Harrisburg, PA – October 16, 2019 – The Pennsylvania National Horse Show (PNHS) debuted two new classes Wednesday with the $25,000 Champion of Champions Winners’ Stake and $25,000 Green 3’ & 3’3” Winners’ Stake. Open to competitors who previously placed in the top four of a hunter over-fences class, resulting in an impressive entry list, the Stakes offered another opportunity for top hunters to show off their very best.

Riding to the win with a score of 92 in the $25,000 Champion of Champions Winners’ Stake was Jeff Gogul and Roberts Stables LLC’s Just Ask. This win was the culmination of a stellar competition for the pair, which included several blue ribbons and the tri-color in the High Performance Conformation Hunter division.

“He (Just Ask) gave me a ride today that is a ride I’ll remember for a long time, for the rest of my life really. He was just spectacular. I just had to stay out of his way and let him do his job, and he just went beautifully,” Gogul said of the 10-year-old Warmblood. “It’s a great match for me. His canter is amazing, his jump is amazing, he’s careful. For sure we trust one another.”

The win is that much sweeter given that Gogul has trained this horse from the start. Gogul is the only person to have shown “JT” since he was imported about three years ago. Moving quickly through the levels, Just Ask was Grand Champion Hunter at PNHS last year.

“He loves this ring. He just seems to get better and better here,” Gogul said. “This is a great venue. I have always loved riding in this ring. For the hunters to be able to compete for a bigger check is amazing whenever you have that opportunity. It’s so nice for the owners. I can’t be more grateful. None of this would be possible without the Roberts family … and our whole team of people. The main goal is always to do right by the horses and for everybody to have a good time, and we certainly had that this week.”

Taking home top honors in the $25,000 Green 3’ & 3’3” Winners’ Stake was Maria Rasmussen aboard Maya Grove’s Business Time, earning a score of 91. Rasmussen and the 7-year-old Swedish Warmblood also won Tuesday’s Green Hunter 3’3” Over Fences and Green Hunter 3’3” Under Saddle classes.

“We bought him (Business Time) in May. He’s been just fun and quiet and known his job from the get-go. He’s a little bit green but it’s always been really easy and fun for him,” Rasmussen said. “This is his first real experience with indoors. He was good, he handled it well. When he jumped a good trip yesterday and he won, he still spooked a little at the end of the ring. He walked out today like he’s been here for a year.”

Topping off Tuesday’s special win in the Grand Green Hunter Championship, Stephanie Bulger’s Moonshot was also awarded the PNHS Grand Hunter Championship and the Beaufort Hunt Perpetual Trophy. Bulger received the Grand Hunter Championship Owner’s Award, while Karen Caristo earned the Grand Hunter Trainer’s Award and the Jack Stedding Memorial Perpetual Trophy. Peter Luyckx accepted the Grooms Award for his care of the 10-year-old Holsteiner.

“We purchased him in the middle of Florida last year (2018) from Courtney and Scott Langford,” explained Moonshot’s rider Sandra Ferrell, who earned the Elizabeth M. Solter Memorial Perpetual Trophy as this year’s Leading Hunter Rider. “It just happened I wasn’t showing Hemingway one week, and I went down to watch the first years, and I saw this gray horse go around and thought ‘Shoot, if Hemingway doesn’t win, this horse is the winner.’ And I went back to Team Meadowview, and I was like ‘Guys, I think we need to buy this horse, because if Hemingway makes (even the tiniest) mistake, this horse will beat us.”

In addition to these winners, Carleton Brooks was champion of the Green Conformation Hunter division and recipient of the Wild Air Farms Challenge Trophy aboard Balmoral’s Pritchard Hill. Jeff Gogul picked up the Green Hunter 3’ Championship with Roberts Stables LLC’s Graciano, who also finished second just one point behind the winner in the $25,000 Green 3’ & 3’3” Winners’ Stake. Nick Haness piloted West Coast Equine Partners LLC’s Crowd Pleaser to victory in the Green Hunter 3’3” Championship.

For complete results please go to www.Ryegate.com.

Now in its 74th year, the PNHS hosts over 1,400 of the best hunter, jumper and equitation riders from across the nation – including Olympic veterans and National Champions. USEF Premier rated for Hunters, USEF 6* and FEI CSI3* rated for Jumpers, the PNHS is a designated “USEF Heritage Competition,” an honor reserved for a select group of exceptional competitions.

This year’s PNHS is hosting five internationally sanctioned FEI CSI3* jumper classes, designed by FEI 4* Course Designer and Olympic Silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt. The nation’s top jumping riders and horses will go head-to-head in the $60,000 Pennsylvania Big Jump, with an increase of $10,000 in prize money over last year, and the $134,000 Grand Prix de Penn National which is held on the show’s final day, Saturday, October 19.

Senior Week takes place October 14-19, featuring the North American League (NAL) Jumper Finals and the show’s fourth annual Therapeutic Riding Championships.

Event Highlights

There are many planned attractions at the PNHS both inside and outside the arena and there is something for everyone. Several days have free admission, parking is free, and children 10 and under are always admitted free! Click here for complete Schedule and Ticket Information.

Shoppers Delight
With everything under one roof, the PNHS also plays host to some of the best horse show shopping! More than 60 specialty boutique shops offer hours of shopping on two levels and range from high-end shops reminiscent of Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive including antiques, fine art, clothing, gifts, accessories, rider apparel, horse tack and much more! And stop by the Silent Auction – all 10 days in the PA Room on the upper concourse.

For additional information including sponsorship opportunities, program ad details, Silent Auction donations and vendor space applications, please visit the horse show’s website at www.Panational.org. Applications are also available for eligible Junior riders to apply for The Claire Mawdsley Scholarship awards.

Established in 1945, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show hosts the country’s top competitors in one of the largest indoor horse shows. Proceeds from the horse show benefit The Pennsylvania National Horse Show Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization, providing support for therapeutic riding programs and equine rescue groups. Make plans to join us October 10 – 19, 2019 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. For more information on the show or to donate to the Foundation, please visit www.PAnational.org.