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Lexington, KY - July 30, 2008 - The first day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show started off well for Angel Karolyi. Karolyi had two mounts in the 1.40m Open Jumper class. He came away with the win aboard Galant, owned by Mclain Ward of Brewster, NY. The class was scored under Table II .1 - timed first round.

The Kentucky Summer Horse Show is the first of four shows in the Kentucky Summer Series. The show is followed by the Kentucky Summer Classic, the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, and the KHJA Horse Show. The summer series is managed by Hugh Kincannon of Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, and takes place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

After fence 4B, a red, white, and blue vertical, Karolyi asked Galant to open his stride and speed up. They covered the ground easily and they turned left to fence number five. Rather than making tight turns and risking a bad distance, Karolyi moved Galant up to the distances that he saw. The horse responded and made a picture perfect right hand turn from the brown and tan one-stride to the brightly colored orange, blue, and yellow vertical labeled fence number 10.

"It's nice, a horse that knows his job and is teaching me how to ride," Karolyi, 21 said. The pair went around the 11-fence course in 64.032 seconds. "It was a nice course, nice easy lines," said Karolyi, "I went around to a line but I was prompt. It was a good way to start the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows."

Seven riders produced clear rounds. Robert Kraut and his mount La Bamba owned by Sydney Leto of Foxpoint, WI, finished second with a time of 67.164. Third, fourth, and fifth place were decided by fractions of seconds. Third went to Mary Shirley and RMW Landame  owned by Rocky Mountain Warmbloods of Wellington, FL, with a time of 70.987, followed by Scott Keller and Matchmaker, owned by Upper Cove Farm of Paris, KY, completing the course in 71.709. Robin Sweely and Qarco V'T Merlenest, owned by Acorn Hill Farm of Madison, VA, challenged for fifth place with a time of  72.209. Robin Sweely aboard Coming Star, owned by Acorn Hill Farm of Madison, VA, took sixth with a time of 77.647. Sweely also rode Discovery, owned by Acorn Hill Farm of Madison, VA, to a seventh place finish in 77.842 seconds.

The 1.45m Open Jumper class was won by Sinatra, owned and shown by Aaron Vale of Ocala, FL.. The pair was one of two to go clean. Vale had eight faults in the jump off but with a time of 71.063, he was fast enough to win. He took down a rail in the middle of the course as well as the plank fence, which was the last fence of the course.

Second place went to Graf Lando, owned and shown by Meghan Moran of Malvern, PA. The pair went off course in the jump off. In the first round, there was an option to jump either the oxer or the water. The water was not an option in the jump off but is what Moran and Graf Lando chose. The two cleared the fence with ease but were disqualified.

Largo, owned and shown by Jessica Leto of Foxpoint, WI, took third. They had four faults in the first round, knocking down fence number 7, a vertical off the left hand.

The first day in the Walnut Ring, with its new footing was a great success for the competing horse and rider combinations. Tomorrow, the feature class will be the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, which is set to start at 6:00 pm. The $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic is a member of the Hagyard Challenge Series, offering $215,000 in prize money, sponsored by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. The rider accumulating the highest money earnings during the challenges' seven events will receive the $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus. Competition will continue for the Kentucky Summer Horse Show through Sunday, August 3, 2008. The Kentucky Summer Classic will follow, beginning Wednesday, August 6, and concluding Sunday, August 10, 2008.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

CLASS: OPEN JUMPER 1.40 m II .1 LEVEL 8

Place Back No. Horse Rider Owner JF1 TF1 Total Faults1 Time 1
1 960 GALANT ANGEL KAROLYI MCLAIN WARD 0 0 0 64.032
2 905 LA BAMBA SYDNEY LETO SYDNEY LETO 0 0 0 67.164
3 383 RMW LANDAME MARY SHIRLEY ROCKY MOUNTAIN WARMBLOODS 0 0 0 70.987
4 205 MATCHMAKER SCOTT KELLER UPPER COVE FARM 0 0 0 71.709
5 387 QARCO V'T MERLENEST ROBIN SWEELY ACORN HILL FARM 0 0 0 72.209
6 389 COMING STAR ROBIN SWEELY ACORN HILL FARM 0 0 0 77.647
7 388 DISCOVERY ROBIN SWEELY ACORN HILL FARM 0 0 0 77.842
8 509 WINDGATES ILLUSION MAURO ATZERI MAURO ATZERI 0 1 1 81.045
9 273 VICTOR III SHANE SWEETNAM SPY COAST FARM 4 0 4 64.410
10 759 RIO LINDEBJERG DEREK BRAUN SPLIT ROCK FARM 4 0 4 69.200
11 382 RMW NEW DAY MARY SHIRLEY ROCKY MT. WARMBLOODS & EDUARDO SALAS 0 4 4 84.592
12 902 PROVIDENCE ROBERT KRAUT HAPPY HILL FARM 8 0 8 69.448

CLASS: OPEN JUMPER 1.45 m II.2b LEVEL 8
 
Place Back No. Horse Rider Owner JF1 TF1 Total Faults1 Time 1 JF2 TF2 Total Faults2 Time 2
1 851 SINATRA AARON VALE AARON VALE 0 0 0 71.063 8 0 8 46.674
2 913 GRAF LANDO MEGHAN MORAN MEGHAN MORAN 0 0 0 78.089   OffCrs 
3 908 LARGO JESSICA LETO JESSICA LETO 4 0 4 71.535
4 991 ELECTRIC AARON VALE ABC 4 HORSES 4 0 4 73.597
5 901 PLATINUM PERFORMANCE FOR LIFE ROBERT KRAUT POLLYRICH FARMS 12 1 13 79.610
6 903 ACCORDIAN ROBERT KRAUT HAPPY HILL FARM 0 0 Refuse