Scott Stewart Defends Devon Grand Hunter Championship and Devon Leading Hunter Rider Award with Cameo

Devon, Pa. – May 31, 2017 – Scott Stewart of Wellington, Florida, has been coming to the Devon Horse Show for many years to compete in the professional hunter divisions, but despite winning at the event countless times, the prestige of coming to the historic horse show and earning the Devon Leading Hunter Rider award continues to be a special accomplishment for him.

Dr. Betsee Parker’s Cameo, one of Stewart’s many mounts, took home the Devon Grand Hunter Championship award and the Fourth Sally Deaver Murray Memorial Challenge Trophy on Wednesday after also earning the championship tricolor in the High Performance Working Hunter division.

On Tuesday, the pair received two high scores of 92 to claim both blue ribbons in the over fences rounds. The duo topped the handy round on Wednesday, finishing with an impressive score of 89, took third place in the stake class with a score of 89 and also nabbed the undersaddle. Originally a breeding stallion in Europe, Stewart spotted the now 10-year-old Warmblood gelding in 2013 and knew he had the potential to prosper in the hunter ring. Stewart only brings him out to compete a few times each year at the country’s foremost venues, and Devon is one of them.

Taking the reserve champion ribbon in the High Performance Working Hunter division was Jennifer Hannan aboard Flamingo-K, owned by Equinimity LLC.

In addition to Cameo, Stewart campaigned three other Dr. Parker-owned horses in the Dixon Oval: Private Life, Lucador and A Million Reasons. While Lucador shows in the High Performance Conformation Hunter division, Private Life is known for being a winning combination with Stewart in the Green Conformation Hunters. A Million Reasons achieved not only top ribbons in the High Performance Working Hunter division at the 2017 Devon Horse Show, but was also called into the winner’s circle to take the Leading Mare award and the “Bunty” Sellers Perpetual Trophy for the second year in a row.

To make his victories that much sweeter, Stewart accumulated the most points to secure the highly-coveted Devon Leading Hunter Rider award and the Helen Hope Montgomery Scott Perpetual Trophy for the thirteenth time.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Scott Stewart

On Cameo:
“Cameo is really brave. The bigger the jumps, the better. The working courses were nice and a little scopey, which was good for him because he got to try pretty hard. Ken [Berkley] and I bought him as a 6-year-old and Betsee [Parker] bought him a few months later.”

On how Cameo felt:
“He’s a great horse but I haven’t really been that lucky to have four good classes in a row. He can get a little bored, but the handy was interesting enough today that it really got him thinking. The best part about him is that he’s very comfortable and brave so I never have to worry about anything going wrong that way. He definitely was at his best this week and put a lot more effort into it.”

On the Devon Horse Show:
“Competing at Devon is always one of our goals. We really try to peak here. I have a great group of horses again this year. It’s one of my favorite shows. I like the ring, I like the atmosphere and I like that it’s only one ring. It’s nice we all get to focus and watch. You needed a 90 to get a good ribbon this year. The ring rides great and you can really gallop. It’s one of the few rings you can still gallop around.”

Sydney Shulman Secures $40,000 Devon International Speed Stake CSI4*

International show jumpers returned to the Dixon Oval on Wednesday to compete in the $40,000 Devon International Speed Stake CSI4*, sponsored by Herr’s. Twenty-two-year-old Sydney Shulman (USA) of Back Country Farm, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, outpaced 45 horses and riders to ride away with the win and the George T. Pew Memorial Perpetual Trophy in the one-round speed competition.

Great Britain’s Amanda Derbyshire was the first to produce a clear round over Kelvin Bywater’s tricky track with David Gochman’s Lady Maria BH. They set the standard to beat at a quick 59.760 seconds.

Fourteen rounds later, Shulman finished with the third clear round of the class, besting Derbyshire by one second aboard Wamira, a 14-year-old KWPN mare owned by BCF Group LLC, in 58.940 seconds to takeover the lead.

Throughout the remainder of the class, eight more combinations successfully completed the course with no faults, but none were able to catch Shulman. The United States’ Jimmy Torano and his own and Danielle Torano’s Day Dream completed the top three finishers in 63.340 seconds.

After recovering from an accident a year ago that left Shulman with a broken hip and Wamira out of the show ring for a year, the two are thrilled to be making their comeback this spring with a win at the Devon Horse Show.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Sydney Shulman (USA)

On Wednesday’s course:
“I thought the course was great. It really suited [Wamira] well. The harder parts were off her better lead. For me, when I walked it, I had two plans — the safer route or the winning route. After Amanda went I wasn’t sure if that was beatable, but I went in there and stuck to my plan. I actually ended up adding in two lines where there were two leave outs, but she’s a super fast horse across the ground. I know her really well and she’s awesome. She jumped great tonight.”

On Wamira:
“I had a really bad accident with her about a year ago. I broke my hip and she was out for a year. This is her second real show back. The Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show was her first so coming in I was questioning if she would jump well and if I should show her, but she had a really great career before me so I knew she would step up if needed. I bought her two years ago to be my top horse at the time so now I think she’s making her way back up.”

On her plans for the summer:
“After Devon, I go to the Ox Ridge Hunt Club and Fairfield, which are more local shows with great grand prix events. Then I am going to Israel for the Maccabiah Games and I will be there for two weeks. It’s a 2* level competition. I am pretty confident. I leased a horse there to compete so it will be exciting!”

RESULTS

$40,000 Devon International Speed Stake CSI4*, sponsored by Herr’s:
Place / Horse / Rider / Country / Owner / Faults / Time
1. Wamira / Sydney Shulman / USA / BCF Group LLC / 0 / 58.940
2. Lady Maria BH / Amanda Derbyshire / GBR / David Gochman / 0 / 59.760
3. Day Dream / Jimmy Torano / USA / Danielle and Jimmy Torano / 0 / 63.340
4. Special Lux / Jonathan McCrea / USA / Candy Tribble / 0 / 65.410
5. Quirie 2 / Ali Wolff / USA / John Wolff / 0 / 66.290
6. Igor van de Heibos / Tracey Fenny / USA / MTM Farm / 0 / 67.180
7. Calista / Vasco Flores / PR / Gotham Enterprizes, LLC / 0 / 70.210
8. Cocq A Doodle / Andrew Ramsay / USA / The Doodle Group / 0 / 70.380
9. Emir D / Shannon Hicks / USA / Helen Gilbert / 0 / 70.830
10. S & L Sage / David Raposa / USA / S & L Farms / 0 / 75.330
11. Bellefleur PS Z / McLain Ward / USA / McLain Ward / 0 / 77.050
12. Aristoteles V / Jonathan McCrea / USA / Candy Tribble / 1 / 80.560

Gillian Beale King and Alta Mira Win Ladies Side Saddle Championship

Ladies Day at the Devon Horse Show and County Fair featured a long-standing tradition: the Ladies Side Saddle championship. The hunter hack and over fences classes were featured in the Dixon Oval during the day on Wednesday, and competitors returned later in the evening to compete under the lights for the final under saddle class before pinning the champion. Ultimately, the True Blue Challenge Trophy was awarded to Gillian Beale King and Natalie Peterson’s Alta Mira.

It has been a dream of King’s to earn a Devon tricolor since she first started coming to the Devon Horse Show when she was a little girl. King and Alta Mira finished off the division with a first, second and third place ribbon. Debra Taylor and Hypnotic earned the reserve champion tricolor to round out the division.

Side saddle has been a part of the Devon Horse Show tradition for as long as anyone can recall. The style of riding was first introduced in Great Britain by Anne of Bohemia in 1382, at the time of her marriage to King Richard II. It introduced a more independent way of travel, since travel was primarily through cart or carriage back then.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Gillian Beale King

On her win:
“It’s really extraordinary. I grew up coming to Devon. I am from Malvern so I am really close by. I’ve ridden side saddle at Devon as well as the pony jumpers and local hunters — a little bit of everything here. This is my first championship and it really feels phenomenal. I am lucky to have Alta Mira to ride. The Petersons own him and they’ve been really wonderful supporters. They always want what is best for the horse and it’s really wonderful to win for them and Alta Mira.”

On Alta Mira:
“I took over a new stable in Malvern in February and he was already there. I sort of inherited the Petersons and Alta Mira when I moved in to become the head trainer. I put him back into work. He had a quiet winter and we sort of had dreams of Devon in the background and it started coming together. We took him to Ludwig’s Corner and then we took him to St. Christopher’s and he was champion at both so we knew we had a really good chance here. It always takes a lot of hard work and preparation, and a little bit of luck, but it all came together today and I am so excited.”

On getting involved with side saddle:
“My dad has trained my aunt and my mom and countless other people side saddle, and when I turned 18, he said, ‘You should really try side saddle Gillian.’ I had ridden side saddle one other time when I was 12 and I felt like I was going to fall off and I never did it again. A few weeks after I turned 18 I was at Devon and we had a horse that belonged to my stepmother and I rode here and at Upperville as well. I was lucky to be reserve here and champion at Upperville. That was a great way to start. I haven’t had a side saddle horse in a few years so this was unexpected to have Alta Mira and be able to ride him. It’s been a dream come true. Devon is my home show and of course it’s a beautiful venue and the country fair is great. I am on the Young Devonaires committee here so I am very connected with this show and it’s really exciting.”

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