It was cool and overcast for the second day of the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park, host of the upcoming 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It was a day that required speed at accuracy for a victory and it was Margie Engle and Hidden Creek’s Lonesome Boy who delivered in the 1.35m Open Jumpers. Later in the day, junior rider Audrey Coulter and Rodenburgh’s California captured the 1.40m Open Jumper victory with a quick trip and no faults.

The 1.35m Open Jumper class featured an immediate jump- off format course, designed by Richard Jeffery, where riders were challenged over a combination that included a triple bar oxer, a vertical and an oxer. Those who rode clear were faced with the jump off which involved tight rollbacks, the vertical-oxer double combination, and that finished over a liverpool oxer.

Setting the bar was the first horse and rider duo, Margie Engle and Hidden Creek’s Campella. A clear first round took them to the jump-off and Engle’s smooth riding abilities resulted in every rail staying their cups and a time of 34.868 seconds.

Shane Sweetnam was the next to make it to the jump off with Spy Coast Farm, LLC’s Rolette and made every tight turn possible but unfortunately had a rail down and finished in fifth with a time of 27.361 seconds. Third to try and claim the lead was Nicholas Dello Joio aboard Tavanna, owned by Beatrice Mack. Blazing through the course and leaving every rail up, Dello Joio reset the standard with a fault free time of 25.985 seconds, which held up for the second place prize.

Erin Haas and North Face Farm’s Casino Van De Helle made the next effort in the jump off and did so without fault, but were unable to better Dello Joio’s speed and settled for third with a time of 27.203 seconds. Returning to the jump off was Margie Engle and her second mount, Hidden Creek’s Lonesome Boy. It was going to take a very quick time to pass Dello Joio, but Engle’s inside turns, angled jumps, and galloping between fences paid off with a faultless time of 25.221 seconds, enough to reclaim the lead and take the victory.

Margie Engle hopes to move Hidden Creek’s Lonesome Boy up to the 1.40m, but only if he is ready. “He has great breeding and could be a potential Grand Prix horse one day. He is very scopey and very careful over every jump”. Engle added, “It’s been a great time here. The Kentucky Horse Park is a great place to show.”

The next class in the Indoor Arena was the 1.40m Open Jumpers. A new course and faults converted format gave competitors a real challenge. Daniel Bluman and his mount Lifestyle chose a very bold course route coming up with a fault free effort in 66.845 seconds, earning second place. Antonio Maurer returned after a successful first day of competition and attempted to earn the quickest time over the course. Maurer and Callao did so with an ill-timed rail down resulting in four added faults to his speedy time of 63.701 seconds, good enough for a third place finish.

It looked like a focused, well timed course would be needed to take top honors and Audrey Coulter and Copernicus Stables’ 12-year-old mare, Rodenburgh’s California, delivered. Coulter guided her mount over a demanding course leaving every rail in their cups and crossing the wire in 65.715 seconds for the top prize.

Coulter is wrapping up her summer showing and heading back to school. “That was a great class to win nearing the end of the summer,” she explained. “My horse just came back from an injury so I’ve only shown her this spring and summer. We hope to enter some bigger classes with her in the future but now she will have some time off.

As a West Coast native, Coulter does not make the journey to Kentucky often, but she was excited to be here this summer. “I love this horse show, the competition is really good and the facility here is so beautiful,” she smiled.

Earlier in the day, the 7/8 Year Old Jumpers competed for top honors. Donald Cheska and Isotropi’s Viekie were the first to advance and rode a safe route in 31.677 seconds, good enough for fourth place. Tracey Weinberg and Wild Card made another clean effort bettering Cheska’s time, but settled for third with a time of 30.499 seconds. Cheska returned with his second mount, Frisco, owned by Alex Parrish, to reclaim his lead and jump fault free with a time of 29.326 seconds. However it would be Joe Fargis and Avec Couer, owned by Hidden Trail Farm, LLC to take top honors riding a swift and accurate route crossing the wire with zero faults in 28.575 seconds.

Competition will resume tomorrow with the highlight event, the $50,000 CSI-W Haygard Lexington Classic, which will get underway at 7p.m. At the end of the competition, the Hagyard Challenge Series Leading Rider will be announced. Also taking place tomorrow will be the First Round of the $100,000 The Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, beginning at 8a.m. in the Indoor Arena.

RESULTS:

Class 229, OPEN JUMPER 1.40m II sec 1 1 316 RODENBURGH’S CALIFORNIA AUDREY COULTER COPERNICUS STABLES LLC 0 0 0 65.715 2 660 LIFESTYLE DANIEL BLUMAN DANIEL BLUMAN 0 0 0 66.845 3 616 CALLAO ANTONIO MAURER FRANCISCO DEL RIO 0 0 0 67.701 4 823 BERKLEY DAVID BEISEL FOXRIDGE FARMS STABLES 0 0 0 69.558 5 562 URANDA SUSIE FRIED HIGHRIDGE FARM 0 0 0 73.666

6 613 UPTIMES NICHOLAS DELLO JOIO VICTORIA HUERTEMATTE 0 0 0 74.522 7 327 SPRINGTIME SAER COULTER COPERNICUS STABLES LLC 0 0 0 75.391 8 618 SCARFACE NORMAN DELLO JOIO TONY WEIGHT 0 0 0 76.283

Class 226, OPEN JUMPER 1.35m II 2b 1 696 HIDDEN CREEK’S LONESOME BOY MARGIE ENGLE HIDDEN CREEK FARM, INC. 0 0 0 68.241 0 0 0 25.221 2 608 TAVANNA NICHOLAS DELLO JOIO BEATRICE MACK 0 0 0 67.842 0 0 0 25.985 3 249 CASINO VAN DE HELLE ERIN HAAS NORTH FACE FARM 0 0 0 67.765 0 0 0 27.203 4 694 HIDDEN CREEK’S CAMPELLA MARGIE ENGLE HIDDEN CREEK FARM, INC. 0 0 0 66.941 0 0 0 34.868 5 841 ROLETTE SHANE SWEETNAM SPY COAST FARM LLC 0 0 0 68.987 4 0 4 27.361 6 318 CREDIT CRUISE AUDREY COULTER COPERNICUS STABLES LLC 4 0 4 65.133 0 0 0.000 7 846 VALENTINO SHANE SWEETNUM SWEET OAK FARM & RICHIE MOLONEY 4 0 4 66.556 0 0 0.000 8 211 VALHALLA KENT FARRINGTON HAITY MCNERNEY 4 0 4 68.886 0 0 0.000

Class 215, SEVEN & EIGHT YEAR OLD JPR 1.30m-1.35m, II 2b 1 202 AVEC COUER JOE FARGIS HIDDEN TRAIL FARM, LLC 0 0 0 68.677 0 0 0 28.575 2 161 FRISCO DONALD CHESKA ALEX PARRISH 0 0 0 66.556 0 0 0 29.326 3 206 WILD CARD TRACEY WEINBERG TRACEY WEINBERG & THE WEINBERG BROKERAGE GROUP 0 0 0 69.055 0 0 0 30.499 4 163 VIEKIE DONALD CHESKA ISOTROPIC 0 0 0 65.888 0 0 0 31.677 5 547 POURKOIPA FONTAINE MEGAN UDELSON ALL SEASONS FARM 0 0 0 66.678 4 0 4 29.476 6 770 GINGER 729 MARGIE ENGLE LEA ALLEN 0 0 0 68.880 4 0 4 32.718 7 622 SUEDWIND DAPHNE ALCOCK NICOLE PERRY 0 0 0 63.789 8 0 8 29.526 8 306 ACORSO J.M. LANDER JOSE GAMARRA 4 0 4 64.871 0 0 0.000