Jason Martin had only ever shown Elis A Sleepin once, and that was as a catch rider in May. Tuesday, in a very deep Senior Western Riding , the two came out on top with an impressive score of 233.5 earning them the Congress Champion title. This marks the sixth time in the past 10 years that Martin has won the Senior Western Riding at the Congress and the tenth time in 12 years that a horse ridden by Jason Martin or Charlie Cole of Highpoint Performance Horses was named the Champion.
“Eli wasn’t even entered at Congress but I begged his owners, Carol and Kirsten Thomsen, to bring him to the show,” Jason Martin told us back at his stalls in the Gilligan barn after winning. “We got him in training in September, so I had him for about 10 days to prepare. We had an extra stall because one of our horses sold so we were able to bring him.”
Martin adds, “Eli already knows how to do his job. Troy Compton, Leonard Berryhill and Nancy Renfro-Alto did a nice job training him so I really just had to stay out of his way.”
With Leonard Berryhill in 2011, Elis A Sleeping won the AQHA World Championship in the Junior Western Riding. The Thomsen Family bought him shortly after his win.
Jason told us that he thought he was a little tentative in his run but that it was a nice clean go. “He showed perfect, but now I think I can be even more aggressive and lay it out even more at the AQHA World Show.”
Eli’s owner, Kirsten Thomsen told us that she loves everything about Eli. “He has such a great personality and he loves to show and is a real sweetheart. I would like to thank Nancy Alto-Renfro for everything she has done to make him as good as he is today.”
Charlie Cole, who was named Congress Champion in the Junior Pleasure Driving earlier in the morning with Not Just Anyhoo for Rebekah Kazakevicius, ended up Reserve Champion on multiple Congress and AQHA World Champion, Ima Petite Classic. Kramer, who is owned by Darcy Reeve, earned a score of a 232.5.
”I thought Kramer was very good,” Cole told us right after he showed. “He is not a big fan of the Celeste and he was a little ahead of me, but overall he listened very well and I thought we had a nice go. It was worth getting up and riding him three days in a row in the middle of the night. We have to get him used to the Celeste every year or he is nervous and too looky.”
Congratulations to Jason and Charlie on being the top two in this very deep class.
Congress Champion – Senior Western Riding
2016 – Jason Martin, Elis A Sleepin
2015 – Jason Martin, Heavenly Mac
2014 – Charlie Cole, All But Sudden
2013 – Charlie Cole, Heavenly Mac
2011 – Jason Martin, Harley D Zip
2010 – Jason Martin, Vital Signs Are Good
2009 – Jason Martin, Harley D Zip
2007 – Jason Martin, Harley D Zip
2006 – Charlie Cole, Majestic Scotch
2006 – Charlie Cole, Majestic
