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Articles: Press Release
Rassas, Johnson, Renz, & Warmington Lead Show Jumping Hall of Fame
Jumper Classic Series Conferences
Contact:
Beth Gold (508) 698-6810, classic.pr@verizon.net
TAMPA, FL—May 31, 2001—Four riders sit atop the leader boards in the
National Horse Sports Foundation Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic
Series. Paige Rassas of Northfield, IL leads the East Conference with 60
points; Paige Johnson of The Plains, VA and Chrissy Renz of Lake Geneva, WI
are tied for the lead in the Central Conference with 30 points each; and
Molly Warmington of Newport Beach, CA leads the West Conference with 30
points.
East Conference Action
Paige Rassas continues to hold the top two spots on the East
Conference leader board after winning two Series classes earlier in March.
However during action in the month of May, it was Mary Alexis Healy and
Jonathan Phillips who made the biggest jumps in the standings.
The Garden State Horse Show drew 22 junior/amateur-owner competitors, of
which five advanced to the jump-off. Healy of Mt. Holly, NJ and her Laurin
were the first to go and turned in the winning round with a clean ride in
34.934 seconds. Meghan Moran of Malvern, PA was the only other competitor to
go clear, finishing second with a time of 35.597 seconds aboard Z-Max.
Healy's victory moved her into a fourth place tie in the East Conference
standings.
Phillips and Prins claimed his first Conference Series win of
the year at the St. Christopher's Horse Show and as a result moved into a
fourth place tie in the East Conference standings. Phillips was one of three
riders to ride clear in the jump-off, but it was his fast time of 37.483
seconds that clinched his inaugural win. Khari Taustin and Centre Stage
finished second.
Central Conference Action
Paige Johnson and Chrissy Renz took the initial lead in the
Central Conference after the Series kicked off with two events in May.
At the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, 14 of 52 competitors advanced to the
jump-off. With several riders going clean in the jump-off, the pressure was
on to see who could turn in the fastest round. Johnson and Salamander Farm's
Reddy Teddy, who rode second to last in the order, rose to the challenge and
turned in a clean round in 32.597 seconds to claim the win. They edged out
Maggie Jayne and Solo, who finished closed behind in 32.980 seconds.
The following week at the Kentucky Spring Classic, it was Renz's
turn to take the spotlight. Renz and her horse, Boo-Dah, finished the
jump-off course clean with the fastest time to claim the win, while Kate
Levy of Katonah, NY and her Sampson finished second.
West Conference Action
The Memorial Day Classic, the first event of the West Conference season, saw
only four competitors advance to the jump-off from a field of 24. Molly
Warmington and her Laudatius claimed her first victory of the year by
finishing with a clear round in 30.035 seconds. Jenny Williams and her
Mariska took second place honors with four faults in 32.776 seconds.
The NHSF Show Jumping Hall Fame Jumper Classic Series, which
runs February through November, is divided into three geographical
conferences: the East Conference hosting 22 shows, the Central Conference
hosting 8 shows and the West Conference hosting 5 shows. Conference point
standings are calculated separately and updated after all shows. At the end
of the series, a championship is awarded for each conference with East and
Central Conference champions honored at the National Horse Show in New York
and the West Conference champion honored at the Los Angeles National Horse
Show in Burbank, CA.
The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series gives
Amateur-Owner and junior riders an opportunity to compete at higher levels
and serves as a proving ground for riders who aspire to someday represent
the United States in international competition. The focus of the Show
Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. is to encourage broader interest and
participation in the equestrian sport of show jumping, as well as to educate
the equestrian and non-equestrian alike by sharing the sport’s lore,
fundamentals, history and greatest achievements.
The National Horse Sports Foundation (NHSF) is a publicly supported
charitable and educational organization whose purposes include providing
financial and technical support for amateur equestrian programs for adults
and children including therapeutic riding and competitions for the disabled.
For more information about the 2001 Show Jumping Hall of Fame
Jumper Classic Series, please visit the Show Jumping Hall of Fame website at
www.showjumpinghalloffame.net.
For more information about the National
Horse Sports Foundation, please call (914) 454-5555.
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