2004 Press Releases

THE THREE-WEEK LEGACY CUP CONCLUDES WEEK TWO WITH PRO 3'6" (Open and Limited), and NON PRO 3' WINNERS NAMED
Lucky Wins 3'6" Pro Finals & Monte Cristo Wins Non Pro 3' Finals
Barone Leads in Limited Non Pro 3'6" Division
Pletcher Wins Walter J. Lee Perpetual Trophy
Waxman Named Leading Junior Rider
Martin Is Leading Amateur and Non Pro 3' Rider
Bielefeld Wins Leading Trainer Award for Week 2
By Diana De Rosa

May 16, 2004 - Lexington, KY -- On May 14-16, 2004, the second week of the three-week Legacy Cup returned with Pro 3'6" and Non Pro 3' riders competing. At the conclusion of week two, Rob Bielefeld, rode Lucky to a second place finish in the Pro 3'6" Go Round and a victory in the Finals. Bielefeld was also named Leading Trainer of the Week. Rochambeau, ridden by Kim Barone and owned by Andrew Welles, won both the Limited Pro 3'6" Finals and Championship honors. Monte Cristo, ridden by Jamie Martin, was the winner of the Non Pro 3' division. Martin also led in the Amateur ranks while Jennifer Waxman led in the Juniors. Peter Pletcher won the Walter J. Lee Perpetual Trophy.

The first two Legacy Cups took place as stand alone events in 2001 and 2002. This time around the 2004 Legacy Cup made its comeback as a three-week event (May 6-23, 2004) as part of the Kentucky Spring Premier Horse Show in Lexington, KY.

WEEK TWO BEGINS WITH THE PRO 3'6" DIVISIONS SPONSORED BY BRYAN BALDWIN

On May 13 the second week of the Legacy Cup continued with the Pro 3'6" riders vying for top honors and top prize money. Ken Smith rode Carmen to take the lead and a winner's check of $882 in the Go Round competition out of a field of 39 horses. Bryan Baldwin of Meralex Farm sponsored the Pro 3'6" division.

Then in the Finals it was a "Lucky" day for Rob Bielefeld and owner Samantha Hallman when the 17 hand, 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding stole the show and the top prize of $5,000 on May 14 in the clean slate Pro 3'6" Finals. The Go Round leader, Carmen, was just behind Lucky. Lucky (284) squeaked ahead of Carmen (274 points and a check for $1,372) with points to spare. "This is the horse of a lifetime," commented Bielefeld, adding "I'm excited and a little relieved."

Judge Geoff Teall noted about Lucky, "He's an impeccable jumper and he got a fantastic ride. Both Lucky and Carmen are great horses. Today it was Lucky's day."

Rochambeau, ridden by Kim Barone and owned by Andrew Welles, won both the Limited Pro 3'6" Finals and Championship and earned checks for $150 and $450 for their victories.

And it was Peter Pletcher, winner in the first week of the Pro 3' Go Round and Finals aboard Bohemia, who was honored with the Walter J. Lee Perpetual Trophy as the Professional rider who won the most money in the Professional divisions. Pletcher's final tally was $6708. Bohemia helped Pletcher win that trophy but he also rode a number of other horses, including Primrose, Clarissa and Seaside. "We had to work a little harder," explained Pletcher, "but it was a good payoff for me."
NON PRO 3' JUNIORS AND AMATEURS FEATURED AT THE LEGACY CUP

After 49 horses had gone in the Non Pro 3' Go Round, it was Monte Cristo, ridden by owner and rider Jamie Martin, who took the winning ribbon. The nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood, 16.3 hand gelding scored 260 points which earned them the top prize of $1,080 on May 15. Not far behind was Becky Gochman riding Bohemia with 256 points and a check for $792. Martin also led in the Amateur ranks while Elizabeth Votruba rode Seiko to the top ribbon in the Juniors. Overall Seiko finished fourth.

These riders then returned for the clean slate Non Pro 3' Finals on May 16, where the horses ended up playing musical ribbons. As luck would have it, only Monte Cristo was able to maintain his leading position while Seiko moved down to 11th in the Finals, Bohemia finished 15th and Lucky was 19th. Martin won the Lisa A.H. Cudahy Perpetual Trophy. In the Finals they scored 259 points (just one point shy of their 260 Go Round score) which earned them the top prize of $2,500.
Martin's win in both the Go Round and the Finals also helped her to claim the Leading Amateur and Leading Non Pro 3' Rider Awards.

Martin had just purchased Monte six weeks earlier and she had only recently started riding again after being out of the saddle for close to 20 years raising a family. When her nine-year-old daughter Tinsley started riding, it inspired Martin to also get back in the saddle. "I'm really excited and I feel incredibly lucky to have a chance to do it a second time," she said after her win.

Jennifer Waxman, who was the Leading Pony Rider in the first week of the Legacy Cup, came back in week two to lead in the Juniors and earned the Leading Junior Rider title. Waxman placed 5th in the Finals ($840) on The Frog Prince, who is owned by Christy Russo. Waxman had placed 19TH in the Go Round, which actually helped her in the Finals. "I wasn't nervous because I wasn't good yesterday," she explained and added, "I'm happy."

The Leading Trainer Award went to Rob Bielefeld, trainer of Samantha Hallman, who rode two horses in the Non Pro 3' Finals: Lucky and Landstorm. "I am thrilled," commented Bielefeld, who wasn't sure until the class was over that he'd won the $500 cash award. Lucky finished 19th ($84) and Landstorm was 3rd ($1,176) in the Finals.

One of the most innovative ideas at the Legacy Cup is awarding multiple levels of competition within one division. One example is the Non Pro where Overall ribbons, money and awards were presented as well as ribbons for juniors and amateurs in their respective levels. The winner received a jacket sponsored by Margaret Mangano. Also awarded were leading rider awards in each category and grooms awards for the first through third placings. Each groom received $100. Plus the trainer whose students and horses accumulate the most money during each week of the Legacy Cup, receives $500. This week's trainer sponsor was E.P. Bishop Insurance Company. Other sponsors included Essex Classics, who gave riding shirts. A friend of the Legacy Cup gave the cash for the grooms awards. Lisa A. H. Cudahy provided the Perpetual Trophy for the Non Pro 3' Overall winner.

Six judges scored the each class in pairs of two and they presented a score as a team. Those scores are then tallied for a total round score. Bielefeld considers the judging system at the Legacy Cup to be "the best thing. It's good for the exhibitor to see that there can be that variation in scores. What one side sees is different from what the other side sees."

The Add Back money was 70% of the $350 entry fee or a total of $245 per rider. The entire purse for the Non Pro division was $14,505 (starting field of 49), of which $10,904 went to the final 20.

For more information and daily results go to www.legacycup.com or call the AHJF at 508-835-8813.