Tracy Fenney and MTM Reve Du Paradis Only Pair to Jump Double Clear During $20,000 Welcome Stake Sponsored by Nutrena

  

Tracy Fenney and MTM Reve du Paradis won the $20,000 Welcome Stake, sponsored by Nutrena, at the Showplace Productions Spring Spectacular II.

Wayne, IL - June 11, 2015 - Thirty-seven horse and rider combinations attempted to win the lion's share of the earnings during the $20,000 Welcome Stake, sponsored by Nutrena, yet only one would jump double clear for the victory. Texan Tracy Fenney raced around the jump-off track aboard MTM Reve Du Paradis, dashing across the final vertical in 37.247 seconds. 

The grey gelding, owned by MTM Farms of Flower Mound, TX, is a new addition to the talented team, only becoming part of the family a month prior. Fenney tried him on a Saturday morning, and won a grand prix that evening at the Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, Texas.

"We are obviously very ecstatic with him," Fenney smiled. "We are just getting to know him a little bit. He is a super cool horse. He has a great attitude, is really willing to go to the jumps and he has a lot of personality. He likes to mess around with his mouth and has a few very kinky and quirky things that are fun; I like that about a horse. I think that have to have a little something special-pizzazz-to do what we ask them to do."

Fenney and Michael McCormick have every right to be excited about the new show jumping prospect. Hector Loyala's course balanced a tight time allowed and a technical track to see only nine advance to the jump-off, an Fenney and MTM Reve Du Paradis were the only ones to master both tracks. 

Lisa Goldman rode to the second and third place finishes with Centurion B and Aslan, respectively, heading the pack as the fastest of the four fault finishers. Brandon Howard and Balvino captured the fourth place, while Nick Novak and Climbus took fifth. Goldman returned to the ring with her third mount of the event, Morocco, earning the sixth place with eight faults.

Lisa Goldman and Centurion B

Brandon Howard and Balvino

MTM Farm is no newcomer to the winner's circle at the Spring Spectacular. They enjoyed the 2014-edition so much, from the venue, competition, and hospitality that they came back and brought their friends and fellow competitors from the Texas-region. 

Fenney smiled, "We are very excited to be back here this year."

Nutrena was the proud sponsor of Thursday's $20,000 Open Welcome Stake, and Nutrena National Equine Team Sales Leader Tim Karl was onsite to see the action unfold in the Grand Prix Ring.

Tracy Fenney and MTM Reve Du Paradis pose with Tim Karl of Nutrena and MTM Farm's Michael McCormick

"We have been associated with Showplace Productions for 15 years, and at various levels of sponsorship," Karl said. "It provides a tremendous amount of value for our Nutrena-brand to have this level of exposure, not only in the Chicago-regional market, but also with the national presence that is here and helps us meet our brand goals. We have a tremendous amount of customers here who feed our feed products and nutritional supplements. It helps us meet our goals for the hunter/jumper community. "

$1,000 Young 7-Year-Old Jumper Championship

Brandie Holloway and Dublin

Brandie Holloway rode to the win during the $1,000 Young Jumper 7-Year-Old Championship class earlier in the morning with Dublin in 45.524 seconds. The 7-year-old has been moving up the pipeline with Holloway, a home-bred horse that holds sentimental value for the Holloway females.

"I showed both his mother and father in the grand prix, S&L So Be It and Argentina, and his sire is who Hunter won her first grand prix on when she was 12," Holloway said. "It is kind of neat when you bring them along yourself, so that's cool. HE's a good horse-he's hot, rides a little Thoroughbredy, very careful like his mother and scopey like his dad. I like a horse with a little bit of a motor, so we are a great combination."

Alec Bozorgi and Cappanaleigh Storm, finished behind Holloway with one time fault in 50.736 seconds, incurred during the speed round. Theo Genn and Posh finished in third as the quickest of the four-fault rounds.      

$1,000 Young 6-Year-Old Jumper Championship

Tiffany Hammack and Cassini Du Boy

During the $1,000 Young Jumper 6-Year-Old Championship class, Tiffany Hammack and Cassini Du Boy finished the victors. Nick Novak and Classic Roc came in second place, while Theo Genn and Enigma took third.

Hammack explained, "He has been great all season, he is very easy for a 6-year-old and I can be competitive on him. He is currently leading the standings for the Midwest."

This is the second year that Showplace Productions has offered the Young Jumper divisions without entry fees, to help make showing more affordable for the future athletes of the sport.

"It encourages people to bring their Young Jumpers to the horse show without it being too expensive, and we are still competing for qualifying points, which is great," Hammack said.

The Showplace Productions Spring Spectacular II continues Friday with the equitation riders taking center stage early in the morning for the Washington Classic Jumper Phase, as well as the WIHS Children's and Adult Classics. In the afternoon the Open Jumper division will continue with the $5,000 1.30m Open Jumper, prepping horses for the steadily approaching $50,000 Win Vision Grand Prix, this Saturday at 3 p.m. The Junior and Amateur riders will have a chance to accrue points in the $2,5000 Accumulator Jumper classes, an exciting event that is only offered during Week II of the Showplace Spring Spectacular Series. 

Wayne, IL- June 11, 2015- The professional hunter divisions wrapped up the second day of competition in the hunter rings at the Showplace Spring Spectacular II at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. With so many classes and an increased number of entries from the first week of the series, it was anyone's guess as to who was going to earn the rosettes in the numerous divisions throughout the day. While a few horse and rider pairs were able to continue their winning streak, a few new names are getting a streak started of their own.

Regular Conformation Hunter

It took a tag-team effort of husband and wife Rush and Caroline Weeden to claim the Regular Conformation Hunter Champion title aboard Cucinelli Thursday afternoon. It was Caroline who navigated Cucinelli to an impressive four first-place finishes- two over fences, the hack, and the model- yesterday in the hunter ring, but after an unfortunate fall from another mount, her husband took over the ride and completed the final classes of the division. With Rush in the irons, the pair earned second and third place finishes, even more noteworthy considering it was the rider's first time completing a true course on the horse.  

Cucinelli, a gelding owned by Glory Days Farm, LLC, "jumped beautifully his week. He has a great brain, he's not at all spooky, and is just a good guy," complimented Caroline of the horse. Cucinelli just began his career in the Regular Conformation Hunters this year, having previously competed in the First Year division, and there are hopes that he will compete in the adult hunter divisions in the future.

Although Cucinelli came out atop the leader board, a few other pairs also showcased themselves well enough to earn top honors. Earning the reserve championship title was Bugsy Malone, owned by Pony Lane Farm and ridden by Maggie Jayne. Serah Vogus rode the gelding Bonfeuer, owned by Jan Milani, to high placings throughout the division also, never placing below third.

Green Hunter

Maggie Jayne and Jewel

Maggie Jayne rode another Pony Lane Farm mount, Jewel, to the win in the Green Hunter division, besting the field of 17 competitors by earning first in four of the five classes. Jayne and the grey mare only placed below the top position in the hack. The second-best finisher of the field, Memorable, also put on a good impression for the judge. With Maria Rasmussen aboard, the Over Fences Farm, LLC horse earned no less than fourth in the five classes of the division to claim the reserve tricolor.  

Performance 3'6" Working Hunter 

Will Roberts and State Hill

One of the largest classes of the day with nearly 40 entries, the Performance 3'6" Working Hunter division was a hard-fought battle between a few top contenders, but in the end it was State Hill, owned by Joan Violin and ridden by Will Roberts, who topped the judge's card. After two fourth place finishes in the opening classes of the division yesterday, Roberts and State Hill solidified their win with a first and third place finish in the fences classes this afternoon, as well as the first in the hack.

"This horse is quite new to me and it is actually the first time I've shown him. I try not to mess up and he knows his job," said Roberts of his mount. He picked up the ride on State Hill just a few short months ago after the owner's recent move to Houston, at which time trainer Ellen Raidt contacted Roberts. The horse has several years of successful showing under his belt with multiple riders such as David Q. Wright, Ellen Raidt, and Michael Tokaruk, and competed in the International Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Horse Park in 2013.   

"He has great mileage on him, and is such a blast to ride," praised Roberts. "He jumps high, has a huge stride, and is an all-around great hunter."    

Martien Van Der Hoeven, who splits his abilities between the hunter and jumper rings, came in a close second to Roberts, earning the reserve honors in the 3'6" division. Van der Hoeven had the ride aboard Julie Thompson's bay gelding, Cellino, to take second, and he also navigated two other horses around the course. It was a busy day for Van Der Hoeven, as he immediately hopped aboard another mount to enter into his next division.   

Performance 3'3" Working Hunter  

The same division of the lower height, the Performance 3'3" Working Hunters, showed even more entries than its previous division, resulting in a California split of the class. With a whopping 53 exhibitors in the fences classes, the lengthy competition made it hard to predict who would come out on top. In the second day of exhibition, Calido's Son racked up the most points with the first, third, and fourth place finishes. A number of other competitors also performed very well, including Beth Bailey's horses GamePlan and Playbook, both ridden by Kara Raposa, and Caroline Roethlisberger's Dream On, with Sarah Young aboard. Due to the abundant number of competitors and the multiple sections, the champion and reserve points had not been fully tabulated by the day's conclusion.  

High Performance Hunter

Tiffany Hammack and Ducati

A lot of place-swapping occurred between the eight entries in this week's High Performance Hunter division. The pairs of Maria Rasmussen and Quite Chocolate, Tiffany Hammack and Ducati, Russell Frey and Aarhus, the two Weedens and Corvine, as well as three mounts split between the husband and wife team of Freddie and Jodi Vazquez, all put on a good show over course designer Skip Bailey's well-decorated obstacles in Ring III. Tamara Provost and Kallisto joined in on the second day of competition. With each duo putting on strong performances, the results were inconsistent over the two days of competition, but it was Tiffany Hammack and Ducati, owned by Cassie Berke, who edged out the other exhibitors with the greatest number of points.

Lance Williamson's Aarhus took second prize with Russell Frey aboard. Provost and Kallisto, owned by Kim Calamos, took first and third place finishes today, earning the highest marks of the day in the division, but were unable to tally enough points to take the champion or reserve title after missing the first day of competition.

Green Conformation Hunter 

Winn Alden and Covert

The Green Conformation Hunter division, one of the early classes of the day, was nearly swept by Covert, the black gelding ridden by Winn Alden and owned by Elizabeth Nestor. The team of Covert and Alden won three classes, and finished second and third in the other two. Coming up just short of Covert was AE Swanson Farms, LLC's Savile Row, who was navigated around the courses this afternoon by Kara Raposa.  

$1,000 Open Hunter Classic 

Running throughout the day, the $1,000 Open Hunter Classic was open to hunter exhibitors in Ring III. Competitors competed in their respective divisions, with their second fences class of the day also serving as their first Classic score, with another round to follow for qualified horse and rider pairs. 

Molly McAdow and Lanie Bricker's Charlie Brown began the day setting the bar high with a total score of 163. Ryan Sassmannshausen in the irons aboard Olivia Moore's Petrossian and Tiffany Hammack and Ducati also boasted promising scores of 154 and 153, respectively, but were unable to take the lead from McAdow.   

Later in the day, McAdow's score eventually fell to the 164.50 produced from the pair of Maria Rasmussen and Ashley Netzky's Corporate. In the end, Pony Lane Farm's Bugsy Malone and Maggie Jayne, who competed in the Regular Conformation Hunters, with the high scores of 85 and 87 for a total of 172, claimed the victory. Right behind Jayne and Bugsy was the day's Green Conformation Hunter Champion duo of Covert and Winn Alden.   

$1000 USHJA Pre-Green Incentive 

Maggie Jayne and Bugsy Malone

Just across the fence in Ring IV, it was another successful day for MTM Farm and Tracy Fenney. Fresh off her win in the $20,000 Welcome Stake sponsored by Nutrena in the Grand Prix Ring earlier in the afternoon, Fenney traded her jumper mount for four hunter rides in the $1,000 USHJA Pre-Green Incentive. After the rounds of the 25 competitors were completed, it was Fenney who held four of the six top scores. With four horses all owned by MTM Farm, which she co-operates with Michael McCormick, Fenney claimed the champion and reserve titles.

Repeating last week's efforts was her highest scoring-mount, MTM Mingle, who was also the Incentive winner during the first week of the Spring Spectacular Series. The second-place finisher was MTM Selfie, the Pre-Green 3' Hunter Champion yesterday. MTM Personalized took fourth place, with Maria Rasmussen aboard Ashley Netzky's Maastricht sneaking into the third position, and MTM Nestle claimed sixth.

The Equitation and Junior Hunters begin tomorrow as the Showplace Spring Spectacular II continues. The Washington Classic Jumper Phase will kick off the morning in the Grand Prix Ring, and will later wrap up in Hunter Ring III, with the ASPCA Maclay taking place in the same ring. 

$500 Take 2 TB Jumpers Classic 

$1,000 Littlewood Farm & The Markman Family Pony Hunter Classic (L,M,S)

$20,000 Nutrena Open Welcome Stake

$500 Take 2 TB Jumpers Classic