Melissa Feller and Serafino (Shawn McMillen Photography)
Feller and Serafino, a six-year-old Brandenburg gelding by Sir Donnerhall, showed in the Future Hunter 6 & Over division this week, and a high score there qualified Feller for tonight's Challenge class. Feller was unsure if she would ride Serafino in the Challenge, but after a solid showing in the North American Future Hunter Championship earlier in the day, she felt confident that she could do well in the Challenge.
She recalled, “We got into the Future Hunter Championship, and he was really good. He wasn't spooky, wasn't green. I figured he would be good at this, it was a little bit bigger, and he was really great. I think he really loves his job. He's quick to learn, and he's totally game. When I knew he was good in that class and not green at all, I was super psyched to do this (Challenge) class. I was very excited. He's been showing all day and he just gave it his all today, right now.”
Feller and Serafino made a big jump up the leaderboard when they sat in fifth place after a first round score of 84.5. A fantastic second round score of 90 gave them a 174.5 total for the win.
“I was sitting kind of in the middle, so I knew I had to be really good,” she remembered. “I didn't think I would have had enough points to be on top, but he gave it his all and so did I, and it worked out.”
Tom Brennan and Purple Heart, owned by Lynn Ellen Rice, finished second with a total score of 172.24. Caroline Willard and Emma Gerber's Stay-Tuned were third with a 171.16 score. Fourth place went to Arly Golombek on Kindle, owned by Caroline Donnally, with a 170.5, while Hayley Barnhill and Reid Patton's Lennon were fifth with a total of 169.33.
“I think it's awesome because obviously in the class before us, all those guys are perfect and unbelievable. (The Emerging Pro Challenge) is a nice class where no one's been super successful at a national horse show to compete against each other,” said Feller.
Future Champions Take Top Prize Money and Honors
(Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.)
For their win, Schatt and Bacardi were presented with the Beverly Brooks Solter Memorial Trophy donated by Hilary Scheer Gerhardt and Zan Martin Dillon.
Bacardi and Havens Schatt, who rode for Caroline Moran, led through both rounds of the $20,000 Added North American Future Hunter Championship sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler, Makoto Farms, Inc., and Kocher Tack. In the first round, they scored an average of 88.7 and increased their second round score to 90.5 for a victorious total of 179.2. Second place went to Scott Stewart and Concept, who scored a total of 177.10. Jennifer Bauersachs and Avignion, owned by Francesca Migliore, were third with a total of 175. Havens Schatt rode Ainsley Sadlo's Balin to fourth place with a score of 171. Elizabeth Boyd and Sarah Orberson's First Dance were fifth with 170.35.
For their win, Schatt and Bacardi were presented with the Beverly Brooks Solter Memorial Trophy donated by Hilary Scheer Gerhardt and Zan Martin Dillon.
“I was definitely nervous,” Schatt said of her mindset going into the second round. “I hadn't been in that situation for quite awhile in my career. But I knew on the way to the first jump he was on it. I knew he was ready and he would be good and everything was going to be just fine.”
She said of her win, “I really think that he deserves it. He's won so much as a young horse and that's a big, big class for Pre-Greens. Everyone watches it and it's a really good thing for his career. Last year he was second, and I wanted him to win last year, but I knew he wasn't ready for First Years, so he would have another chance this year. It was really great for him to pull it off and me too, and for him to have that on his resume going forward. So many horses that have won that class have gone on to have great careers. Hopefully he will go on and have a great career like those horses did.”
It was an exciting win for owner Caroline Moran. “The competition here is incredible. To have that many really nice Pre-Green horses and come out on top is amazing and very exciting,” she said. “It is a big group and there wasn’t one horse in there that I didn’t think was competitive. I knew that he was going to go well, but I just wanted him to get what he deserved.”
Moran noted, “He’s matured a lot. Havens has been great about taking her time with him and putting a lot of work into him. When he came here last year he was still a little green. It doesn’t look like it when Havens rides him because she’s so smooth.”
Schatt also took home the Grand Future Hunter Championship with Sans Souci, owned by CH Farm, LLC. The championship was sponsored by David Belford and Christopher Payne/New Hope LLC. They were presented with “A Rare Diamond” Perpetual Trophy donated by “The Friends of Mickey.”
Final Results: $5,000 WCHR Emerging Pro Challenge
1 477 SERAFINO MELISSA FELLER
81 86.5 86 84.50
91 90 89 90.00 174.50
2 145 PURPLE HEART TOM BRENNAN
90 89 84.75 87.91
82 83 88 84.33 172.24
3 173 STAY-TUNED CAROLINE WILLARD
85 85 85 85.00
85 87 86.5 86.16 171.16
4 770 KINDLE ARLY GOLOMBEK
86 79 85.5 83.50
90 86 85 87.00 170.50
5 318 LENNON HAYLEY BARNHILL
87.5 87 88 87.50
81 81.5 83 81.83 169.33
6 472 PADDINGTON KATIE TAYLOR
80 84.5 84.5 83.00
87 82.5 87 85.50 168.50
7 225 CORVINE CHRISTINA SERIO
87 85.75 83 85.25
81.5 82.25 84 82.58 167.83
8 1045 TUNDRA HILLARY JOHNSON
83 84 84 83.66
83 82 86 83.66 167.32
9 701 EXTRAORDINARY JENNIFER BLISS
88 82 82.5 84.16
80 80 80 80.00 164.16
10 1190SHADOW BOX MEGAN GHERE
80.5 80 82 80.83
78 81 79 79.33 160.16
11 1161CHARISMO DAVID WILBUR
78.5 77.5 81 79.00
76 78 72 75.33 154.33
12 1374C-ME IN COLOUR MIRANDA SCOTT
82 78.5 83.5 81.33
68 69 65 67.33 148.66
More from Wednesday at the Capital Challenge Horse Show
Peter Pletcher Returns to the Top with Sambalino in $25,000 WCHR Professional Challenge
Scott Stewart Dominates Hunter Divisions and Awards at Capital Challenge