Jennifer Alfano and Miss Lucy. PC: Andrew Ryback Photography
Wayne, Il. – Aug. 8, 2017 – The SBS Farms, Inc. team has been racking up ribbons and division championships throughout the second week of competition at the Chicago Festival of the Horse at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. On Sunday, Aug. 6, SBS Farms head trainer Jennifer Alfano rode Sharon O’Neill’s Miss Lucy to an exciting win to close out Equifest II in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby.
After two rounds that impressed both panels of judges present for the derby, Alfano and Miss Lucy finished first in the large class with a final combined score of 388.5.
See Jennifer and Miss Lucy’s classic round below:
“She was great today,” Alfano said of Miss Lucy. “She jumped amazing like she always does. I was really happy with her. She just has an amazing jump and she’s so powerful. There’s nothing that she doesn’t handle well.”
In the first round, the pair received scores of 86 and 92 from the two panels of judges. Combined with an additional eight points for taking all of the higher options on course, Alfano and Miss Lucy were awarded a total score of 186 to win the classic round.
See their handy round below:
Returning for the handy round, the pair were given a score of 85.5 from one judging panel and a score of 93 from the other. After adding the additional eight points for higher options as well as a handy bonus of 16 points, Alfano and Miss Lucy’s handy round score totaled to 202.5. Their high combined score of 388.5 secured their place in the winner’s circle.
“It was a large class and it felt really good [to win],” Alfano explained. “I’ve been out for a while with an injury so I’m really just starting back up again. I was really happy that she went so well today.”
Finishing in second place was Holly Shepherd aboard White Lightning, owned by Helen Gilbert. Shepherd and White Lightning rode to a total score in their first round of 184, and a score of 201 in the handy round. The pair secured their finish just behind Alfano and Miss Lucy with a combined score of 385.
Holly Shepherd and White Lightning. PC: Phelps Media
Shepherd also rode into third place, this time with Nina Moore’s Kodachrome. The horse-and-rider combination was awarded a score of 170 for their first round and a score of 201 for their handy round, giving them a total combined score of 371.
In the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby that followed, Todd Minikus and Exceptional took first place. The pair received high scores of 99 from both panels of judges to finish with a total of 198.
Todd Minikus and Exceptional – Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
Maria Rasmussen and Subject to Change, owned by Corporate Way LLC, took second place after earning scores of 87 and 89 from the judges to total 176. Rounding out the top three was Isabella Bleu Baxter and Lakeview Inc.’s Gin Fizz 67. The pair earned score of 81 and 87 from the judges to finish with a total of 168.
Equifest III will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 9 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. The WEC Hunter Arena will host a $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby on Friday, Aug. 11.