Leigh
Healey Rides in Style to Win $10,000 CK Equitation Championship
At the 2003 Hampton Classic
Bridgehampton,
NY—August 30, 2003—Leigh Healey of Lumberton, NJ, rode
to the top of the $10,000 CK Equitation Championship at the 28th
annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY.
The
competition was held over two rounds, over two days, over two separate
courses in the grass grand prix ring. The top ten riders from Thursday’s
Round 1 advanced to Saturday’s Final where they carried forward
their scores and competed in reverse order of standing. Healey,
in sixth position coming into Round II riding the 13-year-old bay
gelding, Starlight, topped the ten-horse field.
“Starlight
is owned by my older sister, Mary Alexis, but she’s in college
now so he’s mine to ride,” explained Healey, 17, who began
riding Starlight in February. “I also ride him in the low junior
jumper division. He’s a very brave and honest horse. Even if
he gets nervous, he’ll never cheat you out.”
It
was Healey’s second attempt at competing in the $10,000 CK
Equation Championship where competitors are judged solely on their
riding style as they negotiate a variety of obstacles set at heights
ranging from 3’6” to 3’9”. She entered the class
last year but pulled up when the weather conditions proved to be
less than favorable. This year, it was clear sailing under ideal
sunny skies.
Both
Healy and runner-up, Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, taking her
first crack at the Championship, train with Frank Madden at Beacon
Hill Show Stables in Colts Neck, NJ.
“Frank
and Stacia believe in you and that confident attitude carried me
through,” said Healey, who started riding Starlight in February.
“Everyone is so supportive, our whole barn is just one big
family.”
“Frank
loves what he is doing and it shows through,” added Goutal,
14, of her trainer.
Goutal
placed second riding the seven-year-old Orina, a horse she purchased
just two months ago from Canadian Show Jumping Team member Sulu
Rose.
“Orina
is the son of a broodmare that Frank and Stacia have had for a long
time,” said Goutal, whose family owns the horse under the name
Clover Leaf Farm. “She was such a good horse and they thought
that Orina might be just as good. I tried the horse and I loved
the horse. He’s so brave and he doesn’t look at anything.
He jumped right up and down the bank, no problem.”
The
$10,000 CK Equitation Classic is open to amateur riders aged 21
and under. Unique in this class, it is the trainers who split the
$10,000 in prize money as opposed to the riders. In this case, Madden
picked up a trophy and $2,500 in prize money for first place and
$2,000 for second.
Each
year the Hampton Classic Horse Show attracts more than 50,000 spectators
and celebrities to watch the country’s best horses and riders
compete as well as enjoy the extravagant social events. The Hampton
Classic concludes on Sunday, August 31, with the $150,000 Prudential
Financial Grand Prix.
Five
show rings, plus vendors, restaurants, and the children’s area
are operating throughout the week. Admission is $5 per person or
$15 per carload, with children under 6 admitted free. Reserved grandstand
seating for Grand Prix Sunday, August 31, is $15 per person (in
addition to $5/person or $15/carload admission) or $25 per person
in the special Premium Seating center sections. Parking is free
throughout the show week.
www.hamptonclassic.com
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