Devon, Pa. – May 27, 2019 – After two top finishes on Sunday and earlier in the day on Monday, Stephanie King of St. Augustine, Florida, and her own Co-Starr rode away with the win in the $7,500 NAL/WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Equifit, to secure the 2019 Adult Amateur Jumper championship, sponsored by Patriot Dealerships, with 25 points at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. Claiming the reserve championship with 15 points was Lexi Maounis and her own Roos.
King and the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding never touched a rail throughout all three classes of the division and kicked off competition on Sunday with a second place finish in the $2,500 Adult Amateur Jumper class, sponsored by Westover Companies/Guntram Weissenberger, Jr.
The pair, who have been partnered together for four and a half years, returned on Monday to earn third place in the speed class, sponsored by A.J. Blosenski Inc., before taking top honors in the evening’s classic round to claim the overall title as well as the Lawrence W. Schwartz Memorial Perpetual Trophy and the Judy Hill Groves Memorial Challenge Trophy to conclude the Adult Amateur Jumper division.
Monday evening’s $7,500 NAL/WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic saw nine entries, out of 22, jump clear over the Guilherme Jorge-designed course to advance to the jump-off, but it was King, who trains with Chad and Brooke Watridge of Ridgewater Show Stables, and Co-Starr who outpaced the competition to take home the Devon blue as the third-to-last combination to tackle the short course in 31.071 seconds.
Reserve champions, Maounis and Roos, who also claimed the red ribbon in Monday’s speed class, finished close behind with a double-clear performance in 31.737 seconds for second place, while Hannah Showell and Katie Austensen’s Penn rounded out the top three in the class in 33.229 seconds.
After fracturing a rib in a fall off of Co-Starr at the end of the 2019 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) season just a few months ago, the pair, who also won the competitive Adult Jumper championship at the Washington International Horse Show in October 2018, have been working to build their confidence and trust back up, and this year’s top finish at Devon proves they are back at the top of their game.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Stephanie King – 2019 Adult Amateur Jumper champion
On winning the Adult Amateur Jumper championship at the Devon Horse Show:
“This is my second year coming to Devon. Last year was a little bit of a heartbreak because I had the last rail down in the first round of the classic so to come back and be double-clear and win it is huge. He’s such an amazing horse. He loves the crowd and he loves the energy. He feeds off of it so it’s fun to bring him here.”
On Co-Starr:
“He’s a forever horse. He’s not going anywhere. I didn’t really buy him with that intention but it quickly became clear that that was how it was going to be. We trust each other and we just fit really well together. He’s either saved my life or we’ve pulled off classes that I never dreamed of pulling off, including this one. He’s the sweetest horse. He thinks he’s a puppy dog and he likes to cuddle. He’s a lover and he tries his heart out every single time we go in the ring. He’s just amazing.”
On coming back from her injury:
“I did fracture a rib at the very end of WEF. It was the first time I’ve fallen off of him since I’ve had him. This is a big moment for me because we’ve been working on coming back from that a little bit. My confidence got a little low so this is a big confidence booster.”
On the courses:
“It thought the courses were all fantastic and very fair. It worked really well to our strengths because he can have a very big open stride when we need it but he’s also able to turn back nice and tight.”
RESULTS
$7,500 NAL/WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic, sponsored by Equifit:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / Round One Faults / Round Two Faults / Time
1. Co-Starr / Stephanie King / Stephanie King / 0 / 0 / 31.071
2. Roos / Lexi Maounis / Lexi Maounis / 0 / 0 / 31.737
3. Penn / Hannah Showell / Katie Austensen / 0 / 0 / 33.229
4. Rimini / Debra J. Wycoff / Debra J. Wycoff / 0 / 0 / 35.084
5. Skys Burnin Blue / Phoenix Cooke / Phoenix Cooke /0 / 4 / 29.666
6. Electra / Kendra Sue Walmer /Andrew Ross / 0 / 4 / 29.978
7. Chasm Z / Isabelle Blackstone / Madison Akins / 0 / 4 / 30.058
8. Berrymare / Hannah Satterlund / Dorothy Campbell / 0 / 4 / 30.490
9. Smart Cover / Maya Lovdal / Maya Lovdal / 0 / 4 / 35.676