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| Memorial Day weekend 2007 marked another reason for the Northwest New York horse community to remember the weekend for years to come. The Showtime Group held the inaugural Batavia Showtime Horse Show May 25th-27th in Batavia, New York, conveniently located between Buffalo and Rochester. Craig Brown, manager and head of The Showtime Group, proved in just one weekend that his group put on “not just another horse show”. The grounds of Batavia Downs features a beautiful grass infield with two all weather footing show rings, exhibitor tents, and ample spectator bleachers and benches. The permanent stabling with dutch doors adds to the list of the exhibitor and equine friendly showgrounds. Adult Amateur hunter rider, Cara Walinsky and her trainer David Boley, made the drive from Oceola, Pennsylvania a worthwhile trip. Cara’s flashy 17.2 hand black hunter, Moonshine, proved to be the horse to beat at Batavia, collecting the Championship in the Regular Hunters with Boley in the irons and the Adult Amateur Hunters 36 & older with Walinsky. Moonshine’s week culminated with the win in the $500 Adult Amateur Hunter Classic. Walinsky was awarded with a cooler and a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which included a special arrangement of carrots mixed in as a well deserved treat for Moonshine. Walinsky’s second mount, Sincerely, followed right behind Moonshine earning the Reserve Champion Adult Amateur Hunter 36 & older and placed second in the Adult Amateur Hunter Classic. Sophie, a nine-year-old bay mare also owned by Walinsky, rose to the occasion for rider Boley and took home the Reserve Champion Regular Hunter behind Moonshine. The jumpers ruled the afternoons on Friday and Saturday with stellar performances from Alexander Wicker and his mount Merlin in the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Childrens/Adult Jumper Division. Wicker won three of the four classes and received a custom cooler from Hagyard for the championship. The Wicker family continued their winning streak in the pony hunter ring. Elena Wicker and her large pony, The Bluh Mountie, topped the Syracuse PHA Pony Medal and wore the winning cooler in the winners circle for the $500 Pony Hunter Classic. Alicia Heberle of Rochester, New York impressed the judges with her flawless rounds on Marcy Betts pony Who’s The Man. The 15 year old rider earned championships in both the Large Pony Hunter and Green Pony Hunter with a strong finish of third in the $500 Pony Hunter Classic. Heberle finished at the top of the class in the NHSAA/ASPCA Maclay and was awarded a gold medal for her natural ability and precision over the jumps. 14 year old rider Meghan Kaupp proved age was not a factor when she and Vanderbilt turned in a beautiful final round in the $1,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic. Kaupp was all smiles after the win and graciously accepted her cooler and bouquet in the awards presentation. There were two very special classes held at Batavia Showtime I, The Ride For The Ribbon classes which were won by All Inclusive ridden by Meg Yackiw and The Bluh Mountie ridden by Elena Wicker. The Showtime Group is working to raise awareness and money for The Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester and The Ride for the Ribbon Foundation. Over the course of this year and the beginning of 2008, The Showtime Group will be dedicated to raising money for these important foundations. Half of all proceeds will be given The BCCR and half will be the purse for the 2008 Batavia Showtime I Breast Cancer Classic. For more information about Batavia Showtime and The Breast Cancer Classic contact cmbrown@rochester.rr.com The Showtime Group would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the exhibitors who made the inaugural show possible. The Showtime Group cmbrown@rochester.rr.com syracusepha.org |
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