Three regional qualifying competitions were recently held for the 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championships. They were the last Regionals held, and the final list of qualifiers is now available (please see below). The 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championship will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on October 28-November 1, 2009.

Zazou Hoffman was the winner of the Region 1 qualifier at the Grand Fall Classic in Westbrook, CT. Hoffman finished second at Regionals last year and won the previous year. The 17-year-old from Santa Monica, CA, trains with Missy Clark and John Brennan.

Hoffman rode Clark's Ivy, an aged gelding that she has shown seven times now at major horse shows. "We use him very sparingly because he's just such a special horse," Hoffman explained.

At this year's Regionals, Hoffman went 52nd in the order over a course that included a bounce combination. "I'm always so confident in Ivy, and he had been amazing all weekend," she recalled. "I felt pretty good about it, so that was nice." The pair led from the first round and won without a work-off.

Hoffman and Ivy finished third last year at the ASPCA Maclay National Championship. "I'm hoping for the win this year, but I think everyone hopes for it. This is my last year, so I'll take each horse show as it comes and hopefully I'll enjoy it all," Hoffman noted. "It's great to have the opportunity to ride such a nice horse. It's pretty incredible to be riding with Missy and training with my trainer at home, Meredith Bullock. I have to thank the whole team at North Run. They've been very supportive."

Christy diStefano, who is also 17 years old, and from Ramsey, NJ, won this year's Region 2 qualifier at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY. She rode Rodin, a nine-year-old gelding owned by Shelby Wakeman, to the win. DiStefano trains at Beacon Hill with Stacia Madden.

DiStefano has shown Rodin since this winter. "He's very sensitive, but he's very responsive. He's a really good guy and very trustworthy. I'm always 100% confident going in with him. If there is a mistake, it's mine," she described.

The pair was second after the jumping and flat round, and they were called back in the top four riders to test. At that point, Madden had told diStefano that she was already qualified for the National Championships, so that she should "go for it."

This is diStefano's fifth year competing at Regionals, and she placed fifth in 2006. She placed fourth at last year's National Championships. DiStefano is looking forward to attending this year's finals in Syracuse. "The atmosphere is great, and I always look forward to seeing other competition and friends. I think it's a great venue," she said of Syracuse. "I just want to be really consistent at all the finals, and I would love to get a ribbon at each. If I'm consistent and my horse is good, I'll be very happy with that."

The Region 4 qualifier, which was held at the Kentucky National in Lexington, KY, saw Lauren Sogard of Indianapolis, IN, in the winner's circle. The 17-year-old rode her hunter Concerto to victory.

Although Concerto is only eight years old, he and Sogard have a good partnership. When Sogard's equitation horse was unable to show at the Regionals, she was confident in her back-up mount. "We did the Maclay Finals when he was only five," Sogard remarked. "He's really brave, and he was awesome. I've only had an equitation horse for the past year because we couldn't afford to have both before. I used to do Concerto in the equitation all the time when he was younger."

Sogard trains with Val and Diane Renihan and is a student at Auburn University. This was her third time at Regionals and she placed ninth last year. Despite riding in tall boots three sizes too big when hers broke the night before, Sogard was solid through a jumping round, a flat round, a flat test without stirrups. "I was the first to go over fences and walked in and nailed it. They took us back for no stirrups on the flat, and I was excited because I love no stirrups! The class was an exciting night," she expressed.

She went on to say, "I was so surprised. It just really made my weekend worth it, and everything that I've worked for. I'm looking forward to going to Syracuse because I like the intensity there. The harder things are, usually the better I am," she said. "I'm hoping for the best. I always want to have a good time and see what happens. Hopefully I'll stay on top of my game."

For more information on the ASPCA Maclay National Championships and its qualifiers as well as the National Horse Show Association of America, please visit www.nhs.org.

For details on the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, please visit www.syracuseinvitational.com.

2009 ASPCA Maclay Region 1 Top 10
1. Zazou Hoffman, Ivy, Warren, VT
2. Taylor Harris, Sundance, Cote de Caza, CA
3. Kelly Tropin, Turner, New Canaan, CT
4. Nicole Pizzi, Aikido, Milton, MA
5. Michael Hughes, Showtime, Allendale, NY
6. Olivia Jack, Flying Colors, Fairfield, CT
7. Alexandra Arute, Sander, Avon, CT
8. Emily Dalessandro, Jeter, Redding, CT
9. Samantha Elser, Guinness, Hopewell Junction, NY
10. Sydney Smith, Calimero, Rockport, MA

2009 ASPCA Maclay Region 2 Top 10
1. Christy DiStefano, Rodin, Ramsey, NJ
2. Christina Lin, Icon, Lewisburg, PA
3. Jacqueline Lubrano, Golou II, Glenmoore, PA
4. Tina DiLandri, Cadeau, La Jolla, CA
5. Lillie Keenan, Logan, New York, NY
6. Kelsey Hart, Agostino, East Greenbush, NY
7. Madeline Turner, Oxford, Montclair, NJ
8. Reed Kessler, Ricochet, Wellington, FL
9. Olivia Clancy, Asten, Colts Neck, NJ
10. Samantha Schaefer, Travino, Westminster, MD

2009 ASPCA Maclay Region 4 Top 10
1. Lauren Sogard, Concerto, Indianapolis, IN
2. Erin Hickey, R. Adermie 4, Cincinnati, OH
3. Cassie Moffatt, Pop-Socks, Ann Arbor, MI
4. Abigail McArdle, Apartico, Barrington, IL
5. Jennifer Waxman, Conjour, Chagrin Falls, OH
6. Caitie Hope, Don Juan, Barrington Hills, IL
7. Laura Pfeiffer, Catwoman, Temperance, MI
8. Heather Frymark, Show Boat, Fenton, MI
9. Kelsey Thatcher, Raven, South Jordan, UT
10. Caitlin Richardson, Snepts, Saratoga Springs, NY

Final List of Qualifiers for the 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championship
Adams, Taylor
Anthony, Alexa
Arute, Alexandra
Auer, Emily
Baginski, Laura
Barbour, Kelsey
Barnhill, Haley
Bausano, Gabrielle
Bayko, Alexa
Becker, Anna
Bernstein, Ellie
Bernstein, Leighona
Bertelson, Abby
Biemer, Coleen
Billings, Catherine
Birdsall, Victoria
Boggio, Chase
Boris, Theodore
Boylan, Maggie
Braswell, Molly
Brown, Taylor
Bruheim, Erin
Carlson, Audrey
Carlton, Alexandra
Carucci, Grace
Casady, Shawn
Chowdry, Olivia
Clancy, Olivia
Clawson, Rebecca
Coulter, Saer
Cowie, Catherine
Crane, Natalie
Crown, Rachel
D'Alessio, Gabriella
Dalessandro, Emily
Davidson, Annie
Davis, Lucy
DeLandri, Tina
Dickinson, Holly
Dinan, Katie
DiPietro, Dani
DiStefano, Christy
Dobbs, Kalvin
Donovan, Hasbrouck
Dorey, Olivia
Dunham, Laura
Efird,Victoria
Elser, Samantha
Esse, Olivia
Fithian, Allison
Fowler, Julia
Frymark, Heather
Gallegos, Navona
Games, Madison Leigh
Gleeson, Leyland
Green, Sara
Griffin, Rachel
Hake, Rachel
Hale, Morgan
Harris, Taylor
Harrison, Samantha
Hart, Kelsey
Hayes, Quincy
Henry, Sally
Henter, Amber
Hickey, Erin
Hoffman, Zazou
Hope, Caitlin
Hughes, Michael
Hupy, Olivia
Huss, Chelsea
Jack, Olivia
Johnson, Paulena
Kahle, Cassandra
Kaidanow, Danielle
Keenan, Lillie
Kennedy, Emma
Kenny, Elizabeth
Kessler, Reed
King, Laura
Kluger, Anna
Langston, Gabbi
Liberman, Natalie
Lin, Christina
Livley, Kelly
Lobrano, Jacqueline
Lohrer, Lexie
Lyons, Margo
MacPherson, Megan
McArdle, Abigail
McGee, Zoe
McGehee, Ashley Ann
McGrath, Kilian
McMahon, Tess
McNerney, Hilary
Moffatt, Cassie
Mohr, Kristen
Moore, Amanda
Neff, Jocelyn
O'Mara, Abby
O'Mara, Meg
Oliva, Samantha
Pfeiffer, Laura
Pizzi, Nicole
Polle, Erica
Polle, Karen
Ramasy, Samantha
Ramlijak, Jessy
Raposa, Schaefer
Renker, Tess
Richards, Cayla
Richardson, Caitlin
Richardson, Julianna
Riddle, CiCi
Rogers, Grace
Roter, Rachel
Rummell, Mahala
Sanborn, Anna
Sassmannshausen, Ryan
Schaefer, Samantha
Schatz, Kelsi
Schmidt, Garret
Schmidt, Katherine
Seelig, Amanda
Sexton, Rebecca
Smith, Sydney
Smolensky, Stephanie
Sogard, Lauren
Spogli, Caroline
Steinhaus, Jaime
Stevens, Hannah
Stiegler, Demi
Stucky, Brian
Thatcher, Kelsey
Tropin, Kelly
Trueb, Olivia
Tully, Kaelin
Turner, Madeline
Tyler, Katie
Van Houten, Carolyn
Verges, Sophie
Vinal, Nancy
Waxman, Jennifer
Wickman, Kelsey
Williams, Hannah
Wilson, Susan Wesley
Wood, Colby
Wood, Devon
Ziegler, Caitlin
Zulia, Chelsey