Jennifer Alfano and Miss Lucy
Saugerties, N.Y. – Sept. 12, 2017 – Following August’s top 10 finish in the 2017 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship in Kentucky, SBS Farms, Inc. head trainer Jennifer Alfano traveled to Saugerties, New York, after a few weeks of rest to campaign Miss Lucy, owned by Sharon O’Neill, in the $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final during the finale of the HITS Saugerties Show Series.
Consisting of four rounds in total, competition kicked off on Friday, Sept. 8, where the talented 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, who was the 2016 USHJA International Hunter Derby champion with SBS Farms rider Kristy Herrera, earned a total score of 174 with Alfano in the irons to finish in fifth place out of 52 competitive combinations. Herrera also piloted Alfano’s own Candid to a fourth place finish in round one with a final tally of 175.5.
Alfano and Miss Lucy returned on Saturday to score a 170.5 from the panel of judges for a total combined score of 344.5 from both round one and two to propel them into third place heading into Sunday’s final rounds, where the top 25 horses and riders would go head-to-head for the winning title.
In the end, Alfano and Miss Lucy clinched sixth place overall in the prestigious class, scoring a 258 on Sunday.
The SBS Farms team will continue on with their fall competition schedule, which includes the Buffalo International Horse Show Sept. 13-17 next and the Rolex Central Park Horse Show Sept. 20-24.
SBS Farms, Inc. continues the proud tradition of the Buffalo Saddle and Bridle Club as one of the top show stables in the Northeast. Located in Buffalo, New York, Susan Schoellkopf is the executive director of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, which houses both the Buffalo Equestrian Center as well as SBS Farms. Built in 1922, the 160-stall facility is a historical landmark, with its unique English Tudor and Gothic-style architecture.
For more information on SBS Farms, please visit www.sbsfarms.com. For more information on the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, please visit www.thebtrc.org.