Manitoba Equine ...On-Line News: YB Blue and Nick Novak Triumph in $30,000 Showplace Productions Grand Prix III

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YB Blue and Nick Novak Triumph in $30,000 Showplace Productions Grand Prix III

June 23, 2010

Wayne, IL –-– The 2010 Showplace Spring Spectacular Horse Show Series concluded its third and final week of competition this afternoon at the scenic Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL. The exciting $100,000 Showplace Challenge Cup completed its final three divisions with wins going to Dana Waters riding Biloxi in the $10,000 Low Junior/AO Finals, Alissa Kinsey riding Grisset in the $10,000 NAL Child/Adult Finals, and Ashley Reed riding Madonna in the $4,000 Modified Child/Adult Finals. The day wrapped up with a fantastic $30,000 Showplace Grand Prix victory for Nick Novak and YB Blue.

Competing over a great track set by renowned course designer Conrad Homfeld, Wednesday’s grand prix class saw a total of 25 competitors in the first round of competition. Eight horse and rider combinations were able to complete the course fault-free and advance to the jump-off, and the challenging shortened course saw just three clear rounds. Maggie Jayne and Caretina III, Alex Granato and Mad Season, and India Anderson and Gesa were first to attempt the course, but each had one rail down to finish with four faults in fifth, sixth, and seventh place respectively. Nick Novak and YB Blue returned next and were the first pair to go clean in the jump-off with a time of 41.418 seconds.

The fastest four-fault round from Charlie Jayne and Speedy Chicolina came next to place the pair in fourth place. Amelia McArdle and Pilot jumped double clear in 43.482 seconds to finish in third place. John McConnell and Katie Riddle came close, but could not quite beat Novak’s time with their clear round in 42.919 seconds, to finish in second.

Winners Nick Novak and YB Blue won their first grand prix together two years ago in the fall, and returned to achieve their second grand prix victory together today. Novak has owned YB Blue for six years, purchasing the eleven-year-old gelding as a five-year-old. “I just kind of brought him along myself and we have been working our way up,” Novak stated. “He had almost a whole year off last year because of a slight injury, so we had to give him some time off, and ever since he came back he has just been amazing.”

Novak rides with trainer Nancy Whitehead and has been competing at Lamplight for many years. Novak has made it his goal this year to be in the top three for the $60,000 Showplace Leading Rider Series Open Jumper division, and will be competing with Showplace Productions at Lamplight and Ledges throughout the summer to achieve that goal. YB Blue will hopefully be the horse to aid in that accomplishment as the pair shows together throughout the coming year. “He is hot, extremely hot, but he is very willing and he has a heart of gold,” Novak said of the horse. “He would jump over a fire if you point him at it.”

They may not have been jumping over fire today, but Homfeld asked many questions of the horses and riders with his skillfully set course. Novak commented, stating, “I thought it was a really good course; challenging in some places. I thought it was a little tricky down the last line especially, but it was fun. It was a good course and it was a good jump-off. There were places where you could run and a couple of places where you had to turn pretty fast, so I thought it asked all the tests of a good jump-off.”

Novak has enjoyed the last few weeks competing at the Showplace Spring Spectacular and explained why he returns year after year, stating, “I have been here ever since I started riding seven years ago and I have been around this area pretty much my whole life. Everybody knows everybody here and it is like a big family. Everyone is really supportive of one another and it is just a good, fun show to come to. The rings are great and the footing that they put in is really nice, especially since it rained all day today; the footing held up so well. It is really a fun show and I live 40 minutes from here, so it is really easy to get to.”

Just before the exciting $30,000 Showplace Productions Grand Prix commenced, the $10,000 Low Junior/Amateur Finals, sponsored by Pony Lane Farm, crowned Dana Waters and Biloxi with top honors. The pair not only earned the win in today’s class but they earned the reserve champion of the Low Junior/ Amateur Owner Jumper division behind Erin Haas and Chianti 67.

Today’s third class in the Challenge Cup consisted of 12 numbered obstacles including a triple combination, a double combination, and a plank fence. Seven riders advanced to the jump-off to attempt the six numbered obstacles in the short-course.

The first rider to set the jump-off time with a clear round was Ali Wolff and Residenz. The pair completed the round in 37.730 seconds, setting the time to beat for the rest of the pack. Chianti 67 and Erin Haas entered the Grand Prix Ring chasing the timers and stopping the clock at 34.892 seconds, which held up for two more riders, but in the end their time would earn them the third place ribbon.

Lonestar and Stephanie Mengarelli were blazing through the course but their pace would not be fast enough to take the lead. The pair would trip the timers at 36.557 seconds placing them fourth place overall. Barbara Ruziska aboard Look Again moved lickety-split over the short-course and their time of 34.799 seconds would capture the lead.

Ruziska’s lead did not last long when the last pair, Dana Waters and her Dutch Warmblood Biloxi, entered the ring. The pair dashed across the ring and Biloxi’s agile turns would save the duo a few seconds. The pair darted to the last jump, flying over the vertical and looking over at the crowd excitedly. Waters glanced at the board as the time of 33.991 seconds appeared and the win would be captured by the duo, placing Ruziska into the second position.

Waters was the last to attempt the jump-off course behind the six other horse and rider combinations. This line-up would give Waters a few moments to think about how each of the other riders challenged themselves. Waters explained, “Before I entered the ring Nancy Whitehead mentioned I could be faster if I really moved to the last jump because everyone else had held up to that last jump. My plan was to do seven strides to the double and I did seven and a quarter. Since I got to go last I decided to watch the riders in front of me attempt the course. I kept hearing that they were clear and as we moved down the list they kept getting faster and faster. Barbara, who went just before me really flew through the course ending up in the lead. I figured since no one had any faults I could earn sixth place with four faults, or sixth place with a slow and careful ride. However, I decided to go as fast as I could and I had no idea if it would be fast enough until I crossed the finish line.”

Waters enjoyed Homfeld’s course design for all three days of the Challenge Cup. She noted, “Conrad, as usual, wanted you to know your horse from the start to the finish. You definitely had options on how you rode the course. I thought the course was nice and inviting and I thought that Conrad was conscious of the conditions. I think the course was really made for everyone. I did not see any disastrous rounds and there were four fault penalties all over the course.”

She continued, “Before I went in to the ring we had a large rain storm and I was wondering how the footing would be. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no slipping. The footing was wonderful and the only thing that it caused was a bit of a distraction because of the splashing of the water. But the footing was definitely not a factor in how the horses went.”

Waters has owned the talented gelding for about three years now. “Three years is probably a world record for us, I am surprised someone else has not bought him yet,” laughed Waters. “He has been such a great horse. He was Zone champion in the Amateurs last year and I do not show him week in and week out. I like to save him for the weekend competitions. He is always fast, consistent, always competitive, studies each and every jump and it is nice that you can count on him when you really want to try and win. He is a very kind horse, has lots of gumption, and is beautifully careful. I enjoy the fact that you do not have to do anything special to get him ready before the show. The most important factor when we are not showing is fitness. Biloxi gallops a lot of miles throughout the week and this type of training really benefits him in the show ring. I feel blessed to have a horse that is so wonderful especially being the old lady of the group. Every year that I keep riding I cannot believe how well these juniors ride and how good their horses are. I am so lucky to have such a top ride.”

She added, “I want to thank my entire team at Waterworks including my husband Chuck, Tommy Feigel, my daughter and my staff. We have a really great team and have had a really great year so far. I hope it keeps going that way.”

After today, Waters and her team will head home to Pennsylvania where they have not been since October. After a few weeks of relaxation, they will head onto HITS Culpepper and then HITS Saugerties.

Prior to Dana Waters earning her cooler and trophy, Grisset and Alissa Kinsey topped the $10,000 NAL Child/Adult Finals sponsored by WeatherTech.com. The pair not only earned the win in today’s class but won the championship of the Child/Adult Jumper division.

Ramona and Nadine Beck were first to attempt the short-course setting the time at 44.955 seconds. Their time would hold for a brief period until Grisset and Alissa Kinsey would knock Beck out of the lead. Grisset and Kinsey raced over the short-course, hurried through the turns, and flew through the timers leaving all of the rails in their cups in 35.725 seconds. Kinsey’s time would be challenged but would not be broken by any of the next riders earning Kinsey the first place ribbon.

After Kinsey’s expeditious round, Rebound and Barbara Ruziska picked up their pace. Ruziska would pilot Rebound through the first five fences effortlessly. As they approached the double combination they would knock down two rails causing them eight faults in a time of 36.599 seconds. Their time would earn them the fourth place ribbon.

Last in the ring was young Marshall Reed who won the first day of the Child/Adult Challenge Cup class and earned second in yesterday’s class. The dup would fly over the fences at a swift pace tripping the timers in 37.504 seconds placing them right behind Kinsey in second place.

Kinsey commented, “The first round seemed fairly straight forward, but the jumps were bigger than the first two days. It was nice that the jumps were kept on the small side because we had jumped a lot. I enjoyed that the fences were bigger today because I have been going fast for so many days in a row that the height slowed her down a little and backed her off. Conrad is a genius of course designing. He is very fair for the classes and he knew that we had to jump a lot this week. I think that the courses were not tricky, it was just pure consistency, and he gave us plenty of options in the jump-off to really shine and do our thing, so it was exciting.”

She continued, “Grisset was perfect in the first round and she did everything I asked of her. Then we entered the jump-off and I found as we rode through the course that I rode it differently than how I had walked it. I knew I had to go fast because I had some fast horses after me, so I walked every line and I gave myself reference numbers to go by. Then, when I got in the ring she just took the reins and started to go so fast that I lost my brakes and just kept kicking. I ended up leaving a stride out of what I was already leaving out, so she did like a double leave out everywhere. That is her thing though, if you try to slow her down, she will have a rail. You just have to let her go once she gets rolling. The funny thing is that she is very lazy and she will not go unless you ask her to go, but then once you get her wound up she is spectacular. Grisset has a huge stride, you know that you can trust her at the jumps, and I like that she is smoother than the little horses. I am fortunate to have this horse and I am very lucky that she is as great as she is. I do not ever make her work this hard and she will be going to get a big vacation after our 17 hour drive home.”

Kinsey enjoyed the Challenge Cup but was mad at herself for scratching out of the speed class on Monday, so yesterday she went for it and wound up winning round two of the Challenge Cup. She noted, “I love the idea of the Challenge Cup but I was weary because it you have a rail you are done. However, I knew that my horse was consistent and it definitely lets the top horses shine through. I am still kicking myself though, I broke Grisset’s streak here because she had won every class we entered here until I scratched her from Monday’s class.”

Kinsey has owned the Hanoverian mare for about four years now and has showed at Lamplight for two years. “I had come to the Showplace horse shows on a whim last year because I had heard really great things about the place. The shows in my neck of the woods are mostly on grass right now so I enjoy that I can come and show on the footing. I love the improved footing for this year, they really listened to the exhibitors and they were able to make things happen. I will gladly come back next year.”

Competition in the Grand Prix Ring began this morning in the midst of heavy rains, but riders were able to expertly conquer Conrad Homfeld’s course in the $4,000 Modified Child/Adult Jumper Challenge Cup Finals. The class was generously sponsored by Bill Kay Auto Group, and held in a Table II 2(A) format. Today’s class saw 11 competitors and seven were able to clear the first round course to jump off. Those seven returned over the shortened course, and it was the last trip of Ashley Reed and Madonna that stopped the clock in 39.570 seconds that earned the day’s top prize.

Off with a Bang and Alana Swanson jumped double clear in 42.170 seconds to finish in second place, and the only other double clear of the class belonged to Rio Z and Maggie Knapke with a time of 46.038 seconds to finish in third. Faithfully and Rebecca Williams had the fastest four-fault jump-off round in 36.228 seconds to earn fourth place.

Fifteen-year-old Ashley Reed, of Winnetka, IL, has been riding her nine-year-old gray mare Madonna since March. Reed noted that her trainer, Lance Williamson, gave her the option to ride the mare and thanked him for the opportunity. “She is a great mare,” Reed stated. “I have just been riding her this year, but we are a good match and it has been going really well.”

“She can be a difficult ride because she is a mare, so she can act girly and throw a hissy fit every once in a while, but for the most part she is a great mare and I am very happy with her,” Reed acknowledged. “The course was great today; the mud was a problem, but she was good. I just rode it kind of like an equitation course for the first round and trusted her a lot, and it went well.”

Reed has had a lot of success competing with Showplace Productions and was excited about the addition of the Challenge Cup this year. “I thought the Challenge Cup was really exciting because it is something different and it was a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved it because it is a big deal at the end of the week, and it gave us something to look forward to.”

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