Saugerties, NY (September 12, 2017): As Jenny Karazissis rode UNDENIABLE into HITS Grand Prix Stadium for the concluding round of the richest Hunter Class in the country, Lisa Hankin quietly watched the two-some from a chair on the berm amidst a myriad of Spectators.
To qualify for the Final Round of the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix, all of the original entries, fifty-two, competed in two qualifying rounds on Friday and Saturday from which the top twenty-five pairs would advance to Sunday’s Round 3. Then, the four highest scoring pairs from Round 3 would return to complete the fourth, and Final Round.
On Sunday, when the twenty-five extraordinarily talented riders took center stage, they started with a clean slate: No previous scoring factored in. Rian Beals of Saugerties, New York designed a sprawling course of hunt-field style fences which weaved a track throughout several colorful jumps which had already been set in place for the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix.
When Round 3 began, Jenny Karazissis of Calabasas, California held second in the overall scoring, just behind Patricia Griffith and STELLAR. Griffith of New York, New York won the Prix in 2012 riding SIENNA, and again in 2016 atop SKOREKEEPER.
Though previous round scores are zeroed-out, they are used to determine the Round 3 order of go:Riders return in reverse order, lowest to highest. In Round 3, UNDENIABLE lived up to his name garnering a top score of 265.00 which included a 90, the highest individual score awarded in Round 3.
The trio of Judging Panels advanced Griffith and STELLAR into the final round with a score of 261.250, Tracey Fenney and MTM OUTBID with a score of 262.000, and Keri Kampsen riding SMALL OCCASION with a score of 260.000.
When Karazissis and UNDENIABLE trotted into the Grand Prix Stadium a hush fell over the crowd. The team delivered a flawless performance earning the combined winning score of 531.500, and, again, the highest individual score awarded of 92. For Lisa Hankin, who leases UNDENIABLE, this was no surprise. She said, “Whenever they do a 3’6” performance, they can reliably lay down scores of 88s and 89s, without doing anything differently than they normally do. And if they have a really good day, they easily break the 90s. So, we rolled the dice and came East, and I knew if they did what they normally do, then they’d have a real shot at winning – and they did!”
Karazissis has been partnered with the big, colorful Holsteiner who is known as ‘Nemo’ around the barn, for seven years. She said he is so much fun to ride and referred to him as part of the family. "He is incredibly smart. He totally knew today was important, so he stepped up and never let me down.”
In addition to praising her equine partner, Karazissis said the win would not have been possible without the support of Lisa Hankin, who is so deserving of this victory, “Lisa is someone who really and truly cares about the horses, which is the most important thing to me.” Then she added, “I would really like to thank Tom Struzzieri for putting up this kind of Prize Money for Hunters. It is incredible and one of the main reasons we came East to compete.”
This year, Griffith, one of only two riders to claim top honors twice in this class, would have to settle for second with STELLAR. Keri Kampsen placed third riding SMALL OCCASION, and Tracy Fenney aboard MTM OUTBID took home fourth place.
“All of these riders are great clients of ours,” said HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri. “We appreciate that they travel across the country to come show with us. This class worked out great and we look forward to it getting better and better each year.”
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UNDENIABLE |
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RESULTS | DIAMOND MILLS $500,000 HUNTER PRIX - OVERALL | SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2017
Plc |
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Horse / Owner |
Rider |
Rnd 1 |
Rnd 2 |
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|
Prize Money |
1 |
611 |
UNDENIABLE |
Jenny Karazissis |
265.000 |
266.500 |
|
531.500 |
$150,000.00 |
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Hope Town Farms |
R1: 87.500, 87.500, 90.000 R2: 92.000, 87.000, 87.500 |
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2 |
888 |
STELLAR |
Patricia Griffith |
261.250 |
261.000 |
|
522.250 |
$110,000.00 |
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Holly Orlando |
R1: 87.250, 87.250, 86.750 R2: 88.000, 86.000, 87.000 |
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3 |
697 |
SMALL OCCASION |
Keri Kampsen |
260.000 |
262.000 |
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522.000 |
$65,000.00 |
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Iwasaki & Reilly |
R1: 86.000, 86.000, 88.000 R2: 86.000, 88.000, 88.000 |
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4 |
1177 |
MTM OUTBID |
Tracy Fenney |
262.000 |
249.000 |
|
511.000 |
$40,000.00 |
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MTM Farm |
R1: 88.000, 88.000, 86.000 R2: 84.000, 83.000, 82.000 |
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5 |
382 |
GALAN |
Amber Henter |
259.000 |
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259.000 |
$30,000.00 |
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Maarten Huygens HS |
R1: 85.750, 85.750, 87.500 |
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6 |
1379 |
MISS LUCY |
Jennifer Alfano |
258.750 |
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258.750 |
$25,000.00 |
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Sharon O'Neill |
R1: 86.500, 85.750, 86.500 |
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7 |
134 |
INQUISITIVE |
Laena Romond |
256.000 |
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|
256.000 |
$20,000.00 |
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Can We Keep It |
R1: 85.500, 83.500, 87.000 |
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8 |
462 |
LULAVANI |
Sami Milo |
255.000 |
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255.000 |
$15,000.00 |
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Cavallo Stables |
R1: 87.000, 82.750, 85.250 |
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9 |
699 |
BORIS |
Keri Kampsen |
254.850 |
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254.850 |
$15,000.00 |
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Vlock Show Stables |
R1: 85.350, 87.000, 82.500 |
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10 |
610 |
BIG SHOT |
Jenny Karazissis |
254.750 |
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254.750 |
$10,000.00 |
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Dulcie Lou Morris |
R1: 84.500, 84.500, 85.750 |
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11 |
750 |
CHARISMO |
David Wilbur |
253.000 |
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253.000 |
$10,000.00 |
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Wilbur Show Stables |
R1: 85.250, 83.250, 84.500 |
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12 |
804 |
DRESS BALOU |
Aaron Vale |
251.500 |
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251.500 |
$10,000.00 |
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Donald Stewart |
R1: 85.000, 82.500, 84.000 |
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