Patricia Griffith is Victorious in $10,000 ASG/USHJA International Hunter Derby at Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II

Photo Credit: North Country and Patricia Griffith won the $10,000 ASG/USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II. Photo (C) 2008 Jennifer Wood.

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Elgin, IL - June 17, 2008 - At the Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II Horse Show, the $10,000 ASG Softwear Solutions/USJA International Hunter Derby presented by Dietrich Insurance featuring Walsh Harness & Saddlery sponsored event was won by New Yorker Patricia Griffith on North Country, owned by Laura King-Kaplan.

The class of more than forty entries produced flawless performance after flawless performance, only one managed to come out on top. Patricia Griffin was the star of the day aboard North Country, an eight-year-old bay Warmblood, owned by Laura King-Kaplan of Irvington, NY.

The course, designed by Skip Bailey, consisted of ten jumps in two rings. Obstacles included wooden coops, banks and an in-and-out that riders jumped out of one ring and into another. Several of the fences were created as 3'6" or 4'option jumps.

The jumps are created specially to emulate obstacles that one would come across while field hunting. Natural elements were used, such as birch poles, logs, gates and brush.

Both rounds produced plenty of different options to test both horse and rider. The course included option fences; two fences set up next to each other at different heights, which created different choice tracks to the next fence.

"He went out and jumped every jump like a ten. He was really on," said Griffith. With a first round score of 183 and a second round score of 186, she had the highest scores in the first round and was second in the handy round.

The horses are judged and awarded points based on several criteria: how well the horse moves, how well the horse jumps and how well the horse handles itself while on course.

In the first round all 44 horses competed. In the second round, only the horses with the top twelve highest scores were invited back to compete over a handy hunter round. In this round, the course was shorter and riders who made bolder choices, such as galloping or taking the higher option fence, were rewarded with bonus points added onto their score.

Also the topic of conversation for many today was the show grounds itself. Everyone seemed to be commenting on grandeur of it all. Many upgrades have been made to the ground over the past several years. 

"This is our first time in Chicago. We stayed and showed last week and had such a great time," Griffith commented. Extensive landscaping, VIP booths along the rings and even a large tiki bar are just a few of the things that are pleasing both patrons and competitors.

 "Love the facility. We love it. We are not used to such landscaping. The trees and the jumps are so beautifully decorated and the courses all last week were amazing. We love Chicago," Griffith added.

Final Results: $10,000 ASG/USHJA International Hunter Derby
1. North Country, Laura King-Kaplan, Patricia Griffith
2. Mid Accord , Bever Brook Ponies, Maggie MacAlary
3. Jersey Boy, SBS Farms, Inc., Jennifer Alfano
4. Almost Majic, Alliy Moyer, Tammy Provost
5. Sting, Helen Lenahan, Jennifer Alfano
6. Charade, Laura King-Kaplan, Kirsten Coe
7. Peridot, Stephen Martines, Charlie Jayne
8. Pankai, Jill Vannatta, Freddie Vazquez
9.Cheyenne, Heritage Farm, Victoria Birdsall
10. Vida Blue, Laura King-Kaplan, Patricia Griffith
11.Insignia, Mary Beth Canfield, Alex Granato
12. Contender, Micaela Kennedy, Alex Granato

The Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II Horse Show will continue tomorrow with the professional hunter divisions. For more information about the horse show, classes and more, please visit www.showplaceproductions.com.

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