Click here to see Virginia candids by Samantha Formeck and Ryan Ellis and sponsored by Rodrock Ranches. Thanks to Samantha and Ryan for the great candids!
Congratulations to Kristy Starnes and Zippin Hot Machine (Gertie) on winning the $50,000 Hylton Maiden Three-Year Old Western Pleasure at the Virginia Classic on Saturday, April 7th. The mare is by A Good Machine and out of Shes A Deuce Coupe. The winner is owned by Ray Burkhart of Knoxville, Tennessee. Starnes and her mount had two firsts, a second, and a fifth to come out on top.
“She was so good for her first time showing; her third show ever, and the first time in an indoor arena,” Starnes told GoHorseShow. “She got a late start last year so our plan was to save her for the three year-old classes. Jay (her husband) was planning to show her in this class the beginning of the year, but I just got along with her better, so, I took over the reins.”
The event started off with Cecilia Hylton introduced as the sponsor of this event. There were a total of 28 horses who competed in the class with two splits of 14 horses each where 17 made the finals. The judges for the class were Jon Barry, John Dean, Kendra Weiss and Larry Hansch.
At the end of the first split, eight horses returned to the finals including: (476) Katie Jo Pickard and Dreamin Of Jeannie; (436) Wanna B Sensational and Tim Zuidema; (204) Joshua Robertson and A Zippin Hotrod; (889) Heluva Good Bar and Scott Frye; (437) Hotroddin Lexie and Pierre Biere; (484) Huntin for Luxury and Gil Galyean; (397) What We Do Best and Taft Dickerson; and (433) Alittlebitofthebest and Amanda Jackson.
The horses that returned to the finals from the second split included: (865) Hot Time To Zip and Adam Wainscott; (481) Zippin Hot Machine and Kristy Starnes; (427) Colten Andrews and Krymsun Truffle; (435) Gozzip Girl and Wade Parks; (480) Livin Lazy and E.H. Pait, Jr; (423) Willys Poker Face and Greg Bender;(892) Good Tobe Immortal and Andy Cochran;(402) My Only Good Shoes and Jeff Long; and (411) Sure Feels Good and Erin Lieurance.
“There was a very huge crowd that gathered to watch this class,” Sydney Miller, show manager for Rock Star Horse Shows told GoHorseShow, who was at the show to watch the event. “All of the horses seemed very prepared and well presented. From the first split, I really liked Josh Robertson’s horse for Olivia Hoecker, A Zippin Hotrod (puctured left) and from the second split, I liked Jeff Long’s mare, My Only Good Shoes by Invitation Only.”
Miller adds, “All the horses looked exceptional tonight, and the owners and trainers should all be proud.”
Trainer Wade Parks won the random raffle drawing for a Sean Ryon saddle and Taft Dickerson won the highest intermediate rider award. Colten Andrews won a Shortys Hattery certificate for highest limited rider.
The sponsor of the class, Cecilia Hylton, is well known in the industry for sponsoring and supporting the three year old maiden events in our industry. The Hylton Maiden Three and Over Western Pleasure class paid $50,000 to the winner, plus, a large payout of placings between 2nd and 10th.
Hylton’s trainer, Steve Meadows, mentioned that this prize money is a huge boost to the industry. “Cecilia (Hylton) always has the welfare of the horses in mind, and she believes many horses don’t need to be shown until their Three Year-old Year,” Meadows said. “The horses are held until this show to debut, and then they will still be able to show in the Novice horse events the entire year. Since we live in Virginia, we also are stimulating the economy on a local level as well.”
Special thanks to Michele Wilheim, Sydney Miller, and Samantha Formeck for the great pictures and the immediate results from the event!
UNOFFICIAL CLASS RESULTS:
1st-(481) Zippin Hot Machine and Kristy Starnes ($50,000)
2nd -(397) What We Do Best and Taft Dickerson ($16,500)
3rd/4th (tied)–(892) Good Tobe Immortal and Andy Cochran/(204) Joshua Robertson and A Zippin Hotrod ($12,250)
5th/6th (tied)– (402) My Only Good Shoes and Jeff Long/(433) Alittlebitofthebest and Amanda Jackson ($7500)
7th/8th (tied)–(865) Hot Time To Zip and Adam Wainscott/(411) Sure Feels Good and Erin Lieurance ($5500)
9th – (484) Huntin For Luxury and Gil Galyean ($4000)
10th – (480) Livin Lazy and E.H. Pait, Jr ($3750)
Judge #1 Placings–Jon Barry
1. 892
2. 402
3. 397
4. 411
5. 481
6. 433
7. 484
8. 480
9. 889
10. 476
Judge #2 Placings–John Dean
1. 204
2. 481
3. 397
4. 892
5. 865
6. 433
7. 411
8. 436
9. 427
10. 480
Judge #3 Placings–Kendra Weiss
1. 481
2. 865
3. 433
4. 892
5. 204
6. 435
7. 402
8. 480
9. 411
10. 397
Judge #4 Placings–Larry Hansch
1. 481
2. 397
3. 204
4. 892
5. 484
6. 402
7. 411
8. 427
9. 423
10. 437
