A new partnership, Gordon remarks on the connection she has with "Smooch." "Every time I ask him (Delightful) to do something, he tries. He always relies on me, and we trust each other. The main part is that I have fun on him."
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Abigail Gordon and Delightful
(c) Al Cook Photography
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With an all-star support team behind them, Gordon and "Smooch" look forward to transitioning out of the ponies. "I ride with Ashland Farm. I'm glad I ride with them because we are all a team, we support each other. I can't than
k my trainers enough," said Gordon. "This is my first time not doing ponies. It was my first time doing the horse in the three-foot class. I was nervous because I wanted to do well, and I just took a deep breath and told myself just to have fun."
New York native Alexa Lignelli and Pop Rocks, owned by Piccolino Farm LLC, were reserve champions with an impressive final score of 171.00. Lignelli also rode Resonate, owned by West Hill, for a fourth-place finish after improving their first round by eight points for a final collective score of 164.00. Rounding out the top three in the championship was Sally Ives of Durham, NC, with her own Bender. The pair made the podium on a final score of 167.00.
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North American League Adult Hunter Final Champion Betty Oare and Sidenote
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c) Al Cook Photography
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The $12,500 North American League Adult Hunter Final Championship was awarded to Betty Oare of Warrenton, VA, and Emo Stables' Sidenote. Sidenote, affectionately called "Ted" in the barn, skyrocketed to the top of the leaderboard in the first round with a score of 86.
Enjoying the moment, and the crowd of friends surrounding the in-gate, Oare and "Ted" galloped around the ring in the final test leaving nothing to chance. Their second and final score of 89.00 confirmed them as the 2019 North American League Adult Hunter Final Champion and recipient of the Lisa. A.H. Cudahy Perpetual Trophy.
"I think NAL is a wonderful organization and to have a nice class in today's Adult, it was a darn good class," said Oare. "Most that came back were in the 80's, lots of quality. People aim for that (high score), it's not just the 'here comes the adults' class."
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Betty Oare and Sidenote (c) Al Cook Photography
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"This horse (Sidenote) has given me a lot of confidence to jump. I'm just lucky to have him," said Oare.
Reserve went to Peggy McNeil (Cream Ridge, NJ) and her own For Ever with a final score of 171.00. Kathryn Sanders of Charlottesville, VA, aboard Falcon, owned by The Barracks, came in third with a final score of 168.60.
North American League Children's Hunter Final
1 Abigail Gordon (Statesville, NC) and Delightful, 175.00
2 Alexa Lignelli (New York, NY) and Pop Rocks, 171.00
3 Sally Ives (Statesville, NC) and Bender, 167.00
4 Alexa Lignelli (New York, NY) and Resonate, 164.00
5 Vanessa C. Rosso (Davisonville, NC) and Eloquence, 162.00
6 Taylor Landstrom (Excelsior, MN) and Everglade VDL, 161.00
7 Keitlyn Kiely (Rumson, NJ) and Rubix, 160.00
8 Emma Shove (Lothian, MD) and Lando's Silver Tear Drop, 158.00
9 Reagan Williams (Oak Ridge, NC) and Sienna, 157.00
10 Jordan Bell (Friendship, MD) and Chago, 153.00
11 Lauren Satola (Fulton, MD) and Santinos, 152.00
12 Sophia Strahan (Willimgton, NC) and Zeus, 148.00
North American League Adult Hunter Final
1 Betty Oare (Warrenton, VA) and Sidenote, 175.00
2 Peggy McNeil (Cream Ridge, NJ) and For Ever, 171.00
3 Kathryn Sanders (Charlottesville, VA) and Falcon, 168.60
4 Meredith Maxwell (Beachwood, NJ) and Clooney, 168.00
5 Patti Schindler (Reisterstown, MD) and Glyndon, 164.500
6 Laurie Barna (Dallas, PA) and Hundred Acre, 161.00
7 Jacquelyn Maggiore (South Boston, MA) and Bambolino, 161.00
8 Stacy Wolf (Carlisle, PA) and Kensington, 158.00
9 Julia Martinez (Shamong, NJ) and Believer, 153.00
10 Laura Owens (San Francisco, CA) and Eurythmic, 151.00
11 Barbara Brungess (Spring City, PA) and Cornetto, 145.50
12 Susannah Raff (Elkridge, MD) and Renaissance, 76.00
About the NAL
The NAL 2020 qualifying season began September 1 and concludes August 31, 2020. NAL qualifying classes are open to all competitors, but only current members are awarded points. By joining the NAL, riders can accumulate the points necessary to qualify for the West Coast Finals held at the International Jumping Festival hosted by Blenheim EquiSports in San Juan Capistrano, CA and the National Finals held at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA. Annual memberships are only $40 per rider.
With several show series poised to add the league to their agendas.
