Bulletin: 2007 ASPCA Maclay Championship

Kimberly McCormack of New Jersey won the ASPCA Maclay Hunt Seat Equitation Championship at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament today.

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Syracuse, N.Y., November 3, 2007 — Kimberly McCormack, who won the Pessoa/US Equestrian Federation Medal Finals just last month, topped it off by taking the National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay Hunt Seat Equitation Championship this evening.

The 17-year-old from New Jersey showed both mettle and poise as she moved up from fifth to first in a second round of jumping, where the top 18 riders competed after a morning of jumping and flat work in which 153 entries participated.

Officials for the class, held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, were U.S. show jumping coach George Morris and Linda Hough, a former rider who is the mother of show jumper Lauren Hough.

But the first course did a lot of the work for them, especially a curving, wingless bridge designed by Linda and a rectangular leaf-covered wingless wall designed by George. Refusals and stops were rampant in the initial round, which began at 6:30 a.m.

Boldness was valued, along with tact, and Kimberly exhibited each in both rounds, as well as a beautiful position.

Maria Schaub, winner of the equitation finals at the Capital Challenge and Washington International shows this fall, was called back first for the final round, but a cautious trip dropped her back to seventh place.

The reserve champion was Elizabeth Lubrano of Pennsylvania, while Californian Shelby Wakeman finished third.

A number of stars, including Addison Phillips, Hannah Selleck, Jessica Springsteen and Tina DiLandri, failed to make the cut after the morning round at the War Memorial Arena.

Kimberly, who plans to go to Europe and ride later this year, also won the Bates Award for topping the company’s year-long equitation points standing.

For details, check out EquiSearch.com on Monday, when we’ll have more about the Maclay as well as news on the World Cup class at the show and the unique Animal Planet show jumping competition. In the meantime, catch up on the earlier action in my first postcard from the show.

2007 ASPCA Maclay Championship Top 10:

Name/Horse/City, State/Trainer(s)

1. Kimberly McCormack/Sundance/Clermont, NJ/Kristy McCormack, Missy Clark, John Brennan

2. Elizabeth Lubrano/Golou II/Glenmoore, PA/Stacia Madden, Krista Freundlich, Max Amaya, Frank Madden

3. Shelby Wakeman/San Francisco/Westlake Village, CA/Karen Healey, Kasey Ament

4. Carly Anthony/Apollo/Redmond, WA/Cara Anthony, Karen Healey

5. Emily Gardner/Almost Famous/Tallahassee, FL/Don Stewart Jr.

6. Michelle Morris/Eventual/La Canada, CA/Karen Healey, Kasey Ament

7. Maria Schaub/I Toon/Holmdel, NJ/Stacia Madden, Krista Freundlich, Max Amaya, Frank Madden

8. Lucy Davis/San Marcos/Los Angeles, CA/Archie Cox

9. Jennifer Walters/Opportunity/Shelburne, VT/Linda Langmeier

10. Mallory Olson/Patriot/Newport Coast, CA/Joe Thorpe

Bonus! Download the Maclay Course Maps

(The course maps are in PDF format which can be viewed with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program. If the program is not on your computer, please visit www.adobe.com to download your free copy. If you still have trouble opening the PDF file, email your name and fax number to equineeditor@equinetwork.com.)

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