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| Tracy Fenney and MTM Timon rode to the win in the $20,000 Open Welcome Stake at the Showplace Spring Spectacular II. |
Wayne, IL - June 11, 2014 - The $20,000 Open Welcome Stake at the Showplace Spring Spectacular II came down to an eight-horse jump-off where speed was the name of the game. Texan Tracy Fenney was fast as greased lightning with MTM Timon, breaking the beam in 31.442 seconds to outrun her competitors for the first place finish.
Twenty-four horse and rider combinations faced off at the Lamplight Equestrian Center's LUXMAX, U.S.A. Grand Prix Ring for the afternoon's highlight class, but only five were able to post double-clear efforts. Caitlin Hope and Total Touch, owned by Kathleen Hope of Barrington, IL, were the first to post a clear round. She returned for the jump-off and laid down a double-clear effort in 35.789 seconds, wearing a target on her back.
"Total Touch was really great coming off of Devon, so I had a lot of confidence and he was ready to go," Hope said. "The triple combination was pretty tough, but my trainer Diane [Carney] calls it 'pulling the trigger' where I wind him up and then keep going through. He really helped me out there. He was great."
Hope continued, "He always gives 100 percent effort, and he is a really good competitor. We are not necessarily the fastest, but we can put in a clean round in the jump-off. I have had him for five years, so we have come along together. I love showing here; I have been coming here since I was showing in the Short Stirrup division. It is nostalgic for me, as well as close to home."
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| Caitlin Hope and Total Touch |
Ryan Genn and Cookie Monster owned by Wilhelm Genn of Lebanon, OH, finished only four-hundredths of a second behind Hope to eventually take the third place position. Alliy Moyer and her own Etoile Van't Lambroeck completed the course with all rails in their cups, but their time of 37.390 seconds would earn the duo the fifth place. Rounding out the top six was Bugatti with Wilhelm in the irons. They took a more conservative approach to the serpentine of obstacles, jumping clean in 41.402 seconds.
Tracy Fenney and MTM Timon, owned by MTM Farms of Flower Mound, TX, completed the jump-off in a blazing 31.442 seconds, shattering Hope's time by nearly four and a half seconds.
Fenney said, "There was one area in the jump-off, next to the oxer set on the diagonal where I thought it was awkward. I was a little nervous going through there, but it worked out fine. He is real agile; everything he does is quick and efficient so it was really smooth. My husband [Michael McCormick] always says, 'Smooth is fast.'"
"He is always awesome," Fenney smiled. "I thought it was nice and inviting, it was a good welcome stake course to get everyone in the ring and get them going. He felt great, a little warm and a little quiet, but he feels great. He doesn't need much from me; he's easy and likes doing his job. Good horses make it easy."
Lisa Goldman of Hawthorn Woods, IL, rode Morocco to a clear effort, duplicating her effort aboard Centurion B, but an unfortunate rail in the jump-off on both mounts would prove good enough for the sixth and seventh place positions, respectively. Theo Genn and Aniviero Z, owned by Amy Lefferdink of Cleveland, OH, rode to the eighth place position with their four-fault score on the shortened track in 36.290 seconds.
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Tracy Fenney and MTM Timon.
Photo By: Andrew Ryback Photography |
Fenney also rode to the win during the $1,000 Young Jumper 7/8 Year Old Championship class, sponsored by AliBoo Farm, earlier in the morning with MTM Cravitz in 31.925 seconds. The 7-year-old has been moving up the pipeline with Fenney since they bought him two years ago in Europe. The gelding missed one year in the Young Jumper division, but he has come along quickly with Fenney in the irons.
"We have been taking it slow with him since he is young and was really just free jumping over there," Fenney elaborated. "We did him a little last year in Ocala, and then gave him some time off and started him back here. He is greener than you would expect, but he is real willing to do everything."
Haylie Rolfe and Lithium, owned by Alex Jayne of Elgin, IL, finished behind Fenney without fault in 33.858 seconds. Tony Font and Von Casius, owned by Deana Blackburn of Houston, TX, finished in third.
During the $1,000 Young Jumper 6-Year-Old Championship class, sponsored by Julie Novak and ROC U.S.A., Cara Cheska and Da Vinci, owned by Donald Cheska Sales, finished the victors. Liz Atkins and Cass came in second place, while Kam McDonald and Image Valiere Z took third.
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| Cara Cheska and Da Vinci |
Cheska explained, "He was a little rowdy today. He has so much jump that he doesn't care where he is, so sometimes he won't listen and slow down, his stride is so big that it makes leaving the strides out easy, but sometimes we need to compact. I am very excited to be able to ride him."
Bred from the same dam as renowned grand prix horse Pavarotti, Da Vinci is similar in his size and style, suiting the petite Cheska perfectly. He bounced around the jump-off track in 32.901 seconds, with Cheska referring to his style as "a rubber ball."
Cheska concluded, "The fact that there is no entry fee to enter in these young horse divisions is really, really great. I have to thank Pat [Boyle] for doing that. It is really expensive to bring young horses to a horse show, but to be able to show without having to pay for the class itself is such a wonderful idea, and I hope other horse shows catch on. It is crucial to have these classes to help the young horses come along."
The LUXMAX U.S.A. Grand Prix Ring will welcome equitation riders 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, sponsored by Wisconsin Equine, prepping horses for the steadily approaching $30,000 Showplace Grand Prix, sponsored by Nutrena, this Sunday 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.For more information please visit: www.showplaceproductions.com.
Showplace Spring Spectacular II June 10-15, 2014
RESULTS BY CLASS
$20,000 Open Welcome Stake
result entry # horse / owner rider
1 312 MTM Timon MTM Farm Tracy Fenney
2 169 Total Touch Kathleen Hope Caitlin Hope
3 645 Cookie Monster Wilhelm Genn Ryan Genn
4 908 Etoile Van't Lambroeck Alliy Moyer Alliy Moyer
5 632 Bugatti Eduardo Leon Wilhelm Genn
6 605 MOROCCO Lisa Goldman Lisa Goldman
7 606 CENTURION B Mary Goldman Lisa Goldman
8 636 Aniviero Z Amy Lefferdink Theo Genn
9 491 Ugano Taylor Reid Taylor Reid
10 455 Zippo Z Messenger Hill Freddie Vazquez
11 313 MTM Centano MTM Farm Tracy Fenney
12 353 Replique Katie Leverick Katie Leverick
$1,000 Young Jumper 7/8 Year Old Championship
result entry # horse / owner rider
1 732 MTM Cravitz MTM Farm Tracy Fenney
2 516 Lithium ALEX JAYNE Haylie Rolfe
3 276 Von Casius Deana Blackburn Tony Font
4 194 Bonzay Isotropic Networks Inc. Melissa Orlick-Zbierski
5 630 Conaro Wilhelm Genn Wilhelm Genn
6 637 Fulguros Staci Thomas Ryan Genn
7 154 Carel Fortuna Southview Inc. Sandra Dalman
8 608 Rocs To Riches Lisa Goldman Lisa Goldman
$1,000 Young Jumper 6 Year Old Championship
result entry # horse / owner rider
1 582 Da Vinci Donald Cheska Sales Cara Cheska
2 690 Cass Benchmark Stables, LLC Liz Atkins
3 893 Image Valiere Z Kam McDonald Kam McDonald
4 266 Continental Karen Memmen Karen Memmen
5 669 Cappanaleigh Storm Alec Bozorgi Alec Bozorgi
6 922 Raison De Vivre Nick& Julie Novak Nick Novak
7 695 Rodeo VDL Benchmark Stables, LLC Liz Atkins
8 644 Van Gogh Wilhelm Genn Theo Genn
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