Holly Shepherd Comes Out on Top in $50,000 Prix De Lamplight

Wayne, Il. – July 29, 2017 – Holly Shepherd added another Equifest win under her belt Saturday afternoon after receiving the blue in the $50,000 Prix de Lamplight. Shepherd, a Lamplight veteran, returned to the Smart Pak Grand Prix arena after a second-place finish in the $25,000 Welcome Grand Prix on Thursday, July 27, riding Sky High. This time, Shepherd was aboard Triompf as she rode away with the win.

Peter Grant gave competitors another challenging course Saturday afternoon, including spreads, combinations, and difficult turns. Jordan Gilchrist and Happyboy Van De Doornakkers went early in the line-up, managing to complete a clear round. Riders that followed attempted to match her clear round, but it seemed that results would fare much like Thursday’s Welcome Grand Prix with only one clear round and no jump-off.

That was, until, Shepherd and Triompf, the second-to-last pair, entered the ring. Shepherd had exhibitors at the edge of their seats as they watched Triompf fly over the fences. Luckily for the crowd, and Shepherd, she managed to go clear and exhibitors anxiously awaited a jump-off.

Gilchrist was first the return for the jump-off. Unfortunately, she had a rail at the second to last fence, finishing with 4 faults in 45.050 seconds. Shepherd entered the ring with only one goal in mind – a clear finish. Ultimately, she took home the win as she successfully completed her round fault-free, though slower than Gilchrist, finishing in 48.861 seconds.

Equifest I finishes up tomorrow, Sunday July 30, with Children’s, Junior, and Amateur classics, as well as the $7,500 Cavalor Hall of Fame 1.40m Junior/Amateur Classic

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Holly Shepherd – $50,000 Prix De Lamplight Winner

On her win with Triompf:
“My horse hasn’t jumped a grand prix in about 18 months and we’re really glad to have him back! He did the Welcome the other day, which I consider a grand prix, so this would be his second grand prix back. The course was nice today, but it was still hard and still technical, and you still had to have a really careful horse. He did leave a couple of options open that didn’t work out for some people for sure.”

On the jump-off:
“Luckily for me I got to go after Jordan and when she had a jump down of course the first thing you think of is to be clear, but my horse has a tendency to be slow, so I have to be really careful not to end up with time faults. The strategy was efficient and clear, and don’t try to get in a hurry. My horse was feeling a little tired with this being his first time back but it worked out!”

Results
$50,000 Prix De Lamplight
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults / Time / R2 Faults / Time
1. Triompf / Holly Shepherd / Loretta Patterson / 0 / 85.599 / 0 / 48.861
2. Happyboy Van De Doornakkers / Jordan Gilchrist / Jordan Gilchrist / 0 / 85.404 / 4 / 45.050
3. Zarkava / Maggie Jayne / Maggie Jayne / 4 / 83.848
4. Bon Giorno / Bryn Sadler / Showcase 81 LLC. / 83.873
5. Benedetto / Shannon Hicks / Shannon Hicks LLC. / 4 / 85.127
6. Auckland De L’Enclos / Ashley Fleischhacker / Ashland Show Stables LLC. / 4 / 89.510
7. Cassano Z / Annabella Sanchez / Annabella Sanchez / 8 / 78.746
8. Emir D / Shannon Hicks / Helen Gilbert / 8 / 79.103
9. Tou La Moon / Charlie Jayne / Alex Jayne / 8 / 81.933
10. Djinn Du Ry Ternel / Richard Cheska / Richard Cheska / 8 / 85.575

Giavanna Rinaldi and Bugsy Malone Claim $1,000 Junior Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic Win

After two solid, high-scoring rounds in the main WEC hunter ring on Saturday, Giavanna Rinaldi and Bugsy Malone, owned by Alex Jayne, came out on top in the Junior Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic. The horse and rider combination earned a score of 85 in the first round and 88 in the second round, finishing with an impressive total score of 173.

Taking second place in the $1,000 Junior Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic was Natalie Jayne aboard her own mount Cracker Jack. The pair earned a score of 84 in their first round and 88 in their second, totaling 172 for a close finish behind Rinaldi and Bugsy Malone. Amanda Shaw and Primera, owned by Helen Gilbert, rounded out the top three with a score of 86 in the first round and 85 in the second, finishing with a total score of 171.

In the WIHS/NAL/M&S Adult Hunter Classic earlier in the day, it was Sydney Swarr aboard Rock Star, owned by High Hopes Farm LLC who took home the blue. With a first round that earned them a score of 79 and a second round earning them a score of 83, the combination secured their victory with a total of 162.

Just behind Swarr and Rock Star, Sarah Morris and Gidget finished their rounds with a total of 161, scoring 82 in the first round and 79 in the second. Carita Palmer and DaVinci rode into third place with a first round score of 78 and a second round score of 77, totaling 155.

More classes included in the Amateur-Owner division, as well as Junior Hunter and Children’s Hunter classes, will be held in the main hunter ring tomorrow, July 30, for the final day of Equifest I.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Giavanna Rinaldi – $1,000 Junior Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic

On Bugsy Malone:
“I’ve been riding Bugsy about two years now, and this was our first week back together in a couple months. I really missed him, he’s such a fantastic horse. He gives it his all every time and he tries his hardest. He’s always got his game face on and he really shows it in the ring. He’s a joy to ride and watch too.”

On her win:
“He felt really good. The first round I was a little rusty, but he felt great. The second two for the Classic we really clicked and had some great rounds. He really listened to everything I asked, he really responded well, he goes into the ring with basically a smile on his face. I really liked the rounds we had today, they really made me feel confident for tomorrow.”

On Lamplight:
“I grew up showing here. I live in Wayne which makes it really special. It’s always held a special place in my heart. I love showing here and will continue to come back every year. It really is just a special show for me just because I’ve been coming here every year of my life. And it’s nice because my family gets to come out and watch me. It really is so fun.”