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2006 Winter Equestrian Festival Honors Circuit Champions

April 5, 2006

Haylie Jayne, winner of this year’s Christy Conard Perpetual Trophy for Equestrian Excellence at the Winter Equestrian Festival
Photo Credit: Jennifer Wood/PhelpsSports.com

Wellington, FL --- The 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) has come to a close, and the circuit champions have been determined. Through nine weeks of competition in Wellington and Tampa, FL, these horse and rider combinations had consistency and talent on their side to capture this season’s honors.

Top professional hunter rider Scott Stewart showed once again why he is one of the best as he captured four circuit championships. One of his most consistent horses over the past few years is Music Street, owned by Alexa and Krista Weisman. The cute bay gelding has been with the Weismans and Stewart since he was two years old and has already taken home circuit championships in the Pre-Green 3-4 Year Old, Pre-Green 3’3”, and First Year Green divisions. This year, Music Street is the circuit champion in the Second Year Green division.

Owner Krista Weisman remarked, “He’s so special. We can always depend on him for a nice under saddle ribbon! He’s been getting more and more consistent. He’s been letting Scott train him, and watching him grow up has been fun. He’s really a good horse.”

Trainers Ken and Emily Smith of Ashland Farms also had a great 2006. Their horses and riders picked up eight circuit championships. Ken Smith piloted Kiny, owned by Adeline and Eric Negre, to the top spot in the Pre-Green 3’3” Hunter division. Smith explained, “We showed him in the 3’ at the beginning of circuit. He ended up getting consistent towards the end of circuit. We brought him here to Tampa, and all of a sudden he’s turned into a real hunter. He’s become a nice horse for us.”

For the first time, the Smith family received a circuit championship that was not won by Ken. Their son, Spencer, won the Short Stirrup circuit championship on the pony, Sunday Sneakers, owned by LSJ LLC Corporation. “It was very cute,” Emily acknowledged. “He had to win the last day, and he really pulled through.”

Ashland Farms’ student Jennifer Waxman had a fantastic season as she garnered three circuit championships. Waxman has made the move up to the Junior Hunter divisions with ease. On Whitney Roper’s Saloon, she won the Large Junior 15 & Under Hunters. “I’m leasing Saloon this year,” Waxman explained. “I leased Whitney’s pony, Strike a Pose, for a year, so that’s how I knew Whitney, and we became friends.” About Saloon, she said, “He’s so scopey and jumps so well. I was intimidated a little bit because he has won so much before, but I was happy just to get to ride him.”

Waxman rode Christy Russo’s High Cotton to the championship in the Small Junior 15 & Under hunter division. “I love riding High Cotton,” she effused. “I rode him once at the barn, and I loved him. He’s my sort of ride. You have to keep him going, but then he has a huge stride. As long as I get him going, he’s perfect.”

Waxman is a sought-after pony rider as well. She piloted Sun Star for the Lanes End Pony Stables to the Large Pony Hunter championship and the Nextel Corporation Large Pony Hunter Series Award. It was the pony’s first time at WEF, and Waxman mentioned, “He’s a little bit green. I was champion once and reserve once, but he won the hacks a lot, and he was in the ribbons consistently.” Waxman said that Sun Star is “so innocent.” She added with a smile, “He’d never bite or anything. He’d never hurt a fly.” Waxman was also quick to thank the owners of her three champions, as well as Ashland Farms and her parents for their support.

After last year’s win in two divisions at WEF, Waxman was pleasantly surprised to have improved on her results. “This year I moved up and had two really nice rides in the juniors,” she said. “Being circuit champion is a big honor, but I try not to think about it too much because it’s a lot of pressure. I’m really happy with how my horses went.”

Another multiple circuit championship winner was 12 year old Schaefer Raposa, who rode different ponies to an incredible four circuit championships. “I’m really excited!” she exclaimed. “I feel like I’ve become a better rider through WEF because I rode so many different ponies. I rode six every week, and you get a lot more chances to go in the ring and make it right.”

Raposa explained about her two green ponies, Sunsational and Unexpected, “It’s a good feeling when they go around nice, because they start out so green, and they’ve come such a long way.” Sunsational, owned by Scott Stewart, was the Large Green Pony Hunter champion, while Jimmy and Danielle Torano’s Unexpected was the Small/Medium Green Pony Hunter leader and winner of the James Brundage Memorial Trophy.

On Blackberry, owned by Heritage Farm, Raposa won the Small Pony Hunter championship and the Gotham North Small Pony Hunter Award. “She has a ton of scope, and she’s really stridey,” Raposa affirmed. “If you jump in slow, you don’t have to worry about the strides.” Blu Venture Rainbeau, Nellie Ann Foosaner’s Medium Pony Hunter champion, is “really easy to find the jumps on, and he’s so brave.” Raposa mentioned, “You never have to worry about him spooking or anything.” Raposa was another young rider that immediately thanked her ponies’ owners, her trainer Patricia Griffith, and her parents, David and Kara Raposa.

The Adult Amateur 51 & Over Hunter circuit champion is not new to the winner’s circle. After winning the circuit in 2002 and 2003 with October Sky, Carol Cone returned this year with Harmony Bay. The striking bay stallion won five championships and one reserve championship to walk away with the season-end award. Cone also finished as the circuit reserve champion in the division with Glory Road.

“Harmony Bay is a small horse, but he’s got a beautiful, big ride,” Cone divulged. “He’ll take you to the fence. He’s got a great eye. The best way to ride him is to be quiet and let him do his thing.” Cone gave credit to her trainers, Tim and Kelly Goguen, for getting Harmony Bay ready for her to show. “Tim and Kelly Goguen got him very relaxed to go in the ring. My job was to just stay relaxed and not override,” she said with a laugh.

Cone added that Harmony Bay “doesn’t act like a stallion at all.” “He’s very, very calm. He doesn’t act out at all, and he has no vices. I knew he’d be good this year, but we just got to be very consistent,” she concluded. Harmony Bay also won the Kenya Perpetual Trophy and the Martha Baskowitz Perpetual Memorial Trophy.

For an amazing fourth time, the circuit champion in the Adult Amateur 3’3” division was Forget Paris, ridden by Wendy Lewis and owned by Mike and Wendy Lewis. The gorgeous liver chestnut gelding was unstoppable this year and made history as the first horse and rider combination to win four circuit championships in the same division. They were also awarded the Kilkenny Insurance Agency Adult Amateur Hunter 3’3” Series Award.

A three time circuit champion is rider Ellen Toon, although her wins have come with three different horses over the past three years. Toon has dominated the Amateur-Owner 36 & Over Hunter division in previous years with Alexia and Attaché, and 2006 was no different for her, as her venerable bay gelding In Disguise came home with the championship. Attaché finished as reserve champion in the division this year. In Disguise was also honored with the Kilkenny Insurance Agency/ICH Amateur-Owner Series Award and the Janet Greene Perpetual Memorial Trophy.

The Children’s Hunter 14 & Under champion this year is a new face to the ultimate Parade of Champions. Tobasco, ridden by Alexandra Thornton and owned by Dunwalke LLC, were champions five out of the seven weeks that the division was offered.

This year, the Christy Conard Perpetual Trophy for Equestrian Excellence, an award given to the high point rider in equitation classes, went to yet another member of the Jayne family of Elgin, IL. After Maggie Jayne and Charlie Jayne won the award in 2001 and 2002, it was a major goal for the youngest Jayne rider, Haylie, to win the award. Haylie trains with her father, Alex, and Missy Clark.

When asked about the secret of her success this year, Haylie Jayne commented, “I had two horses this year, so I could do one the first weekend and then another the next weekend. They stayed fresh throughout the whole circuit. Missy Clark puts in so much effort. I think that really gave me the edge.” Jayne competed with Ivy, owned by Clark, and Felicity, owned by her family, this year in the equitation.

In front of thousands of fans before the Budweiser American Invitational at Raymond James Stadium, the 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival circuit champions were honored in a special Parade of Champions on April 1. The parade closed out yet another year of the most exciting competition of the best horses in the nation.

For a full list of this year’s Winter Equestrian Festival circuit champions, please visit www.stadiumjumping.com.

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