Laura Chapot and Adrienne Marciano Ride to Top Finishes at 2017 Devon Fall Classic

Devon, PA – September 16, 2017 – The crowd was in attendance Saturday evening for the third and most prestigious day of the 2017 Devon Fall Classic to cheer on the competitors in the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix and $7,500 SJHF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers. Earning the title of biggest class earner of the week was Laura Chapot, with the one-two finish aboard Thornhill Kate and Calafornia, respectively. Adrienne Marciano and Laspari nabbed the top spot ahead of the field in the third installment of the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, this time with a $7,500 purse up for grabs.

Laura Chapot on Thornhill Kate

The highlight event of the horse show, the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix attracted a quality group of competitors to the famous Dixon Oval to ride over the 1.45m fences, with each pair hoping to ride away with the majority share of the pot. Chapot and Thornhill Kate ultimately led the victory lap after their two standout trips in the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix, which was aptly dedicated to Frank Chapot, a six-time Olympic Show Jumping athlete who was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1994 after a long and successful career. Saturday’s win was the second victory under the lights for Chapot, who earned the blue ribbon in Friday evening’s $5,000 Speed Stake aboard Out Of Ireland.

Laura Chapot on Calafornia

The first round of competition featured an inviting track designed by Paul Jewell, which produced strong results with eight pairs showcasing clear first trips to earn a place in the jump-off. First back in the ring for their turn over the abridged course, Chapot and Thornhill Kate, owned by Mary and Laura Chapot, set an early challenge for subsequent horses and riders. The ever-speedy Chapot piloted Thornhill Kate to their second clean ride of the night in 35.402 seconds, laying the gauntlet down for those that would follow.

Laura Chapot Takes Top Two Spots in $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix

Impressively, the next three jump-off qualifiers all left the course intact in bold attempts to usurp Chapot and Thornhill Kate from the top spot, but none were successful as each tripped the timers too slowly. Matthias Hollberg and Mr. Sydney Rocks, owned by Team Springer Syndicate, LLC, left all the rails up and crossed the timers in 38.770 seconds, followed by Chapot herself, who rode her and Mary Chapot’s Calafornia to another clear round, settling into second overall with a fast time of 36.447 seconds. Tracy Magness and Intenz Van HD, owned by Mr. & Mrs. John Bartko, laid down the fourth and final double-clear of the evening in 37.890 seconds. Though Willie Tynan and Red Barn Farm, LLC’s KEC City Limits looked to be the lucky pair to sweep the victory out from under Chapot with their fiery time of 35.398 seconds, just four-thousandths of a second faster, they clipped the final jump to earn 4 faults.

Laura Chapot on Thornhill Kate

Chapot and Thornhill Kate’s early time held throughout the entire jump-off to secure their spot at the head of the class, with Chapot riding to the next-best spot aboard Calafornia to effectively earn both the blue and red ribbons. Magness and Intenz Van HD earned the third position, one second quicker than the fourth place earner, Matthias Hollberg, and Mr. Sydney Rocks.

With two phases of jumping already under their belts, the junior and amateur contenders returned to the ring for one final trip around the Oval in the $7,500 SJHF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers. The class was dedicated to Dr. Robert Rost, an all-around authority on show jumping who was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1993 for his contributions to the sport. Whittled down to only six contenders, stiff competition put the pressure on each horse-and-rider duo, as any accumulated faults would surely push them down to the bottom of the leaderboard. Marciano and her own Laspari separated themselves from the fellow entrants with the only double clear ride of the evening, propelling them to both the win in the class and the division championship, accumulating a total of 23 points over the course of three days of competition. Marciano is no stranger to the winner’s circle, as she and Laspari have achieved considerable success together at Devon Horse Shows. This makes the second year in a row that the duo has won the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers Classic during the Devon Fall Classic.

Adrienne Marciano on Laspari

Owner-rider Elizabeth Traband and Quite High, the first in the ring for the championship class, navigated the course with a smooth and fault-free round to set the tone for the evening. Marciano on her own Laspari followed Traband’s lead by also producing a tidy, clear round to instigate a jump-off, and Lucy Matz, who took home top honors in Friday evening’s $1,000 High Junior/Amateur Speed Stake, produced the third clear round of the evening on Dorothy Matz’s Bailey VI. Jesse Smith and her own Charles Pinckney Windsor Z followed suit, wrapping up the first round of competition with the fourth clear round to ensure an exciting jump-off of all female competitors.

Adrienne Marciano and Laspari Win High Junior/Amateur Owner Championship

Once again first in the ring, Traband completed her jump-off round with an unfortunate 8-fault score that would eventually place fourth. Marciano returned determined to have a double clear round and succeeded in doing just that with a time of 35.408 seconds. Marciano and Laspari were chased down by Matz and Bailey VI, who sped through the course in a quick 31.726 seconds but knocked a rail to earn 4 penalties. Similarly, Smith and Charles Pinckney Windsor Z laid down a quick trip in 31.905 seconds, but could not leave the course intact with one rail down, solidifying Marciano and Laspari’s spot atop the scorecard. Matz and Bailey VI clinched the reserve position in both the class and division, followed by Smith and Charles Pinckney Windsor Z in third place.

Jumper action at the 2017 Devon Fall Classic will continue for one final day, concluding Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. With every class of the weekend boasting prize money, competition will not be in short supply with plenty of purses still available for the taking during the last day of competition.

FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE

Laura Chapot – $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix champion

On her horses, Thornhill Kate and Calafornia:
Calafornia is a new horse for me that I just got this winter. Thornhill Kate is my more experienced mount. She’s very quick, not as big strided, but always game and tries her heart out every time. Calafornia, this is his first time here at Devon, so I am excited that he was so good under the lights and very comfortable in the ring. He has a mammoth stride and he left out a few strides here and there. I was just very pleased with his performance. He was very smooth and super tonight.”

On her reaction to winning the class:
“This class was dedicated to my dad last year, so it’s really pleasing to have won it after trying for awhile. I’ve won it before, but the first time since it was dedicated to my dad, so that means a lot to me. I feel like he’s probably looking down and smiling.”

On the Devon atmosphere:
“For sure [the atmosphere adds to the pressure], but it’s super exciting. I think I was more nervous tonight for this class than I was for jumping the [HITS] Million [Grand Prix]. The crowd is so enthusiastic. They get behind you and you really want to please them and do well. It really helps the horses and pumps you up and makes you want to focus and make sure you do a good job.”

Adrienne Marciano – $7,500 SJHF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper champion

On her horse, Laspari:
“Laspari is a 12-year-old German Warmblood. He was found by Seth Vallhonrat and he is my horse of a lifetime. I absolutely adore him. We were champion at Devon in 2014 and were champion this year at Devon. He was champion last year at the Devon Fall Classic and then this year. He’s just always stepping up to the plate for me. I love him. I can’t say enough good things about him. His heart is in it. He knows what he has to do and he always rises to the occasion. And he’s sweet!”

On the team helping her:
“Kevin Babington LLC – they have been wonderful to me. They let me go and ride horses there. I am very good friends with Kevin’s wife Diana and Kevin has really stepped up to the plate to help me and Oliver McCarthy as well. I can’t say enough good things about them. We were calling it the “grey team” tonight and there were about people seven people at the fence helping me. I couldn’t be more excited about my future for riding and with the horse and with the great team behind me.”

On showing at Devon:
“Devon is basically my hometown, so my friends and family are usually here. It’s so great because there are regular people here that know nothing about horses and they are so excited to see the competition. The atmosphere is amazing. I just love showing under the lights and it’s a beautiful venue. I try to attend every show they have during the year because it’s so much fun and amazing. I’ve won Devon, I’ve won this – it doesn’t matter, the atmosphere is the same every single time.”

RESULTS
Place / Rider / Horse / Owner / R1 Faults / R2 Faults / JO Time

$25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix 1.45m
1. Laura Chapot / Thornhill Kate / Mary & Laura Chapot / 0 / 0 / 35.402
2. Laura Chapot / Calafornia / Mary & Laura Chapot / 0 / 0 / 36.447
3. Tracy Magness / Intenz Van HD / Mr. & Mrs. John Bartko / 0 / 0 / 37.890
4. Matthias Hollberg / Mr. Sydney Rocks / Team Springer Syndicate, LLC / 0 / 0 / 38.770
5. Willie Tynan / KEC City Limits / Red Barn Farm, LLC / 0 / 4 / 35.398
6. Kama Godek / De Grande / Kama Godek / 0 / 8 / 37.848
7. Cian McDermott / Newcastle / Therese Bentley / 0 / 16 / 43.697
8. Oliver McCarthy / MHS Automatic / Cerulean Stables, LLC / 0 / EL
9. Ibrahim Barazi / Softbeat / IB Stable / 2
10. Laura Chapot / Out Of Ireland / The Edge / 4

$7,500 SJHF High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers
1. Adrienne Marciano / Laspari / Adrienne Marciano / 0 / 0 / 35.408
2. Lucy Matz / Bailey VI / Dorothy Matz / 0 / 4 / 31.726
3. Jesse Smith / Charles Pinckney Windsor Z / Jesse Smith / 0 / 4 / 31.905
4. Elizabeth Traband / Quite High / Elizabeth Traband / 0 / 8 / 32.288
5. Gracie Allen / Mr. Darcy / Maureen Allen / 8
6. Cynthia McGrath / Quinaro / Mapledale Associates, LLC / 8

For more information on the 2017 Devon Fall Classic, please click here.

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