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Connors and Wimberly Lead at Legacy Cup
By Diana De Rosa

May 1, 2001 – Lexington, VA
“It is absolutely an incredible concept,” said Jeff Wirthman, one of eight judges in Lexington, VA, judging the best horses at the Legacy Cup presented by the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation (AHJF), which began May 1 and runs through Sunday, May 6. The Legacy Cup, an innovative, six-day horse show for hunter horses and riders. “It’s something different to showcase the hunters,” he added.

Lainie Wimberly, Ridgefield, CT and David Connors, Holmfel, NJ agreed after they took the early lead in their respective divisions. Wimberly rode Nobleman to win the 3’6” Professional Division and Connors won on Frisco Kid in the Professional 3’. Connors and Frisco also claimed the Limited Pro 3’ victory and in the Limited Pro 3’6” he placed first on Better N Better and 2nd on As We Speak. Connors also took the early lead in the Challenge of the Breeds for the leading Quarter Horse.

“This is very special to me because I own Nobleman and I really geared up for this event,” commented Wimberly. “I set my sites on doing well here. I’m glad we ended up with a bang.” Wimberly was thrilled to have the chance to “showcase” her horse. With only one ring running at a time “you can really focus on what you are doing.” Nobleman, a dark brown, 16.1 hand, 6-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (whose sire is Voltaire) wasn’t holding back. “When he walks in the ring he demands that the judges watch him. ‘Hey look at me,’ he says,” she added.

Frisco Kid, a 16 hand, 7-year-old chestnut Quarter Horse gelding, was “on a roll,” explained Connors. “He’s relaxed a ready to win.”

The judges agreed. He “had a nice smooth round and jumped all the jumps very consistently and in good style,” commented Russell Frey, Hume, VA. “He jumped high with his legs in the right position,” added Jeff Wirthman, Island Lake, IL. “He went the best and we all agreed,” noted George Wallace, Raleigh, NC. “The winner won because he had the highest average between all four opinions,” explained Liza Dennehy, Denver, CO.

In fact, the system implemented at the Legacy Cup is probably the fairest system ever seen in a hunter competition. Four sets of two judges sat on each of the four sides of the arena and each pair jointly gave the final score. “You were each judging a different course because there are some jumps you can see better than the other judges and some they can see better than you,” commented Frey. “It is a very fair way to do it.”

While entries were lighter than they had hoped for their first year, the competitors were happy and the staff was pleased. At the Ariat-Dover Welcome Party, which culminated the evening, an open forum gave everyone present a chance to network. Most agreed they loved the format, the footing, the atmosphere, and especially the money, which was more than at any other hunter event they’d ever competed at.

“So far everything is going great. It’s a work in progress,” explained show manager Oliver Kennedy. “It is absolutely an incredible concept,” added Wirthman. “Something different to showcase the hunters.”

Horses also rack up points toward the Challenge of the Breeds award. The $5,000 Challenge of the Breeds pays $1,500 to the owners of the Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse and Warmblood horse.

“It’s so new that some people may not have understood,” explained Kennedy, but it was clear that those competing started to realize that in the end not only were their horses having a chance to be showcased, but there was more money to go around and more ways to win that money.

“I hope this concept takes off because it’s really good for our industry,” commented Wirthman. “It promotes the hunters.” Since that was the reason for the Legacy Cup, it seems to be doing just what it was meant to do.