Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506210019
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jumpers in the Rolex Grand Prix on June 25 will be competing for $50,000 in prize money in the feature event.
The Roanoke Valley Horse Show, now in its 24th incarnation, is not resting on its blue ribbons.
The show, which begins Monday and runs through June 25 indoors and out at the Salem Civic Center has jazzed up its jumper classes by opening them to a wider range of horses.
``People used to only come in and bring their very best jumpers for the Grand Prix,'' said Nancy Peterson of the Roanoke Valley Horseman's Association, which is sponsoring the show along with the Junior League of the Roanoke Valley. ``Now, they can bring some of their younger horses, too.''
Schooling jumper and amateur-owner classes now are divided into high and low sections as determined by the height at which fences are set. For the first time, there also will be a $5,000 Futures Jumper Classic for horses not entered in the Rolex Grand Prix of Roanoke, which will be held at 2 p.m. June 25.
``I think we're already seeing an impact,'' said June Camper, the show's co-chairwoman along with Mary McBurney. ``Kevin Babbington [last year's Grand Prix winner] has called and reserved more stalls than last year and so has [North Carolina trainer] Harold Chopping.''
The Rolex Grand Prix, the signature event of the Roanoke show, has a purse of $50,000, down $25,000 from a year ago, but not much should be made of that, said show manager Bill Munford.
``As the prize money goes up, so do the entry fees,'' he said.
In other words, owners with marginal horses squeezed out previously if for no other reason than the entry fee might be tempted to enter if the price goes down. That's one more way the jumper classes will be opened to more horses this year at the show, which is part of the National Grand Prix League.
David J. Raposa, the 1991 winner here, and Christian Curry, another prominent rider, will be here this year, but there hasn't been word yet on such other famous horsemen and horsewomen as four-time winner Rodney Jenkins, two-time winner Terry Rudd and the acclaimed Margie Goldstein.
But there is nothing unusual about that, either. Jumpers are notorious for waiting until the last minute to enter. One must declare for the Grand Prix by Saturday afternoon.
Other open jumper stakes include the $7,500 Welcome Jumper Stake on Thursday night, the $2,500 National Adult Amateur Jumper Classic, the $10,000 Open Jumper Stake on Friday night and the $5,000 Futures Classic on Saturday afternoon.
In addition to the jumpers, the show also will include hunter, saddlebred, Western and racking horses.
Among the saddlebred classes (which also would include the hackneys and roadsters), the $2,400 Three-Gaited Juvenile Stake has been selected by the American Saddlebred Grand National as part of its Castleman Series of prize-money shows. That will be Friday night.
Also on Friday night's schedule will be the Jack Russell terrier races. Additional feature events include the Mighty Mule Exhibition, which will run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. The mules astound by performing such feats as coon jumping (clearing a fence from a standing start), western reining, dressage and sidesaddle.
The Southern States draft horse team also will put on an exhibition.
The saddlebreds will be well-represented and such heavyweight trainers and owners as Rob Byers of Simpsonville, Ky., Marilyn Macfarlane of Shelbyville, Ky., Claude Shiflet of Asheboro, N.C., Lisa Jensen of Bedford, N.H., and Mary Jo Schmidt of Tampa, Fla., have booked space in the vast barns between the civic center and Salem Stadium.
There are 707 stalls and Munford expects all of them to be filled.
``You don't want to not have enough, so you have to gamble a little,'' he said. ``Last year, we had them all filled.''
by CNB