Lexington, Ky. – July 24, 2020 – A field of 27 junior and Amateur-Owner jumper competitors entered the Rolex Stadium on Friday afternoon to contest Bobby Murphy’s 1.30m Junior/ Amateur-Owner Medium Jumper course Friday afternoon at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. Despite rain showers earlier in the week, the sun was shining bright, setting a beautiful backdrop for the day’s competition lineup in the famed Rolex Stadium. Topping the large and competitive field was Lucy Matz aboard Dorothy Matz’s entry, Quetal, who delivered a quick and tidy jump-off round to secure the win.
Of the riders entered, 18 remained in contention for the top spot as they advanced to the jump-off after going clear over the initial 14-effort track. First to set the pace for the afternoon was Michelle Grau with her own Sadhguru. The duo delivered a clear jump-off, closing out the clock on a time of 37.63 seconds. Grau would hold the pole position as thirteen riders followed her footsteps hoping to steal the lead. It was Addison Piper and Bonita Z who would finally break Grau’s record with a clear jump-off round and a new leading time of 36.84 seconds.
Anna Beth Athey and Canter Da Logoa were on the fast track to take over Piper’s leading position until the second-to-last rail hit the ground, adding 4 faults to their final time of 35.64 seconds. After an unfortunate rail earlier in the day left Matz and Dorothy Matz’s Bailey VI out of the running, she entered the ring for a second time piloting the nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Quetal. The pair put their best foot forward, taking the lead by shaving almost two seconds off of Piper’s former first place time. Matz’s time proved impossible to beat as the final six riders rode their hearts out but were unable to come close to her lead.
While Matz has only had the ride on Quetal for a year now, the duo has had quite a bit of success following the recent reopening of horse shows. While the Pennsylvania native has stayed closer to home as of late, she was excited to be back at the Kentucky Horse Park for the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. Matz and Quetal were awarded the blue ribbon for their time of 34.74 seconds. Rounding out the top three was Addison Piper and Bonita Z in second place and Mackenzie Carreras and Contessa K in third.
The Rolex Stadium will resume jumper competition at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning with the Low Junior Jumpers. Show jumping will continue at the Kentucky Horse Park throughout Sunday, July 26, with the $50,000 Rood and Riddle Grand Prix on Saturday serving as the week’s feature event.
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Lucy Matz – 1.30M Medium Jr/AO Jumper Winners
On Quetal:
“He’s nine and I have had him for a year now. He’s just super game, so it’s always a lot of fun to ride him. He’s up for whatever and he’s really quick across the ground.”
On her plan for the jump-off:
“I was just trying to be smooth with him. He has a lot of ground speed, so just trying to use that. He’s quick around the turns, so I was just trying to be as smooth as possible for him.”
On her recent show schedule and showing at Kentucky:
“We’ve done a couple of shows, staying close to home, so this is our first big venture out. It’s been nice to be at the Horse Park. It’s great here. This arena is great to ride in and the facilities are always so nice, so we are happy to be back!”
RESULTS
1.30m Junior/ Amateur-Owner Medium Jumper:
Place / Horse / Rider / Owner / R1 Faults | Time / R2 Faults | Time
1. Quetal / Lucy Matz / Dorothy Matz / 0 | 75.54 / 0 | 34.74
2. Bonita Z / Addison Piper / Addison Piper / 0 | 77.76 / 0 | 36.84
3. Contessa K / Mackenzie Carreras / Mackenzie Carreras / 0 | 76.96 / 0 | 37.44
4. Sadhguru / Michelle Grau / Michelle Grau / 0 | 73.23 / 0 | 37.63
5. Isla de Muze / Tanimara Macari / Tanimara Macari / 0 | 79.97 / 2 | 37.76
6. All In 9 / Kathryn Hall / Kathryn Hall / 0 | 78.66 / 0 | 38.18
7. Luxor / Michael Binder / Michael Binder / 0 | 78.36 / 0 | 39.85
8. Cento de Revel / Natalie Thornell / Loveland Equine Investments / 0 | 77.63 / 0 | 40.69