National & Special Award Winners YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION
by Katherine O. Rizzo Western Winners
USHJA Quiz Challenge Evelyn Clark of Crofton earned a Bronze
Medal for having the second-highest score for the Horsemanship/Identification exam and third-highest score for the Practicum A exam at the 2023 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge National finals. Clark won a handwoven belt from Boy O Boy Bridle- works and a $500 training and education grant from the USHJA Foundation. Lily Sonneborn of Washington, D.C.,
placed fourth at the finals and was awarded a Boy O Boy Bridleworks belt.
Matt Murphy and Long Trip Alone won several EPRHA championships and finished 2023 ranked fourth on NRHA’s World Limited Non Pro list.
Many Maryland riders traveled across the
country this year competing in Western na- tional shows, bringing home top honors and year-end national rankings. Matt Murphy of Boonsboro rode his own
Long Trip Alone to the Limited Non Pro championship with the Eastern Pennsylva- nia Reining Horse Association. Te pair were also Novice Horse Level 2 reserve champions and Novice Horse Level 3 reserve champions. Murphy’s successful season earned him a na- tional ranking of fourth on the National Rein- ing Horse Association World Rankings Lim- ited Non Pro list. Te pair earned $1,696.63 this past season. Emily Schiavi of Havre de Grace found her-
self on two NRHA World Rankings lists this year with her own TR Olivertrash. Te pair finished second in Novice Horse Non Pro Level 2 and second in Novice Horse Non Pro Level 3 with total earnings for the season of $5,062.66. Morissa Hall of Upper Marl-
boro earned multiple cham- pionships with the National Barrel Horse Association including Open 1D cham- pion, Open 2D champion and Youth 1D champion. Hall was also NBHA’s Youth 1D reserve champion as she had success this season with two horses! Hall also competes with the Maryland High School Rodeo Association where she earned All Around Cowgirl honors as well as being named Barrel Racing champion, Pole Bending champion and Goat Tying cham- pion for the 2022-2023 season.
Russell Becomes First Maryland Female Leading Trainer
Brittany Russell made
history this year for becoming the
first female
trainer to win the overall Leading Trainer award for Maryland tracks. Te 2023 rac- ing
season was
a Delaware native, wrote an article about the tragic breakdown of Maple Leaf Mel and Pret- ty Michievous’ victory that won the News/En- terprise category for the annual media Eclipse Awards. Te article was entitled, “Te Worst Test: Pretty Mischievous’s wins tragic renewal of Grade 1 stakes,” was published in the August edition of Te Saratoga Special. Clancy is a four-time winner of the David
F. Woods Memorial Award for best Preak- ness story (2004, 2007, 2008 and 2014). Tis is Clancy’s second Eclipse Award win.
Eventers Top the Charts
only her fourth full season as a trainer. Tis title has been held by Claudio Gonzalez since 2017. Russell finished out the year with 118 wins in
Brittany Russell becomes the first female leading trainer for Maryland tracks.
Maryland, which was five more wins than second place trainer Jamie Ness. Russell also won the Laurel Park winter meet title, which was her fifth career individual meet title as leading trainer. “I’m just so proud of the team. It’s a huge accomplishment for everybody and they’ve been working so hard,” Russell said. Russell, who is married to
Morissa Hall earned multiple NBHA and MHSRA in 2023.
Maryland jockey Sheldon Russell, saddled 687 starters in 2023 with 177 wins, 141 sec- onds and 96 thirds. Purse earn- ings for 2023 were $7,996,867, giving her a national rank- ing of 11th by wins and 16th by money won. In Maryland, Russell won 17 stakes races, mainly with Hybrid Eclipse and Prince of Jericho.
Eclipse Winning Author Sean Clancy, co-editor/publisher of ST
Publishing Inc., won an Eclipse Award for his coverage of the 2023 Test Stakes. Clancy,
24 | FEBRUARY 2024 | THE EQUIERY YOUR MARYLAND HORSE COUNCIL PUBLICATION
Te U.S. Eventing Association presented members with various high score awards and achievement grants during its annual conven- tion this past December. Below are some high- lights of Maryland national accomplishments in the sport of eventing! Elyse Eisenberg’s Trendy Fernhill finished the 2023 season ranked ninth on the Standlee Pre- mium Western Forage Horse of the Year stand- ings with 148 points. Te Irish Sport Horse gelding was competed this season up through the CCI4* level by Jenny M. Caras of Georgia. Hedgerow Farm’s Connemara cross Delilah’s
Boy won USEA Pony of the Year honors. Te 13-year-old grey gelding, competed by Ken- dal Fansler, had a stellar season capped with the Junior Novice 15 & Under championship at the American Eventing Championships in August. Te pony also finished the year as the second place Novice Horse. Fansler, who is from Clarksville, was the 2023 champion Ju- nior Novice rider as well and topped the Nov- ice Interscholastic Eventing League list. Carlin Keefe of Sandy Spring finished the
year with a sixth place ranking on the Pre- liminary Junior Rider list. She also earned the championship for the Interscholastic Eventing League at the Preliminary level and placed fifth at the Modified level. She received the Seema Sonnad Grant for 2023, while her mother, Rumsey Keefe, earned the Roger Haller Schol- arship for continuing education and training towards USEF Technical Delegate licensing. James Power of Mt. Airy was ranked ninth
on the Modified Junior Rider list. He finished out the year with a seventh place finish in the CCI1*-L at the Virginia Horse Center rid- ing Brambleridge Ponder the Truth. Power was also ranked eighth on the Interscholastic Eventing League list for the Modifed level and eighth at the Training level. Ainsley Hagen of Poolesville finished fourth
continued... 800-244-9580 |
www.equiery.com
Kevin Hugeman
Maryland Jockey Club
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