Lexington, Ky. – July 24, 2019 – The opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show kicked off Wednesday in the Rolex Stadium with David Beisel winning the day’s highlight event, the $5,000 1.40m Open Jumper. Saving the best for last, Beisel rode his 10-year-old KWPN gelding, Essince W, to the top of the leaderboard with the only double-clear performance of the class. Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios finished the class in second place aboard Gut Einhaus LLC’s Le Vio, while Rachel Kennedy rounded out the top three on Fandango.
Designed by Brazil’s Marina Azevedo, the course only saw four horse-and-rider combinations jump clear in the first round with Kennedy being the first to head into the immediate jump-off course. Kennedy and Fandango, her 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, brought down the Johnson Horse Transportation vertical during the jump-off to finish on four faults and a time of 41.385 seconds. Barrios and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding joined the jump-off but a light tap on an oxer added four faults on their quick time of 35.45, opening the door for someone to overtake his lead.
As the final rider in the class, Beisel’s performance was the only double-clear finish with a jump-off time of 42.608 seconds. Based in Goshen, Ohio, Beisel is a frequent competitor during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show series, but Wednesday’s class marked the first time his mount, Essince W, competed in the Rolex Stadium. The gelding, who Beisel has owned for a little over a year, was unfazed with the atmosphere and rode away with a solid victory to add to his resume that already includes top placings from HITS Ocala and the World Equestrian Center.
Show jumping will continue Thursday with the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix will take place Saturday, July 27, during Hats Off Day.
The Hagyard Challenge Series consists of seven show jumping events held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington throughout the 2019 show season. The series will culminate during the Kentucky National Horse Show at the end of September, where the rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $50,000 Leading Rider Award, presented upon completion of the seventh event, the $60,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic.
RESULTS
$5,000 1.40m Open Jumper
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. Essince W / David Beisel / David Beisel / 0 / 0 | 42.608
2. Le Vio / Pablo Barrios / Gut Einhaus LLC / 0 / 4 | 35.45
3. Fanfango / Rachel Kennedy / Rachel Kennedy / 0 / 4 | 41.385
4. Queens Darling / Lorenza O’Farril / Lorenza O’Farril / 0 | 69.175 / WD
5. Donna VI / Pablo Barrios / Clotilde Lewis / 4 | 69.088
6. Armani SL Z / Eugenio Garza / El Milagro / 4 | 76.799
7. Ekilly Van De Horst / Alex Granato / Blue Gate Farm LLC / 8 | 72.464
8. Acolina R / Aaron Vale / Sarah Turner / 16
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
David Beisel – $5,000 1.40m Open Jumper winner
On his performance on Wednesday:
“I’m really excited because today was his first time ever in the Rolex Arena. I brought him to Kentucky last year when I first got him and showed him in the high schooling classes in the covered ring. It’s cool for him to go out [in the Rolex] and give me a nice double clear. He loves jumping clear rounds.”
On Essince W:
“I love how scopey and careful he is. He’s a little weird to ride and he gets a little downhill but he has a lot of heart, which you can’t train desire into a horse. He really tries for me. The gentleman who imported him was doing him in the high schoolings and little less than a year later he has stepped up and has started doing the grand prixs. He’s won a couple grand prixs at the World Equestrian Center and he had clear rounds at HITs Ocala and Great Lake Equestrian Festival. He doesn’t have a real 1.50m grand pix win yet but he is knocking on the door.”