Articles: Press Release
Peter Pletcher Garners Three Championship Tricolors at the Kentucky Spring
Horse Show
Photo Credit: Peter Pletcher, pictured with Sunshine, won three hunter
championships today at the 2009 Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Photo ©
2009 Lauren Fisher.
Contact:
Lauren Fisher for
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
at (561) 753-3389 or at pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
Lexington, KY - May 7, 2009 - Kentucky Horse Shows LLC, hosted the second
day of competition for the 2009 Kentucky Spring Horse Show series today and
the professional hunter divisions were awarded championship honors after two
days of competition. This week is a World Champion Hunter Rider recognized
competition and The Kentucky Horse Park's scenic facility will host two
weeks of competition, the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, May 6-10, and the
Kentucky Spring Classic, May 13-17.
Peter Pletcher won three hunter championships in a row during today's
competition. Pletcher rode Sunshine to the First Year Green Hunter
championship, Skara Glen's Corsani to the Conformation Hunter championship,
and finished up the afternoon by riding Argentum to the Second Year Green
Hunter championship. After Pletcher's winning streak, Hunt Tosh dominated
the Regular Working Hunters, winning the championship tricolor with Andiamo,
and the reserve championship honors with Lonestar.
The first to compete in the Stonelea Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park this
morning were the First Year Green Hunters. Twenty-three horses and riders
showed in the division, and it was Peter Pletcher and Sunshine, owned by
Becky Gochman, who took top honors after the two days of competition. Havens
Schatt rode Bijou, owned by Pinecroft LLC and Annie Frazier, to the reserve
championship honors.
"She is great, she is just coming into her own amazingly," Pletcher said of
Sunshine after their win. "She has been dead on from the start of the year,
from Palm Beach to now. She is the same, rain or shine. Sunshine is the
perfect name for her."
"She liked the footing," Pletcher added. "The new footing here is amazing. I
think they have done a great job; it is unbelievable."
Next to compete in the Stonelea Ring was the Conformation Hunter division,
which Pletcher won for his second championship victory of the day. Pletcher
rode Skara Glen's Corsani, owned by Skara Glen Stables, to the championship
honors. The reserve championship tricolor was awarded to Perfektionist,
owned by Tracey Topping, and ridden by Avery Immig.
Skara Glen's Corsani was originally purchased to be a grand prix jumper, but
has turned out to be an excellent Conformation Hunter. "He is such a trying
horse," Platcher stated. "I took him home and took him right to the horse
shows and he won every class in the conformation. He is a super fun, quality
horse."
The Second Year Green Hunter division was up next in the hunter ring and
would give Pletcher his third championship win of the day. Pletcher rode
three horses in the division's classes over the two days of competition, and
it was eight-year-old Argentum, owned by Alta Basaldua, who took home the
championship honors. Tammy Provost rode Pletch, owned by Taylor Horace, to
the reserve championship win.
Argentum moved up to the doing the Second Years this season, and Pletcher is
very happy with his progress. "He is hanging right in there," he said. "I
really wasn't going to try and campaign him that much in the Second Years, I
was going to try and make the change over and let his owner start riding him
and do a little bit less, but he is doing so well. He has been champion a
lot, so we are going to go ahead and go on with it for the rest of the
year."
Peter Pletcher has had his share of wins throughout his career, but he noted
that it is very unusual to win three divisions in a row like he did
today. "It is so nice. It doesn't happen very often and when it does it is
just such a nice thing to have happen for the owners that support these
horses," he smiled.
The final division of the day was the Regular Working Hunters and Hunt Tosh
rode both top horses in the division. Tosh showed Andiamo, owned by Brad
Wolf, to the championship honors, and Lonestar, owned by Mr. and
Mrs. Douglas Wheeler, to the reserve championship honors.
"They were both great," Tosh smiled after his wins. "I just started riding
Andiamo a week ago. He is a fun, new horse to ride and this is the second
show we have done with him, so we are really happy. Lonestar just started
doing the Workings this year, so they are the newest horse for us and they
have both been really good."
Tosh also commented on the new footing in the Stonelea ring that so many
riders are excited about. "The footing is perfect; it is fabulous," he
said. "As much rain as we had yesterday and there is not a mud puddle
anywhere. They have done a great job with it. It is nice to ride on and the
horses enjoy it, so it is really good."
The hunter competition will continue tomorrow at the Kentucky Horse Park as
the Junior Hunters begin their first day of competition. The World Champion
Hunter Rider week will continue on Saturday as well and that evening will
feature the exciting ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter
Derby.
For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC, please go to
www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.
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