana totaled 377.5 for the two rounds for a third place finish with Kenny and Bring It On placing fourth with 356. Schaefer Raposa was fifth with 350 points on Poolside, owned by Southfields Farm.
Other feature class winners during the 35th annual I Love New York Horse Show, Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC., included:
Wednesday, July 4 – Laura Chapot on Umberto in the Lake Placid Convention and Visitors Bureau 1.45m Open Jump-off; Chapot on Carpe Diem in the 1.35m Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Jump-off Class; Candice King on Amigo in the 1.30m WPTZ News Channel 5 Jumper Class; Charlotte Jacobs on Promised Land in the Beacon Hill Farm High Junior Jumper Class; and Wesley Newlands on Lapacco in the Deeridge Farms Amateur-Owner Jumper Class.
Thursday, July 5 –Candice King on Whistler in the $30,000 USA ANIMO Open Jumper Classic; King on Amigo in the 1.35m Lake Placid Lodge Jumper Class; Laura Chapot on Zealous in the 1.40m J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Open Speed Stake and Schaeffer Raposa on Gideon in the Beacon Hill Farm Junior Jumper Class.
Friday, July 6 – Laura Chapot on Umberto in the 1.45 Hollow Brook Associates, LLC. Open Jumper Class; Chapot on Bradberry in the 1.40m Lake Placid Lodge Speed Class; Hillary Simpson on Arkansas in the 1.35m Jamaica Tent Jumper Class and Callie Smith on Upstaire in the Deeridge Farms Amateur-Owner Jumper Class.
Saturday, July 7 - Emily Kinch on Landora II in the 1.30m Saratoga Eagle Jumper Class and Lili Hymowitz on Trillville in the Clifton Park Rental Center Pony Hunter Classic.
Sunday, July 8 – Elizabeth Benson on Warsaw in The Levy Family Low Junior Jumper Classic; Hannah Murrin on Land Dame in the Mirror Lake Inn WIHS Adult Jumper Classic (age 18-40) and Randy Levesque on Lyla in the Mirror Lake Inn WIHS Adult Jumper Classic (over 40), highlighting the Storm Ridge Capital Adult Jumper Division; Andre Mershad on Opera in the P.F. Farm NAL & WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic (age 14 & under) and Maddie Sisco on Ensor in the P.F. Farm NAL & WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic (age 15-17), highlighting The Hooker Family Children's Jumper Division; and Emily Kinch on Victoria in the Y106.3 Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic.
The Fenwick Equestrian Parade of Champions honored those winning championships over the course of the I Love New York Horse Show including Cornerstone, the Grand Hunter Champion owned by Westerly Farm and shown by Holly Orlando; Tigger, the High Performance Hunter Champion owned by Jane Forbes Clark and shown by Jimmy Toon; Valentine, Grand Champion of the Bainbridge Co. Amateur-Owner Hunter Division, owned and shown by Jaime Auletto; and Romance, Grand Champion of the Lora and Michael Schultz Adult Hunter Division, owned and shown by Lisa Wentworth.
The I Love New York Horse Show also featured its 20th Annual Doggie Costume Contest, sponsored by The Brown Dog Café & Wine Bar, the Foster Family, A Placid Life/Jake Placid Doghouse and Animal Planet. The award for Best Overall entry, as well as Best Local entry, went to Cosmo, an 11-year-old, Skipperkee, and Rascal, a 2-year-old Sheltie, owned by the Buonanno and Freeman families of Bloomingdale, NY. The costume was "Plan K-9 From Outer Space."
Second place and Best Horse Show entry was a group of dogs owned by horse show exhibitors from Florida, Connecticut, Ohio and New York whose costume was "Puppy Love." Third place went to Chaparro, a 5-year-old Terrier owned by Arcadia Farms in Yorktown Heights, NY whose costume was a "Black Bear." The Lulu Award for the funniest costume went to Sammy, a 12-year-old Lab/Coonhound cross, and Jessie, a 5-year-old Australian Shepherd, owned by Rachelle of Bedminster, NJ, whose costume was a "Chicken & Egg."
The horse show also hosted its annual Kids Day sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, and its annual Window Decorating Contest which was won by the Bookstore Plus.
The horse also held its Tack Room contest and the winner was North Run who received two tickets for round-trip flights between Saranac Lake, NY and Boston compliments of Cape Air.
The 2012 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Show sponsors included: A Placid Life, Adirondack Flying Service, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Store, Alessandro Albanese, Animal Planet, Anonymous, Arbor Hill Farm (The Boggio Family), Bainbridge Companies, LLC, Beacon Hill Farm, Beacon Hill Horse Transportation, Inc., Cape Air, Carr-Hughes Productions, Casella Waste Management, Jane Forbes Clark, Clifton Park Rental Center, C.M. Hadfield's Saddlery, Inc., Community Bank, N.A., Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Deeridge Farms, Der Dau Custom Made Boots, Devoucoux, Inc, Eastern Hay, Equifit, Inc., FarmVet, Inc., Fox Run, Ltd., Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, Hannaford Supermarkets, James Harpel, Hollow Brook Associates, LLC High Peaks Resort, Horseshoe Trail Farm, LLC, Horse Show Services, Horse Watch, Intercat, Inc., J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Jamaica Tent Company, Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, Juliam Farm, Kistler Buildings, Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid Summit Resort Hotel & Suites, Meadow Grove Farm, Mirror Lake Inn, Mountain Horse, Bobby & Melissa Murphy, On A Fence Designs, ORDA - Whiteface Mountain, P. F. Farm, Parlanti USA, Pepsi Beverages Company, Price Chopper, Purina Mills, Quiet Hill Farm, ROOST - LP-Essex County Visitors Bureau, Ruthie's Run, Sam Edelman Shoes, Sand Castle Farm, Saratoga Eagle, Lora & Michael Schultz, Sidelines, SmartPak, Storm Ridge Capital, LLC, Stretton Enterprises, Inc., The Brown Dog Deli & Wine Bar, The Cottage Café, The Hooker Family, The Levy Family, The Spa @ The Mirror Lake Inn, The Tack Shelter, The Whiteface Lodge, Time Warner Cable, Town of North Elba Park District, USA Animo, Woodlea Farms, WPTZ News Channel 5 and Y-106.3.
Posted start orders, live results and video clips of all rounds of horse show competition are available on line at www.ShowNet.biz.
For more information, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.