Maggie Jayne and Manneken du Cory won the $10,000 Open Welcome Stake with a speedy round | Photo ? Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
September 13, 2013–The highlight of the Grand Prix ring Thursday was the $10,000 Open Welcome Stake at the Showplace Productions’ Fall Classic Championship Horse Show, running September 10-15. With an impressive double clear round, Maggie Jayne and Manneken du Cory earned the Welcome Stake victory gallop at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. In the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers it was Stephanie Novas who dominated aboard both Aretina M and Amyra R.
Nineteen horse and rider combinations took a swing at the Hector Loyola designed course for a piece of the prize money. The fourteen jump course included three combinations – one early on, one in the middle and one late in the course, with most of the faults occurring at the verticals in the combinations.
Nine riders made it to the jump off phase with only four managing a double clear round. First to jump off was Willie Tynan of Battle Creek, MI on Flying C, owned by Spy Coast Farm, LLC. They had a middle of the road time of 46.364 seconds but also accumulated 12 faults. Next to go was Ryan Genn of Lebanon, OH with Umberto, owned by North Star. The duo produced the first double clear round with a quick time of 39.559 seconds.
Next to try their skill were Robin Walker of Grass Lake, MI and Under the Radar, owned by Patrice Schreiber. The pair managed to jump clean but incurred three time faults.
A newcomer to the Grand Prix scene, 14-year-old Giavanna Rinaldi on GPS Brilliant Disguise, was riding in her first Welcome Stake. Rinaldi made an impressive debut as she went double clean with a competitive time of 41.273 seconds.
“I made a couple of little mistakes, but we got through it,” said Rinaldi. “We did a lot of work on the flat to get ready for this. Our new program is more technical.”
Rinaldi recently joined Our Day Farm in Elgin, IL, and she is planning to spend the winter in Florida showing with them after competing at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg. Rinaldi has a second mount, Juliet, whom she shows in the Junior Jumpers as well.
Caribe and Steve Schaefer of Maple Park, IL were next, turning in an incredibly fast time of 37.454 seconds, but they pulled a rail at the third vertical after making a tight inside turn.
Luciana Solari of Marengo, IL and Cognac do Jacare added another clear round making it three to be double clear but with a slower time of 50.495 seconds.
Maggie Jayne and Manneken Du Cory, owned by the Pony Lane Farm, showed Chicago how it was done, blazing the course in 38.572 seconds and leaving up all the jumps for the Welcome Stake win.
“Kenny is an amazing horse,” said Jayne. “I’m so lucky to show him. I trust him and the inside turns in the jump off were so easy for him.”
Jayne has been consistently winning on the 13-year-old, Warmblood. Their wins include the Welcome Stake at Showplace Spring Spectacular, Showplace Spring Classic and the Go Tulsa Spring Horse Shows.
“He’s just a wonderful horse,” Jayne stated. “He’s all business when he walks in the ring. He always wants to win and is looking for the next turn!”
Ryan Genn and Umberto ended up second and the new kid on the block, Giavanna Rinaldi, took third in her first Welcome Stake.
In the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, it was Stephanie Novas who finished both first and second in the first class of 20 riders. Setting the pace for the class with her first ride, Amyra R, at 38.584 seconds, proved to be difficult to match. Fifteen of the twenty went clear in the first round and twelve went clean in the jump off, leaving time as the deciding factor. Novas, outdoing herself, jumped around in a speedy 37.511 seconds on her second ride, Aretina M, for the win.
Novas took first (Aretina M) and second (Amyra R) with Emily Shevelend and Lyla finishing third with another fast round.
The second Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper class was power and speed. Twelve riders rode in the second class over the twisty, turning course. Again it was Novas setting a tough time to beat for the rest of the class. Novas jumped clean in 33.435 seconds on her mount, Aretina M.
Try as they might, the others just couldn’t catch the speedy Novas until the very end, when Novas herself beat the time with her second horse, Amyra R, in 32.439 seconds.
The Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers continue Friday with another power and speed class and the $5,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Season Finals sponsored by Wisconsin Equine Clinic and Hospital.
