Lexington, Ky. – Aug. 18, 2018 – The penultimate day of competition at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park attracted nearly 30 entries to the show ring for the Medium Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, which operated as a one-round speed class. With only one chance to showcase their precision and agility, exhibitors had to make their trip count. In the end, Cathy Rolfs and her own Coco Chanelle proved to be the best of the lot with the quickest, fault-free ride of the afternoon out of nine clear trips from the field.
Third to enter the Walnut Ring, Addison Piper held the reins on her own All About Anjes and turned in the first clear trip of the class within the time-allowed to set the standard to beat for subsequent contenders. Not fazed by the leading time of 71.491 seconds, Alex Parrish and Lexander Farm, LLC’s Biendorado confidently sliced across the 13-fence course 10 trips later, leaving all of the fences intact and tripping the timers in a blazing 63.792 seconds to takeover with a commanding lead. The bogey obstacle of the afternoon proved to be the second fence on course, an airy oxer, as a number of combinations fell victim to it chasing Parrish and Biendorado’s time.
Finally giving the front-runners a run for their money, Daisy Farish and Cocominka, owned by Andreas Kreuzer, looked to be on pace with a clear ride to potentially overthrow Parrish and her Scottish Sport Horse for the top spot, but ultimately they broke the beam four seconds too slow in 67.706 seconds. With the class nearing an end, it appeared that Parrish and Biendorado were sure to claim the championship honors until Rolfs and Coco Chanelle entered the ring, navigating a clear ride in a fiery 63.158 seconds to propel themselves to the top of the leaderboard and secure the blue ribbon.
Parrish and Biendorado maintained the reserve position behind the class leaders, followed by owner-rider Emma Sargent and Didgeridoo in third place overall. The last entry of the afternoon, Lisa Butzer with the ride on Ponies and Palms Show Stables, LLC’s Cash And Go, clinched fourth place, while Farish and Cocominka rounded out the top five finishers.
Jumper competition at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show will continue through Sunday with the $40,000 Bluegrass Festival Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, bringing elite show jumping competitors to the Rolex Stadium once again for their shot at the top prize.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Cathy Rolfs – Medium Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper winner
On Coco Chanelle:
“I’ve had ‘Nellie’ for about four years, so we really know each other well. She is an amazing mare. I think she is about 12 years old now. We train with Meagan Murray-Tenuta from Chicago.”
On her strategy:
“I was definitely glad that I got to watch quite a few go and adjust my plan based on that. My horse has a huge stride so getting to watch a few was nice because I got comfortable knowing where I could leave a stride out or not. That definitely helped.”
On competing at the Kentucky Horse Shows:
“I have been coming here since I was probably 12 years old. We come here every year, and I love it. It is perfect for the horses, the footing is so nice and the facility is amazing. We really like coming here.”
RESULTS
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / Faults / Time
Medium Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers
1. Coco Chanelle / Cathy Rolfs / Cathy Rolfs / 0 / 63.158
2. Biendorado / Alex Parrish / Lexander Farm, LLC / 0 / 63.792
3. Didgeridoo / Emma Sargent / Emma Sargent / 0 / 64.060
4. Cash And Go / Lisa Butzer / Ponies & Palms Show Stables LLC / 66.941
5. Cocominka / Daisy Farish / Andreas Kreuzer / 0 / 67.706
6. Caylee PCH / Monica Hanks / Monica Hanks / 0 / 69.263
7. Colato Sabata / Emily Reder / Emily Reder / 0 / 70.184
8. Clearwater 5 / Sara Dees / Sara Dees / 0 / 71.223
9. All About Anjes / Addison Piper / Addison Piper / 0 / 71.491
10. Dakar VDL / Riley Newsome / Riley Newsome / 4 / 64.568
For more information on the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, please click here.
