Articles: Press Release

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Lauren Fisher for Phelps Media Group, Inc.
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Wayne, IL - September 26, 2009 - The Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse Show continued this morning with an exciting victory going to Maggie Jayne and Thomas Edison in the $25,000 Tapestry Farm Leading Rider Series Final Grand Prix. The top three open jumper riders in the 2009 Showplace Leading Rider Series battled against the clock as the only entries to qualify for the jump-off, and Jayne was the fastest by almost four seconds to take the top prize. Held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in beautiful Wayne, IL, the show will conclude tomorrow after an exceptional week of competition.

Twenty entries showed over this morning's challenging grand prix course set by Maryland's Kenny Krome, and just three entries went clear over the first round course to qualify for the jump-off. Wilhelm Genn and Chantal, owned by Laura Ryan-Barnaclo, were the first to jump-off and put down a second clear round in a time of 38.224 seconds. Kelsey Thatcher and Pony Lane Farm's Carlotta were next to attempt the shortened course and also jumped clear, stopping the clock just behind Genn in a time of 38.318 seconds. Maggie Jayne entered the ring next aboard her father, Alex Jayne's, Thomas Edison. Jayne knew she had nothing to lose and could not finish lower than third place at that point, so she pointed Thomas Edison to the first jump and never held back. The pair cleared the course with ease and breezed through the timers in 34.758 seconds to take the victory.

Jayne has been showing Thomas Edison, known as Eddie in the barn, throughout the summer and explained that he was just returning from three weeks off. "The first time that I rode him after his break was Monday so I wasn't sure if he was going to be ready for the Grand Prix, but he proved himself," she stated. "He was his normal excited self; he just loves showing. He wants to go in the in-gate and he is always so happy and playful. He is a Thoroughbred and he used to race back in the day, but he wasn't good at it, so now he jumps."

Maggie Jayne and Thomas EdisonJayne (right) also showed against her brother Charlie in the class, who previously showed Thomas Edison, but left Maggie to take over the ride while he showed in Europe throughout the summer. "Eddie was born in America, so when he went to Europe he wasn't used to their different viruses and he got very sick last summer," Jayne explained. "We didn't want to risk it again by taking him over there, so that is why I got to show him this summer, and we have gotten along great!"

"He is a lot of fun and actually my junior jumper that I did in my first grand prix when I was twelve was a Thoroughbred, so I think it is a good ride for me," she added. "It is a good combination because he wants to go to the jump, but he still wants a little leg too."

Jayne explained that she thought today's course was quite technical and noted that she did different strides on the first horse she rode. "Eddie has a more straightforward stride, but he jumps so high and lands a little shallow, so I had to go forward. I was really worried about the vertical, vertical, double because he is over 17hh, so for him to do anything slowly and catlike is hard. I thought that he handled it great and he stayed really rideable, so it was fun."

Before the grand prix, the competition began this morning with the $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Children's Jumper Championships and Weathertech.com Leading Rider Series Finals, sponsored by the Ruziska Family. Madeline Thatcher and Alex Jayne's Kinda Blue have had a great week competing at Lamplight in the jumpers, and did not disappoint today. The pair had a fast, clean round to take home the championship honors and lead the round of honor.

"I have only been riding him since the start of this year but he is a lot of fun," Thatcher smiled after her win. "He knows so much, that is what I like about him. He knows how to go fast and he turns really well."

"He is pretty easy," she added. "I think that the turn to the last jump definitely made the difference in our win. You landed off of the combination and it was a hard left turn. He landed and he spun right back and galloped on to the last jump really well."

Representing the Ruziska Family, Andy Ruziska, explained that it was important to his family to sponsor the class and support the show that has allowed his daughter, Barbara, to compete against some of the best competition in the country. "We have been doing shows in Chicago for the last year and we have really enjoyed the venue and all of the hospitality that Pat (Boyle) has given us," he stated. "We thought that this would be a great opportunity to sponsor a class for the last show of the year to support our daughter and to support Showplace Productions."

Following the Children's Jumper championship, the $2,500 M&S Adult Jumper Championships and Weathertech.com Leading Rider Series Finals were held in the Grand Prix Ring with the victory going to Emily Currie and Acapella, owned by Tina Judge. Currie, of Downers Grove, IL, had the only clear round of the class to take home top honors.

After the morning's classes, the $60,000 Showplace Leading Rider Series concluded with the presentations of awards and prize money. The series has tracked the top riders through a series of nine events throughout the year and the top riders in five different sections were finalized during this week's competition. First place finishers were awarded 50% of the prize money in their respective divisions. The $30,000 Tapestry Farms Open Jumper Series was won by Wilhelm Genn, the $10,000 THIS Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Series was won by Lisa Goldman, the $10,000 Weathertech.com Children's/Adult Jumper Series was won by Madeline Thatcher, the $5,000 Our Day Farm Low Children's Jumper Series was won by Caitlin Boyle, and the $5,000 Ann K. Hubbard's Tack Shop Low Adult Jumper Series was won by Dana Foremsky.

As the sun came out and things started to warm up this afternoon, the 2009 Marshall & Sterling Medal Finals were held in the Grand Prix Ring, sponsored by Messenger Hill Farm and Freddie and Jodi Vazquez. The M&S Adult Medal Finals kicked things off and after jumping the first round course the top five competitors were called back to test. Haylie Jayne continued Our Day Farm's excellent day following her sister's grand prix victory by earning her own championship prize. Twenty-one-year-old Jayne rode Go For Broke, a horse purchased by her father just a month ago from Mexico, and led the class through both rounds of competition to take first place overall.

"The class went really well today," Jayne stated following her win. "Go For Broke is a new, green horse and there were some pretty spooky jumps out there, so I was really proud because he didn't seem to care at all. He normally does the jumpers and just started doing the equitation when we got him, so we are just trying to decide what his forte is going to be."

Jayne is currently a senior at the University of Georgia and plans to graduate in December. Following graduation she wants to continue riding as an amateur and help in the family business. "I like to ride the sale horses and I can show them in more classes as an amateur," Jayne explained. "Especially since Maggie and Charlie are both professionals, I think that my aspect in the family business will be riding the ones that we own and the green ones, which I love. I love bringing horses along, so I am really excited for that."

Up next, the Grand Prix Ring hosted the M&S Children's Medal Finals, with the championship award going to 13-year-old Taylor Schmidt of Batavia, IL. Schmidt trains with Kim Gardiner at Perfecta Farm and rode her new horse, a seven-year-old Hanoverian named Backstage, in the class today. "I just got him and I am very excited to have him," Schmidt (below left) smiled. "He is very easy and he is pretty push button, so it is just steer and go, and it was his first time in there so he did very well."

"I thought the course was very fun and very easy to ride," Schmidt stated. "I was a little worried about the split rails, but it turned out pretty well. For the test I just trusted my horse and I went for it."

Rounding out the day's competition, the M&S Central Equine Junior Medal Finals were held as the sun was setting over the Grand Prix Ring. After completing the first round course, the top six horses and riders were called back to test, and 15-year-old Samantha Oliva of Kildeer, IL, rode her horse SS Couture to a beautifully smooth round that won over the judges and took top honors in the class.

Oliva recently began training with Diane Carney of Telluride Farm, and bought her horse SS Couture a year ago. "He is extremely talented," Oliva said of her horse. "He needs to be prepared, but once he gets to the ring he is excellent. I thought the course today really tested the rider and the horse, and I am sure that all of the other riders were most likely amazing, my horse just helped me out and worked with me."

Diane Carney has trained many top young riders, and noted Oliva's talent as a young, up-and-coming junior rider. "Samantha is built to ride, she is beautifully mounted, and she has the right temperament, I think, to be molded into a beautiful equitation rider," Carney stated. "Along with her capacity to be brave and do the jumpers, she has really beautiful timing for the hunters as well, so she is sort of like a triple threat. She has the ability to get it all done and she follows right on the heels of another good customer who is now ending her junior career, which is Catie Hope. It is really fun for me to have yet another young one come along and I am very grateful for that."

"We are very grateful to Marshall & Sterling for letting these classes happen because I think it makes the kids a little bit more confident as they go to the indoor horse shows at Harrisburg, Washington, and Syracuse," Carney added.

Oliva is qualified for USEF Pessoa Hunt Seat Medal Finals in Harrisburg and the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Finals in Syracuse, so she and Carney will be busy showing throughout the fall.

The Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse Show will continue tomorrow with its final day of competition at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. The Grand Prix Ring will host the 2009 IHJA Medal Finals throughout the day thanks to the generous sponsorship of Kim Gardiner and Perfecta Farms. For further information on Showplace Productions and the Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse Show, please visit www.showplaceproductions.com.

RESULTS
$25,000 Tapestry Farm Leading Rider Finals Grand Prix
1 Maggie Jayne and Thomas Edison 0/0 34.578
2 Wilhelm Genn and Chantal 0/0 38.224
3 Kelsey Thatcher and Carlotta 0/0 38.318
4 Charlie Jayne and Sampras 4/75.990
5 Charlie Jayne and Carentina III 4/77.704
6 Maggie Jayne and Milous de Fontaine 4/78.626
7 Kelsey Thatcher and Esquilino Bay 4/81.266
8 Charlie Jayne and Sir Sean 8/76.063