Lexington, KY - October 31, 2015 - Lucy Deslauriers and Hester have formed an unmatched partnership during the 2015 season. After winning the North American Young Rider Show Jumping individual gold medal in July, they went on to win the USEF Junior Jumper Championship just a few weeks ago. Now they have capped off their incredible year with a dominating performance to win the USEF U25 National Championship at the CP National Horse Show.

"We have a really strong partnership that I think has only gotten stronger as we've gone on to work together," smiled Deslauriers after her victory. "Through each championship I try to focus on one goal at a time and not let the results get to me. I think it's really important to keep my mind on track, jump one round at a time and go one day at a time. I think that's what helps us work as a team so well."

Lucy Deslauriers and Hester

After two rounds of competition held Wednesday and Thursday, 26 riders returned to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete in the $30,000 Championship, presented by The Porter Family, The Jacobs Family, The Jobs Family and The Keenan Family. They completed one show jumping round before the top 12 advanced to the final round.

Deslauriers had already captured one leg of the event on Thursday, and that put her in the lead with no faults going into Sunday's competition. Hester was once again faultless over the first round track, putting on the pressure as the last to go at the end of the night. The duo proved why they have had such a successful partnership during the year, making light work of the second track that many riders struggled with. They crossed the finish line without error, completing the entire competition without fault and earning the $35,000 USEF U25 National Championship. 

"It was a really great week," expressed Deslauriers. "My horse jumped incredible in all the rounds. In the first round, I didn't ride my best, so I really tried to put in strong efforts the rest of the week. He really helped me out there. I think that this division is a great way to step up from the junior ranks before stepping into the grand prix. I think it's a great thing that the National Horse Show has supported and the sponsors have supported. I'm really honored to pull out this win."

Lucy Deslauriers and Hester

"Hester was already in the family when I started riding him," continued Deslauriers. "As soon as we gathered our partnership together and got going, we started to focus on goals and came to the realization that he would be great at this championship format. We got very lucky with him."
 
Deslauriers trains with her father, Olympian Mario Deslauriers, as well as her mother, Lisa Deslauriers. "As a father and a mother, we're very proud of Lucy," remarked Mario. "She's come a very long way. Last year we were close at a few championships. This year we thought we'd regroup a little and maybe not try to win the first day but climb our way back in the championship and keep Hester a little more under control. She did a great job. We're very proud of her, and hopefully we'll win lots more!"

Lucy will be back at the Kentucky Horse Park early tomorrow as one of the finalists in the 2015 ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Horsemanship Championship. She believes that equitation finals and show jumping championships are both key parts of young riders' development. 

"They're all very important," stated Lucy. "I think equitation is definitely the foundation for the jumpers, so without it I don't think I would have been able to come up with these results with Hester. Balancing both is very important, and both are very important to me and where I go with my riding career."

Katherine Struass and All In

The only other clear trip in the very final round of competition belonged to Katherine Strauss and All In, winners of Wednesday's speed competition. The pair had one rail in the first round Saturday night, which was combined with the two faults they had coming into the night. They were prepared to fight for a top spot in the final round though, and a clear round had them finish on just six faults to take home the silver medal.

"I had a really great first day," said Strauss. "My horse jumped amazingly. In the second round I had a little bit of an error, so coming into today I was a little bit behind and just knew I'd have to ride my best and keep working to climb back up the ranks. My horse jumped incredibly all week."

Catherine Tyree entered the final two rounds of competition with just one fault. An uncharacteristic stop by Enjoy Louis in Sunday's first round was costly, adding five more faults to their total. Tyree was not ready to give up though, and despite incurring four faults at a plank fence as well as a time fault, her total would be just 11 faults for the week and earn her the bronze medal. 

Catherine Tyree and Enjoy Louis

"My horse also jumped incredibly all week," commented Tyree. "He never put a foot wrong. Everything that happened was a little bit rider error, and today I made a mistake that was not his fault at all. I just thought in the first round I'd try to be as fast as possible because I knew at the end the time fault would be what would come down to it. I was lucky to have a horse that was so game and with me throughout the entire competition."

U.S. Show Jumping Young Rider Chef d'Equipe DiAnn Langer concluded, "These are three outstanding athletes here with us tonight, and they are our future. I think that we can all be proud of the talent that is rising up in the United States. We just have to make sure we keep providing them with the right opportunities to further their careers and then be successful in representing the United States in the future. I have no doubt that we are going to be very successful."

Katherine Strauss, Lucy Deslauriers and Catherine Tyree

RESULTS: USEF U25 National Championship
1    550    HESTER     LUCY DESLAURIERS     0    
2    552    ALL IN     KATHERINE STRAUSS     6        
3    563    ENJOY LOUIS     CATHERINE TYREE     11        
4    565    QURINT     HAYLEY WATERS     13    
5    564    CHAMONIX H     KELLI CRUCIOTTI     13    
6    559    BARIANO     EUGENIO GARZA     17
7    551    HARLEY DAVID     NICOLE BELLISSIMO     20    
8    562    GOLDFINGER VD HENGSTENPOEL  SARAH BAGWORTH     21   
9    589    VDL BRAVO S     HUNTER HOLLOWAY     22        
10    581    QUESTER DE VIRTON     MEREDITH DARST     25    
11    593    VON CIM     ALEXANDRA CROWN     30        
12    594    FANTASY     ALI TRITSCHLER 

It is rare to see an 11-horse jump-off be more about accuracy than speed, but that is exactly how the final showdown for the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship, presented by The Nusz Family, played out. While 11 were able to produce a faultless first round, only one athlete was able to do it a second time for the tiebreaker. 

As the second rider to return, Adrienne Sternlicht was focused on a clear round at a good pace with her 8-year-old mare Providence, owned by Starlight Farms. The plan paid off when she crossed the finish line with all the fences intact in 35.634 seconds, and the clear round would prove to be unmatchable for the other entries.

Adrienne Sternlicht and Providence

"There were a lot clean in the first round, more than I anticipated actually," said Sternlicht. "My horse is only 8 and she's very inexperienced at this level, but she has incredible scope and ability. I thought I would just put in a nice double clear - that was my goal - and hopefully I would be in the top six, maybe, but luck worked in our favor this time." 

Sternlicht added, "Providence is quite sensitive and she's very, very rideable, sometimes almost too responsive. It's really taught me to be soft and have a consistent feel on my horses."

Despite Providence's young age, Sternlicht is very excited about their future together. "I think she can do anything," she smiled. "I think she will be a major grand prix horse. We have our expectations set high for her, but it's really just a matter of being patient. She's really taught me to relax and take my time with a horse and not get frustrated. Even if they have all the ability, they all progress and develop at different times."

Two other horses and Sternlicht's second horse Quidam MB were able to be beat the time, but it came at the cost of a rail. Madison Goetzmann and Wrigley won the first two Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper events, and while they had the fastest time once again in 32.042 seconds, a rail at the first fence placed them second. The duo's efforts over the weekend did earn them the division's championship prize.

Madison Goetzmann and Wrigley

Sternlicht and Quidam MB finished in 33.616 seconds, but lowered the height of the penultimate fence for the third place award. Catherine Tyree and Free Style VD Polderhof also finished in less than 35 seconds, but a rail at the first fence earned them the fourth place award when they broke the beam at 34.236 seconds. 

Sterlicht is no stranger to winning at the CP National Horse Show and was happy to be back in Lexington. "It's a very prestigious show," she commented. "It's always something I look forward to. I think the atmosphere in this arena is incredible. I think they do a really good job with these shows that are just one horse show; they have a certain feeling of importance to them, which is really nice."

At the end of the competition, Sternlicht also took home the division's reserve championship for the weekend. Daisy Farish was honored for her consistent results throughout the year with the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series East Championship. 

RESULTS: $15,000 000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship
1    682    PROVIDENCE     ADRIENNE STERNLICHT     0    0    0    69.184    0    0    0    35.634    
2    964    WRIGLEY     MADISON GOETZMANN     0    0    0    69.348    4    0    4    32.042    
3    683    QUIDAM MB     ADRIENNE STERNLICHT     0    0    0    69.534    4    0    4    33.616    
4    815    FREE STYLE VD POLDERHOF     CATHERINE TYREE     0    0    0    67.558    4    0    4    34.236    
5    978    PHINEAS     LUCAS PORTER     0    0    0    71.046    4    0    4    36.109    
6    625    BETTY BOOP III     AILISH CUNNIFFE     0    0    0    69.585    4    0    4    36.734    
7    696    CROSSFIRE 10     LAUREN WARD     0    0    0    71.157    4    0    4    39.220    
8    717    NIGHTFIRE 25     KIRA KERKORIAN     0    0    0    69.659    4    0    4    44.128    
9    990    BIGSHOT     CALLIE SMITH     0    0    0    71.056    8    0    8    35.037    
10    624    WALLENBERG     KELLI CRUCIOTTI     0    0    0    67.952    8    0    8    36.076    
11    610    WILD CARD     KATIE TYLER     0    0    0    69.991    8    0    8    41.570    
12    819    PROMISED LAND     MCKAYLA LANGMEIER     4    0    4    66.424 

The competition at the CP National Horse Show kicked off at 6:30 a.m. with the first round of the 2015 ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Horsemanship Championship. Judges Chris Kappler and Ralph Caristo carefully watched 153 rounds, narrowing it down to the top 30. Those riders will return Sunday morning for the flat phase, which will be followed by a second jumping phase and potentially a final test. The following riders, listed in numerical order, will return to the Kentucky Horse Park at 8:30 a.m. to compete for the prestigious title: 

1 McKayala Langmeier
4 Katherine Bundy
7 Rachel McMullen
10 Jordyn Rose Freedman
14 Ali Tritschler
18 Ashton Alexander
20 Emily Perez
22 Ailish Cunniffe
40 Rhian Murphy
47 Sophie Michaels
48 Madison Sellman
49 Kendra Gierkink
50 Michael Williamson
51 Sydney Hutchins
58 Lilly Higgins
71 Nina Vogel
73 Shannon Eckel
76 Daisy Farish
81 Yasmin Rizvi
91 Carly Alder
92 Patricia Garrett
104 Coco Fath
105 Emma Kurtz
116 Madison Goetzmann
119 Kelli Cruciotti
123 Vivian Yowan
134 Katherine Strauss
135 Samantha Valone
137 Alexandra Ladove
143 Lucy Deslauriers

McKayla Langmeier and Skyfall were first to compete in the opening round of the ASPCA Maclay Championships

The ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class has been held since 1933, and it is one of the most prestigious competitions for junior riders in the United States. Among previous winners are some of the biggest names in equestrian sport including William Steinkraus (1941), Frank Chapot (1948), George Morris (1952), Leslie Burr Howard (1972) and Nicole Shahinian Simpson (1992). The 2013 ASPCA Maclay Finals winner was Lillie Keenan, while Tori Colvin claimed the coveted title during last year's 2014 National Horse Show.  

Tori Colvin concluded her exemplary junior riding career Saturday afternoon in much the same way that she has spent the past six years - winning junior hunter championship titles. 

 

Colvin and Dr. Betsee Parker's Canadian Blue captured the CP National Horse Show Small Junior 16-17 Hunter division championship, the Small Junior Hunter Grand Championship and the overall Junior Hunter Grand Championship, giving Colvin her final junior division tricolor honors.

Tori Colvin and Canadian Blue

In addition to marking the conclusion of Colvin's extraordinary time in the junior hunters, the 2015 CP National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park also marked the final competition for each of Colvin's talented junior hunter mounts owned by Parker. 

"I've basically had the same horses all of my junior career. I've had these guys for like six years," Colvin said. "I think they're all going to go to Virginia [to Dr. Betsee Parker's farm, Huntland], but wherever they go I'll come and visit them. 

 

"Ballou has been there [in Virginia] all the time, so hopefully they'll go with Ballou. Then I'll come up and visit Ballou, the best pony ever," Colvin said, speaking of her highly successful pony hunter mount, also owned by Parker.

Tori Colvin and Canadian Blue

Winning the prestigious CP National Horse Show Junior Hunter Grand Championship served as the perfect finale to Canadian Blue's career with Colvin. Saturday's classes also added the final exclamation point to the career of Colvin's Large Junior Hunter, Way Cool, also owned by Parker. 

 

In Way Cool's very last time competing over fences in the show ring, he was awarded the highest score of the day from the judges. Way Cool also clinched the Large Junior 16-17 Hunter Reserve Championship. 

 

"My mom cried a lot when I came out of the ring on Way Cool for his last round," Colvin said. "It was my very, very last round, but it was a good one." 

 

While Colvin's junior career has come to a close, the rest of her bright future is just beginning, and spectators will see her return to the ring in the Alltech Arena again Sunday for the $250,000 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Lexington. 

 

"I did the Washington [equitation] and then I did the grand prix," Colvin said speaking of her win in the equitation at last week's Washington International Horse Show. "I went clean in the grand prix. I was like weighing it. The equitation was amazing. You were just hoping that you didn't mess up, and you wanted to do great. Then when I was clear in the grand prix, it just felt so good. It felt like the start of something else." 

 

Finishing in reserve behind Colvin and Canadian Blue in the Small Junior 16-17 Hunters were Hunter Holloway and Cascina. 

 

In contrast to Colvin's many hunter championships, for 18-year-old Bailey Smith, her final year in the junior divisions has marked her first year claiming indoor finals championship honors. 

 

The young rider from Portland, Oregon, has had an incredible indoor season with her 8-year-old German warmblood, Papyrus. The duo picked up winning honors at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show and did the same again Saturday at the CP National Horse Show, ultimately winning the Large Junior 16-17 Hunter division championship.

Bailey Smith and Papyrus

"It's amazing and surreal," Smith said. "I didn't expect this would ever happen, so I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. I did not expect to even win anything or get any ribbons. It's just so totally unexpected." 

 

What is special about Papyrus is his ability to perform double duty. Before proving himself to be quite the exceptional hunter, Papyrus was purchased to be Smith's equitation mount, and she competed him in the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Championship Saturday morning.   

 

 

In the Junior 15 and Under Hunters, this year's top honors went to Annabel Revers and Kingpin and McKayla Langmeier and Cuba. 

 

Similarly to Bailey Smith's Papyrus, Cuba, owned by Missy Clark and North Run, was originally purchased to be an equitation horse. Now, the 8-year-old Warmblood gelding is making quite the positive impression in the Large Junior 15 and Under Hunters with McKayla Langmeier.

McKayla Langmeier and Cuba

The duo earned a first and second over fences before also winning the Large Junior 15 and Under Hunter Championship. 

 

"At this event it can't get any better. I think it's one of the most prestigious horse shows," Langmeier said. "[Cuba] went so great the whole weekend. He's so handy and pliable; he really sparkles in the handy. He's one of my favorite hunters."

The reserve championship in the division went to Rachel McMullen and Clear Sailing. 

 

In the Small Junior 15 and Under Hunter division, the highest honor was awarded to Annabel Revers and Kingpin, owned by Beechwood Stables LLC. Revers and Kingpin finished with the first place award in both the handy and stake rounds and the second place award under saddle. 

 

"I'm just so excited," Revers said. "This is my second year [at the National Horse Show]; it's just really great to have such good results. I'm so happy with how my horses went, and I can't thank everyone enough." 

 

Revers continued, "This is probably my favorite show. I love the atmosphere, and everything about it. They make you feel really special, and it's really nice to compete here." 

 

Finishing in reserve behind Revers and Kingpin were Grace Prochilo and Irasir, owned by Teton Farms LLC. The pair earned two second place finishes and a third in the over fences classes before riding away with their tricolor.

Annabel Revers and Kingpin