By Sara Cavanagh
McLain Ward was the Devon Leading Open Jumper Rider for the third time in the past five years, amassing 37 points by winning the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Rothchild, who also placed second in another class as well as winning a speed class on Wings, who also placed second in another class.
Ward and Laura Chapot have alternated the Leading Rider titles for about a decade, and, sure enough, right behind Ward this year in points for this prestigious title was Chapot, who won classes with Bradberry and Zealous and placed third in the $50,000 Idle Dice Stake Saturday afternoon on Quointreau Un Prince.
Rothchild was the Open Jumper Champion, with Rocky W, under Kaitlin Campbell, who won the $50,00 Idle Dice Stake, Reserve.
Campbell and Rocky W were, first, Junior Jumper Champions at Devon, then they were Amateur Owner Jumper Champions, and now they’ve won one of the biggest classes at Devon and ended as Reserve Open Jumper Champion.
Campbell, 21 of Upper Black Eddy, Pa., just graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., majoring in business administration, but she says she has turned professional and will concentrate on riding.
Haley Schaufeld of Leesburg, Va., rode her Ana Sia to win the $20,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur Owner Jumper Classic, but Tori Corts of Central Valley, N.Y., on Ultimo van ter Moude had accumulated enough points overall to take the Championship, while Ana Sia was Reserve. Last to go in the jump-off, all Schaufeld had to do was to go clean, which she did, but she rode so carefully that she accumulated four time faults, still enough to give her the win.
“I got Ana a year and a half ago,” said Schaufeld. “She’s been amazing ever since I got her. She rides like an equitation horse.”
“I just tried really hard to go clean,” said Schaufeld of her tactics in the jump-off. “But I was almost too slow.”
“I only started riding eight years ago,” said Corts, who trains with Todd Minikus. “Ultimo is very careful, but he can be feisty. He’s a stallion, and we just started breeding him, so he gets a little excited when he gets to a place like Devon. He has a little attitude sometimes.”
“This was a really fun weekend,” Corts said. “Devon is a very prestigious show, so it’s an honor to win here.”
Dawn Fogel of Louisville, Ky., rode her Royal Oak to the championship of the Amateur Owner Hunter, over 35, section and to the Devon Grand Amateur Owner Hunter Championship, while she was Leading Amateur Owner Hunter Rider.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Fogel. “This is an incredible horse show, and it has been for years. To come here and be Grand Champion is thrilling. I owe it all to my horse.”
Kim Busby of Chester Springs, Pa., rode Sara Ingle’s Lucky Strike to the Local Hunter Grand Championship, and Marianna Wade on The Barrack’s Castleton was Champion in one section of the Amateur Owner, 3’3”, while Daryl Portel on James B. Pirtle’s Winner was Champion in the second section.
