The sky stayed clear for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows at the historic Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The month long series of events will begin with the Kentucky Summer Horse Show and run concurrently with the North American Junior and Young Riders Championships being held July 28 -August 1, 2010. The 2010 National Junior Hunter Championships will follow August 3-4,2010, and the Kentucky Summer Classic will run from August 4 to August 8, 2010.

The first to go in the Stonelea Ring was the Green Conformation Model where Jocelyn Martin earned the first and third place ribbons with Banderas, owned by Friday’s Farm, and Shadowplay, owned by Perry Peterson. Cookie Beck and her mount, Goosebumps, owned by Lisa Cudahy, squeezed between Jocelyn’s two mounts for reserve. Later in the day Beck returned for the First Year Green Hunters with Hidden Creek’s Lennon clearing both rounds to claim a pair of blue ribbons over fences.

In the Green Conformation Hunters over fences classes, it was Katherine Newman and CME Holding’s Aljano Jr. to claim a second and first place prize over fences. “He was really good this week,” she commented. “He had a week off last week so I wasn¹t sure how he would be but he “I have been showing him for about a year and a half, and his owner will show him this week in the Junior Hunters and next week during the Junior Hunter Finals.”

The Second Year Green Working Hunter division was next up in order, with Russell Frey capturing a first place and a second place ribbon aboard Inside Scoop, owned by Chloe Reid. “His last class was the Hunter Derby in Lake Placid so he was more ready to do some turns as opposed to going straight,” laughed Frey. “I’ve been showing him for the last year and have been fortunate enough that Kim [Prince] broke her leg so I could keep riding him through summer to qualify for Indoors. My next plan is to take him to Capitol Challenge, Harrisburg, and Washington.”

Frey added, “I love the facility in Kentucky. The management is great and there is no other facility in the country that could handle all these events so well at one time. There are never any conflicts.”

Wrapping up the day was the Regular Working Hunters, where Will Roberts and mount Dubari, owned by Gayle Cox, made a comeback in the second round to claim top honors and receive a blue ribbon. After misreading the first line, the pair regained their winning rhythm in the second class. “I really liked course and the big, full jumps,” said Roberts. “We will show again next week and then enter the Derby Finals at the end of the month.”

The professional hunter divisions will continue tomorrow in the Stonelea Arena beginning at 8a.m. with the First Year Green Hunters. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will run through Sunday and be followed by the Kentucky Summer Classic, a WCHR qualifying event.