ATTACHED PHOTOS

Click on the above photos for details and a high resolution version.

Photographs may be used free of charge only in relation to the PMG press releases they pertain to.

Casey Hodges and Rinaldi Take Win in 5 & 6 Year Old Young Jumpers at First Day of Horse Shows by the Bay III

Written by: Chrissy Lane
Client: Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc.
Release Date: 2007-08-01

Traverse City, MI - August 1, 2007 - The third and final week of Horse Shows by the Bay in Traverse City, MI, began this morning, and Casey Hodges and Rinaldi started the week right.

Competing in the 5 & 6 Year Old Young Jumper division, the pair put in the only clear first round to advance to the jump-off, coming in at a final time of 32.980 seconds for the win. Lisa Goldman and Tricky Cricket finished in second place with a clear round and one time fault, while Grant Field and Grandisimo took third place with the fastest four-fault first round.

This week's courses are designed by Tim Hott of Cape Coral, FL, and the Young Jumper course was composed of 10 numbered obstacles and a total of 12 jumping efforts. The time allowed was 76 seconds. The jump-off course used four additional fences that were not in the first round.

"He was excellent today," Hodges said of the 6-year-old bay. "Over the past three weeks, he's just gotten more and more ridable. The first week, he was more difficult to turn and over the past two weeks he's gotten better and better - really soft and relaxed."

She continued, "(Rinaldi is) really fun. He's got a huge stride, but he's careful so you don't have to protect him a lot. You just keep galloping and he's really good at backing himself up. I think he'd be a great speed horse."

In the $3,000 NAL Open Speed class, David Beisel and Irish Hunt made it two wins in as many weeks. The pair was victorious in the same class last week and continued on to win in the $10,000 Welcome Prix last Friday. Irish Hunt is owned by Carlie Beisel and clocked in today at 66.065 seconds to top the field for the win.

Field and Vermeer finished second in the NAL Open Speed with a time of 67.380 seconds, while Erin Haas and Chianti 67 took third place with a time of 70.188 seconds. Renee Lenkart finished in fourth place with Odaus, while her husband, Scott Lenkart, finished in fifth place with Un Prince and a time of 62.777 seconds and four faults. Beisel and his second mount, Ecstasy, rounded out the top six with four faults and a time of 64.660.

In the Level 6 Jumpers, Beisel rode Belvedere, owned by Kimberly Seay, to the blue ribbon. Linda Radigan and LA-Olympic followed in second place, while Field and Vermeer again took third. Rock Star and Brian Shook finished in fourth place, and Connardo MZ and Peter Pletcher and Tenere and Morgan Kennedy took fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Competition at Horse Shows by the Bay III will resume on Thursday morning with hunter, jumper and dressage competition that will run through Sunday afternoon. For more information, please visit www.horsesportsbythebay.com.

For complete results, please visit www.horseshowing.com.