Sam Walker Wins Chevrolet Low Junior Jumper Classic at Lake Placid

Sam Walker made it a “double-double” when he rode Cohbanta to the win in the $7,500 Chevrolet Low Junior Jumper Classic at the 2019 Lake Placid Horse Shows, Sponsored by Bainbridge Farms, LLC and Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC.

Walker, the 2018 ASPCA Maclay National Champion, topped a field of 43 horses with two fault-free rides and the fastest jump-off time of 30.109 seconds to give him and Cohbanta wins in both of this year’s Low Junior Jumper Classics, as well as both Low Junior Jumper Championships. Placing second was Kennedy McCaulley who had a clean jump-off ride in 30.846 seconds on Zara with third going to Eva Fisherman who was clean in 31.285 seconds on Furbo Arkansas.

Kimberly Beattie topped a large 54-horse field in the $7,500 J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Adult Jumper Classic. Beattie rode Charmander to two clean rides over the courses designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral of Portugal and had the fastest clean ride in the jump-off, finishing in 31.952 seconds to claim the win. Placing second with a clean jump-off ride in 33.685 seconds was Tess Lee on Chablis and third went to Mercy Paine who finished the jump-off clean in 33.959 seconds on Chambrinus.

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Micaela Batto rode Gama Alpaca to the win in the $5,000 The Wild Center Children’s Jumper Classic. Batto topped a field of 28 horses with two clean rides and the fastest clean ride in the jump-off, finishing in 33.405 seconds. Second place went to Isabella Toomey and Clementine RS who finished the jump-off clean in 33.748 seconds while third went to Lilia Holder on Flowerbomb with a clean jump-off ride in 34.292 seconds.

Both the $7,500 J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines Adult Jumper Classic and the $5,000 The Wild Center Children’s Jumper Classic are part of the North American League (NAL) and Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) Championship Series. The NAL hosts National Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, October 10-19, and West Coast Finals at the International Jumping Festival in San Juan Capistrano, CA, September 18-22. The WIHS hosts Championship Finals at the Washington International Horse Show, October 22-27.

Set against the backdrop of the stunning Adirondack Mountains, the 2019 Lake Placid Horse Shows, held at the North Elba Showgrounds, are celebrating 50 years of show jumping in Lake Placid. They are considered by many as, “The Best Two Weeks of a Horseman’s Summer.” The US Equestrian Federation (USEF) has designated the Lake Placid Horse Shows as a “USEF Heritage Competition,” an honor reserved for an elite group of exceptional shows. Each show is USEF Premier rated for hunters and 6* rated for Jumpers.

Offering $560,000 prize money, the Lake Placid Horse Shows feature four show rings with more than 100 classes of competition each week. Horse show action concludes Sunday with competition beginning at 8:00 AM and running till approximately 5:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 and children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.

All competition in the Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix Field can be seen live as it happens on the Lake Placid Horse Shows website at www.lakeplacidhorseshows.com. The livestreaming is sponsored by ShowNet and Marshall & Sterling.

Sunday’s closing day at the 2019 Lake Placid Horse Shows, Sponsored by Bainbridge Farms, LLC and Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC features the $10,000 Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic; $7,500 Taylor Rental & New Holland Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic; the horse show’s 27th annual Doggie Costume Contest sponsored by Lake Placid Lodge at 12:00 PM; The Clothes Horse Parade of Champions; the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix presented by Aon; The Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship presented by Kate Levy & Family; $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby presented by Eastern Hay & Purina Animal Nutrition.