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Haley Waters and Rocky Earn Blue in Children’s Jumpers at Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II

June 20, 2008

Wayne, IL --- The Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II Horse Show continued today with jumper competition, and it was a younger crowd showing in the grand prix ring this morning. The first class of the day was the $1,500 WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic, sponsored by Northern Pines and The Leelanau School. The winner was 12-year-old Haley Waters of Sparr, FL, on Rocky.

Waters and 29 other young riders rode in a Power and Speed format class, which was designed by Hector Loyola of Puerto Rico. Loyola designed a fantastic course, which asked for speed in the second half of the round but then demanded technical expertise over the final few fences. Eleven riders were clear in the first half of the course and advanced immediately to the speed half of the course. Of those, only three were double clear.

Waters and Rocky, a 10-year-old gelding, went early in the class. They made good turns and put down the time to beat at 37.436 seconds with no faults. No one else in the class was able to catch her time. The first rider in the class, Christina Gellos on Solid, finished in second place after they posted a time of 38.742 seconds.

This is Waters first year competing in the Children’s Jumpers, but she and Rocky have already won quite a few classes. Waters inherited her riding ability and competitive spirit from her parents, grand prix jumper riders Chuck and Dana Waters.

She has been riding Rocky for about a year and said he is “so fun.” She noted that “he turns really well.” In today’s class, Waters only saw a few riders before her, but her plan was to go fast in the ring. “I changed my plan, but not on purpose! I went around (in one turn) instead of staying inside,” she explained. Waters’ goal this year is to qualify and compete in the Children’s Jumper Finals at the Washington International Horse Show in October.

In the WIHS Adult Jumper Classic, the last proved to be the best as the final entry in the ring blazed through the course for victory. Katie Smith of Bourbonnais, IL, rode Thursday to victory in the class.

Smith and Thursday, a 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, have been partnered for eight years. Smith rode him in the Children’s Jumpers before she became an adult. Today was their first time back in the show ring since December. Smith took a break from the show ring while she was away for business training, so this was her opening competition of 2008. “The (horses have) had five months off, and I came out and tried not to fall off,” she said with a smile. “I thought it was a nice first course. I was going to think any course was difficult on my first day back, but it was a good course and it seemed to work out well for my horse.”

Regarding her win today, she said, “It was good to win my first class back. He’s my old friend, and it’s good to win a class on him anytime. He’s a keeper!”

The Wachovia Showplace Spring Spectacular II will host the highlight event of the week tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. The $50,000 Wachovia Securities Grand Prix will feature the top show jumpers in the Midwest competing against top riders from around the country and Canada.

For more information on the horse show and for full results, please visit www.showplaceproductions.com.

Final Results: $1,500 WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic, sponsored by Northern Pines and The Leelanau School
1. Rocky, Haley Waters: 0/0/37.436
2. Solid, Christina Gellos: 0/0/38.742
3. Mylestone, Shelby Bridges: 0/0/39.406
4. Rebound, Stephanie Dubois-Emond: 0/4/33.622
5. Armstrong, Lillie Ross: 0/4/35.056
6. Houston, Haley Waters: 0/4/35.073
7. Shock, Jaime Mervin: 0/4/38.408
8. Delilah, Jaime Furthmiller: 0/5/54.502

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