Legacy Cup: Friday
Non-professionals took to the ring Friday, and Wendy Kraus took top honors, winning the Non Pro 3' Overall award.

By Jamie Krauss

Wendy Kraus and Forget Paris.

May 3, 2002, Lexington, VA -- Wendy Kraus accumulated a combined score of 346 from the four teams of judges, and impressed one team so much she earned a 90.

"I can't believe it - I'm so excited. I was really nervous going in…I couldn't breath!" says Kraus.

Kraus, who rides everyday despite working and studying for her license to get into the horse insurance business, got Forget Paris three years ago. An unfortunate fall last year injured her so badly that she was forced to take a year off and give the riding duties over to her trainer, Jeff Gogul.

"I'm really lucky to have Jeff," she says. "He found this horse for me in France, and I bought him, sight unseen. I rode for 20 years growing up, then stopped for 17, and have been back for five. I've been with Jeff for almost that whole time, and he's been really great for us."

Kraus feels especially fortunate to have been able to compete in this year's Legacy Cup. "We couldn't come last year due to some unfortunate circumstances with the horses, and I'm really glad I got to come this year. It's such a great horse show," she says.

Melissa Clanton, who won the top Junior Award within the 3-foot division, says, Â"I love this horse show. It's so much fun and it's such great practice. Neither of my horses had ever shown in an indoor ring before, so this is a really great opportunity."

Clanton and her horse, Can't Deny Me, have been together for a year and a half. She rides the six-year-old Dutch Warmblood under the guidance of Geoff Teall, as well as her mother, Linda Smith.

"Next year I'll go pro," she says. Â"I am already riding every day, at least five horses a day. I'm home-schooled, and I love doing it that way. I've done it all through high school, and it gives me a great chance to ride." Clanton's mother, Teall, and groom/barn manager Vanessa Lencewicz all worked together to produce the winning ride today.

"Without the whole team, it wouldn't come together. I appreciate all that everyone does to contribute," Clanton says

In the 3''6" Non-Pros, Betty Oare and Estrella took home the overall and the top amateur awards. The class, which had a purse of $2,800, had a first place pay out of $504.

Oare and Estrella have been a duo since Oare purchased the mare last July, and theyÂ've had tremendous success since they paired up. Estrella was double champion at Washington, and won championship honors four out of five weeks in Ocala.

Â"I feel like she has wings on her feet. She puts her eye on the jump, loosen up the reins, and stay out of her way!" Oare says.

She credits much of her success to her brother Bucky, and her husband, Ernest.

"[Estrella] would live at Bucky's if she could," Oare says, "and Ernest is the one who makes this all possible."

Christina Mangano won the top junior title in the 3'6" division. Her 11-year-old Thoroughbred, Bucky Dent, laid down a smooth, bold first round to take home the blue.

"He's very sweet. He's very agreeable, and he does whatever I ask him to,Â" she says. "It was a great course today, really fun to ride. Everything just came up out of the corners nicely."

Mangano is hoping to stay on her successful path all the way to Devon. At 15 years old, this is her first year of qualifying, and she says that is what sheÂ's looking forward to most this year.

Her trainer, Denise Deriso-Perri, says she's excited for her student. "She and this horse are a match made in heaven. She rides Thoroughbreds very well; she calms him down."

The winning trainer also described the horse as having a very scopey jump and a really big stride with tremendous range. Before he became a show horse, he was a steeplechase horse Â- he seems to be making the transition quite nicely.

Samantha Hallman's Lucky seems to be making a nice transition of his own. Four months ago, he was a Preliminary Jumper. Today, he won the 3Â'6Â" Professional Invitational with Pro rider Rob Bielefeld.

"He's the happiest horse I know. He doesn't dislike anything," Bielefeld says.

"I flat him for 20 minutes to warm up," he says. "That's it. He's no more complicated than that."

"I'm really lucky to have him," says owner Samantha Hallman. "I can't wait to start consistently showing him in the Amateur Owners myself. Right now, we're all just having fun with him."

Sandy Ferrell won the $15,080 3' Pro Finals on Touch of Magic, who is three years old, so this is quite an achievement.

"I don't know if this is true, but I felt like everyone was rooting for me, since we were kind of the underdog, or at least the least experienced," says Ferrell. "He hasn't done much, but he just keeps surprising me every time we go into the ring. He just gets better and better."

The top prize for this class paid $5,000. Ferrell is now in the lead for the Lead Professional Rider award. She has accumulated $16,320.

The final class of the day was the very exciting Legacy Cup Working Hunter Challenge, which had a first place payoff of $2,760, and was won by Winn Alden on Keep the Faith.

Â"I think he wanted to win today," says Alden. "Some days I can just tell when he's 'on.' Today was one of those days."

The course was built like a handy hunter course, with an option between a 4'6" oxer and a vertical-to-vertical in-and-out. And there was an inside turn, and a hand gallop to the last fence.

"I loved the course," said second place finisher Lainie Wimberly. "It really had enough difficulty, and you could use your equitation background. It was like a stake or a handy hunter course you would see at Devon. It was the third day, so [my horse] was a little tired, but he really pulled through."

Wimberly wanted to thank her sponsors, who include the tack store, KL select; vet company, Seashore Acres; Nutrena Feeds, and Agway Agriventures. She is looking forward to tomorrow's 3'6" Professional Final, but admits that the jumps might look a bit small to her mount after the this Working Hunter finale.

Tomorrow, the Non-Pros have their second Go Round classes during the daytime session. At night is the annual Legacy Cup Exhibitors Party, during which the $5,000 under saddle will take place and the Pre-Green awards will be given out. Finally, the $38,440 3'6" Finals will run, with a top prize of $25,000.

Jennifer Drahan, Kimberly Wang's barn manager, didn't know what she was in for when she agreed to groom for professional Morgan Thomas at the Legacy Cup. She bought her ticket through a travel agent, and boarded the plane for her flight to Lexington - not realizing that Lexington, Virginia, does not have an airport.

When she deplaned and reached the terminal, she noticed a big sign: "Welcome to Kentucky, the Bluegrass State."

Drahan eventually made it to the airport in Roanoke, Virginia, but not before flying to Detroit, missing her connection due to snow, and finally getting to the horse show a full 24 hours after the horses, even though they had come by van 24 hours from Texas.