Devon, PA – May 30, 2014 – The Devon Horse Show & Country Fair hosted its ninth day of competition on Friday featuring hunters, jumpers, driving, gaited horses, Friesians, Hackney ponies, and much more. Concluding another exciting day, the $3,000 Five-Gaited Saddle Horse Stake class was held, sponsored by Willisbrook Farm, with a win for Smith Lilly and Woodlea Farms LLC’s Central Perk. For the win, the pair was presented The Walter Graham Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Willisbrook Farm.
Annika Bruggeworth’s Attache’s Crown Royal placed second with Dannette Musselman riding, and Geraldine Meanor’s CH Five O’Clock and Jason Molback earned the third place prize.
Five-Gaited Saddle Horse Stake winner Smith Lilly and Central Perk. Photo by Doug Shiflet
From Princeton, West Virginia, Smith Lilly operates his family’s Mercer Springs Farm, a public training stable specializing in American Saddlebreds. He showed Central Perk on Friday for owners Mike and Amy Stinnett of Woodlea Farms. Lilly also won the $5,000 Three-Gaited Saddle Horse Stake earlier in the evening with Woodlea Farms LLC’s My Hail Mary.
Five-Gaited winner, Central Perk, is a five-year-old gelding by Superb Manhattan. He was a World Champion three-year-old and now mostly shows in the amateurs with his owner, Amy Stinnett. Central Perk qualified for Friday night’s class by showing in the unique Five-Gaited Special that was held Wednesday night. The class brings a group of hunter and jumper riders together to show their skills aboard the gaited Saddlebreds. Central Perk finished fourth ridden by two-time U.S. Show Jumping Olympic Team Gold Medalist McLain Ward leading into Friday night.
“We really just brought him up for the special class, for the celebrity class for the jumper riders to ride the gaited horses, and then we thought, ‘Well, he’s up here. Let’s go ahead and show him,’” Lilly detailed. “I thought he could get a little more seasoning. He’s only been in training with us since January, so I’m trying to know him a little bit more. He’s certainly a quality animal. I thought it would just be a great opportunity to get to know him in the ring a little bit, and then he goes and pulls it off and wins. I was really proud of him.”
Speaking about Central Perk’s big win and the horse’s strengths and best qualities, Lilly described, “He is beautiful; the classic picture of what you want a five-gaited Saddlebred horse to look like. He absolutely just fits the mold. He is beautiful in every way, from the way he is turned out, to his beautiful hair coat and his head and ear. He just looks the part.”
“Beyond that, he has nice motion,” Lilly continued. “He is a square trotting horse. He is particularly classy at the slow gait. We call it a money gait. I knew he would have the best slow gait in the ring. The rack, he’s not the fastest horse yet, but he is younger than most. He is only five years old, and I think he will develop more speed as he comes along. I thought if we didn’t win tonight, it would be because we lacked a little foot speed. I tried to present him in a way where we sort of covered up that weakness as best we could and, fortunately, we were able to pull off the win.”
Three-Gaited Saddle Horse Stake Winner Smith Lilly and My Hail Mary. Photo by Doug Shiflet
Lilly grew up in the horse business and has been coming to Devon for more than ten years. It is always a special show for him to compete at, and to have the opportunity to show Central Perk and win the big class was very exciting.
“I have been fortunate to win the gaited stake here one other time,” he recalled. “It has also always been fun to come up here and rub elbows with the big-time jumper trainers and learn what we can learn, and watch people like Guy McLean do their thing. It’s nice to be exposed to some different things.”
Lilly noted that the atmosphere of the Devon Horse Show makes competition even better. “The show horses love this ring, the saddle horses love it. It’s a big, open space to look at, and the crowd is always cheering. We say a cheering crowd makes everything about a show horse get better. We love coming to Devon with nice horses because they always seem to show well here,” he expressed.
Central Perk, named after the coffee shop from the television show ‘Friends,’ is also known as Joey in the barn after one of the show’s main characters. Lilly describes the horse as very “friendly and gregarious.”
Following his win at Devon, Central Perk will continue to compete with his owner long term, and Lilly hopes that he will continue to learn and improve.
“We’ll see if we can build on this experience and move forward,” he stated. “With a young horse, you just want them to keep getting better every show, and I think he’s doing that. Hopefully we can keep him on that path and see how good he can get.”
The 2014 Devon Horse Show will continue on Saturday with the conclusion of Open and Amateur-Owner Jumper competition as well as the completion of Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions and championships for Gaited, Driving, Pleasure, Hackney, and Harness classes. For full results, please visit www.devonhorseshow.org.
For those unable to attend the Devon Horse Show in person, the Dixon Oval is being live streamed on the USEF Network.
Shownet will be shooting individual video clips for purchase through the website www.shownet.biz of both the Dixon Oval and Gold Ring. If you have any questions, please contact info@shownet.biz or ask for Tony in the exhibitor lounge at the side gate.
FRIDAY RESULTS & PHOTOS
Coaching Champion – Tucker Johnson and the Johnson Brewster Road Coach
Sponsored by Travel Services
The Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Foster Bright Perpetual Trophy donated by the officers and members of the 1972 Devon Horse Show Committee
Three-Gaited Park Horse Amateur Stake Winner – Catherine Kunkel and Anderson Cooper
Sponsored by Elisabeth Goth
Three-Gaited Park Horse Champion Catherine Kunkel and Anderson Cooper. Photo by Doug Shiflet
Western Country Pleasure Champion – Ali Degray and Helen Rich’s Starlite Voyager
Sponsored by Northwind Stables
Fine Harness Horse Champion – Rick Martin and Annika Bruggeworth’s Sue Me
Sponsored by Grey Ridge Farm Clients – Awarded The Vanity Challenge Trophy donated by Mr. & Mrs. James K. Robinson, Jr.
Hackney Pony Champion – Amateur to Drive – Toni Nastali and Heartland Rough and Ready
Sponsored by The Capital Grille King of Prussia – Awarded The Mrs. J. Macy Willets Perpetual Trophy
Fine Harness Horse Champion Rick Martin and Sue Me. Photo by Doug Shiflet
Friesian Horse Pleasure Saddle Champion – Annika Bruggeworth and Ilus Waldman
Sponsored by The Blackburn Family
$5,000 Three-Gaited Saddle Horse Stake Winner – Smith Lilly and Woodlea Farms LLC’s My Hail Mary
Sponsored by Carol Hillenbrand in memory of Isabel Robson – Awarded The Lena Solomon Perpetual Trophy donated by Mrs. Mildred S. Leboff
$1,500 Hackney/Harness Pony Champion – Amateur to Drive – Ali Degray and Helen Rich’s Mr. Brightside
Saddlebred Show Pleasure Driving Horse Champion – Cathy Rogers Holmes and Who
Sponsored by The Capital Grille King of Prussia
Single Roadster Pony Champion – Tom Fiedler and Heartland’s Showin’ Off
Sponsored by B&D Builders
$20,000 Open Jumper Gambler’s Choice – Charlie Jayne and Handel’s Classic
Sponsored by Lufthansa – Awarded the USET Foundation, Inc. Perpetual Trophy donated by Mr. & Mrs. Whitney Stone
Charlie Jayne and Handel’s Classic. The Book LLC
$7,500 Open Jumper Faults Converted – Laura Chapot and Mary Chapot’s Zealous
Awarded The Salem Perpetual Trophy donated by Carl Hofmann Thompson
$3,750 Amateur-Owner Jumper Accumulator – Kelsey Thatcher and Pony Lane Farm’s Everything
Sponsored by Lufthansa – Awarded the Ward Sullivan Perpetual Memorial Trophy
$3,750 Amateur-Owner Jumper Time First Jump-Off – David Oberkircher and Southfields Farm LLC’s Cadzand
Laura Chapot and Zealous. The Book LLC
About The Devon Horse Show & Country Fair
May 22 – June 1, 2014
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The Devon Show Horse Show & Country Fair, founded in 1896, is the nation’s oldest and largest multi-breed outdoor horse show. It is one of 16 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Heritage Competitions. The 11-day event attracts over 100,000 visitors annually and is one of the largest volunteer based fundraising events in the country. Proceeds from the event benefit Bryn Mawr Hospital. While attracting top competitors from around the world for events such as the $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon (Thurs., May 29), the event remains one of Philadelphia’s premiere traditions, offering great food, boutique shopping, and rides, games, and events for the whole family. Tickets are on sale now, click HERE to purchase!