The scores were unbelievably close in the World Champion Hunter Rider Professional Challenge, and after the dust settled, just 2.67 points separated the first- and second-placed horses in a class where the judges were also applauded for their work.

“I’d rather be second and judged right, than be first and be judged wrong,” said Jack Towell after watching his daughter Liza Towell gallop into center ring aboard Onassis wearing the second-placed ribbon. Onassis finished just behind Scott Stewart and Cool Blue who turned up the heat and scored a 182.16 to win at the Capital Challenge Horse Show on Wednesday night. Oct. 4.

As the horses took their victory lap, Jack was all smiles, thrilled with the outcome of the Pro Challenge class. “That was perfect judging, and that’s what we’re after in the hunters,” said Towell, of Camden, S.C., whose daughter scored 179.49. “[Scott] beat me, and he did a good job beating me! I’m excited to be second.”

Stewart was also thrilled that he won. He said, “This was just for fun. It’s almost cheating he’s so easy.”

This show was the first time Stewart competed the hunter this year. Cool Blue is usually shown in the junior hunter division with his owner Alex Stathis.

Twenty-five riders were invited to show, and 12 qualified for the second, shortened course.

“I liked that Round 2 was a little shorter, because you could be a little handier and gallop to the oxers,” said Stewart who is known for his “gallop and go.”

“He just jumped out of his skin,” said Stewart. “He tried every jump. He didn’t jump one jump casually.” His scores of 92.16 and 90 attested to it.

Earlier in the day, Stewart watched his student Krista Weisman ride her 7-year-old gelding Music Street to the blue in the WCHR Senior Under Saddle. The unique format of the under saddle makes for an exciting event. Fourteen horses began the under saddle and slowly horses are eliminated one by one and asked to line up in reverse order. The class continues to run until the final horse is left on the rail and trots into center ring to collect the blue ribbon.

Weisman said smiling, “It is definitely tiring. I was dying out there.”

She added, “I think part of that class is stamina, who can stay at their prime the longest.”

The final horse up against Music Street was Gray Slipper, a strong contender for Weisman. Gray Slipper had already collected the grand hunter championship earlier in the day and also won every amateur-owner class with Bridget Hallman. But it was a battle that Weisman was familiar with. She said, “[Gray Slipper] does the same division as I do, and they are always back and forth with first and second.”

Today was just Music Street’s day for the win.

Future Hunters

Thirty-two of the top future hunters battled for the blue in the $26,950 Future Hunter World Championship. But it was Lafayette who won it with a score of 86.65 in the first round and an 88.1 in the second round. Lafayette is ridden by Louise Serio, of Kennett Square, Pa., and is owned by Brian Baldwin, of Tampa, Fla.

Serio said of the 5-year-old, “He was amazing. He was so relaxed. At the in-gate he stood with his head down and was sound asleep. At first he walked in and looked around, then he took a deep breath and he let it out and was great. I thought his second round was even better than his first. He was really on it.”

Serio bought Lafayette in May from Emil Spadone, who imported him the prior autumn. After the purchase, Serio took the young hunter directly to Saratoga, N.Y., where he proceeded to collect championships both weeks there. Capital Challenge was only Lafayette’s seventh show this year.

The Future Hunter World Championships class, co-sponsored by The Russo Family and Bainbridge Farm, is an event that Serio uses to prime her young hunters. She said, “I think that at this time of the year it’s a really important thing to have. It’s a really great experience to have for next year. It gets them exposure in here. It’s a really good experience.”

Earlier in the week the future hunters competed in six sections, giving spectators the opportunity to watch talent in the raw. For Echo Bay, however, his talent was honed enough to sweep the Thoroughbred/Thoroughbred-cross section of the future hunter division and take the championship. His rider, Sandy Ferrell, of Bemville, Pa., said that the gelding “earned it”. His consistent clean sweep included three jumping classes and the hack, besting a field of 16.

Echo Bay was purchased last winter in Florida for Ferrell’s client Alex Vespico. Ferrell said, “Alex shows him in the younger children’s division and has been quite successful. He’s coming along great.”

Ferrell also excelled in the mare section of the future hunter division riding Pasha. They picked up the championship after winning the first two jumping classes on Monday and collecting a sixth in Tuesday’s jumping class. She didn’t place in the under saddle class, however. She said, “Luck was on my side with Pasha. I mean, she didn’t win [Tuesday], but she ended up being champion, which was nice. That was a great hack class. When you come to a place like this, well, you can be the hack winner at most places and then you come here and everyone has the hack winner. Just because you didn’t win a ribbon doesn’t mean you don’t have a good mover. There are only so many ribbons to go around.”

Ferrell finds it difficult sometimes to have an exceptional day and to then have to get up the next morning and try to repeat it. She said, “You know it’s a funny thing, this business is such a humbling sport. Just because you’re ‘on’ one day, it has nothing to do with the next day. I know I can speak for other people when I say, once you win the first day, it almost becomes that much more difficult the second day, and up until these two horses, my day wasn’t so good.”