Lexington, Ky. – August 3, 2016 – Tim Goguen dominated the professional hunter ring at the Kentucky Summer Classic Horse Show by winning four division championships in the Stonelea Ring. Goguen and Belhaven Stables LLC’s Ransom impressed the judges on Wednesday and claimed the Grand Hunter Championship, sponsored by Visse Wedell.
Goguen won three over fences classes and the under saddle class in the Regular Conformation Hunter division with the 8-year-old gelding Ransom. Molly Sewell and Jamie Stryker’s Upcountry Charmer earned the reserve champion ribbon, while Goguen and Ransom captured the division rosette. Goguen and his wife Kelly were thrilled with the gelding’s performance.
“Ransom has a beautiful way of going, he is very athletic and scopey, and he always tries to jump in beautiful style,” explained Kelly Goguen. “He has been super this week after having a few weeks off. He picked off where we left off, which is nice.”
Goguen and Ransom have had a successful career with many wins as a First Year, Second Year and Junior hunter horse. Their most recent accomplishment was winning the Regular Conformation division in Traverse City at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival earlier in the summer. Tim and Kelly Goguen operate a training business two miles from the Kentucky Horse Park during the summer, and they reside in Wellington, Florida in the winter.
“He puts in a lot of effort to be a tight ball at the top of the jump,” Kelly Goguen continued. “He is always trying to do it right; either a horse has that, or they don’t. Ransom is very sweet and laid back around the barn, and he is fun to be around.”
Goguen also earned a tricolor in the First Year Green Hunter division on Garland Alban’s 6-year-old gelding Category. Their division highlights were winning two over fences classes, placing second in the under saddle, and finishing third in the handy round.
Tim Goguen and Category. PC: Anna Hepner
“Category has gone really well this week,” Goguen said. “He’s a good jumper and very balanced. He’s still a bit green in his mouth, so the turns in the handy can be more difficult for him, but it went well. Everything came up nicely for us in our rounds yesterday. He was good!”
Jane Gaston rode her KWPN gelding Because to the First Year Green Hunter Reserve Championship.
Goguen’s domination continued in the professional hunter ring by winning the Green Conformation Hunter division with Belhaven Stables LLC’s Splendid. The pair also won last week’s Conformation Hunter division championship at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. They won two blue ribbons in an over fences and handy class, as well as the second place in two over fences classes. Jeff Gogul and the 6-year-old Westphalian gelding Cortes were the reserve champions of the Green Conformation Hunter division.
Goguen and Capella continued yesterday’s lead in the Second Year Green Hunter division to clinch the division championship on Wednesday.
The day wrapped up with Sydney Shulman winning the High Performance Working Hunter Championship with DK-USA Sporthorse’s Cosmeo for the second week in a row. Shulman and the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion won blue ribbons in three over fences, and red ribbons in the under saddle and handy. 
Sydney Shulman and Cosmeo. PC: Anna Hepner
“I am extremely happy and satisfied!” Shulman said. “When you work so hard when you are home, it’s so nice to come to a show where the horse goes in and does everything you practiced at home and your work transfer to the ring. It feels like you did the right work!
“I always knew Cosmeo had the jump and the brain, and it has just been a matter of putting it all together,” she continued. “He is very smart! If I teach him something once he will do it perfectly the next 50 times. I am very lucky!”
The Kentucky Summer Classic will continue on Thursday with the highlight $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic. Other feature events include the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix presented by GGT Footing and the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby.
For more information about the Kentucky Summer Horse Show series, please visit http://www.kentuckyhorseshows.com/.
Written by: Annan Hepner