The Celebration has announced class changes to benefit those showing in the 2-Year-Old Mares and 2-Year-Old Stallions classes, held Saturday Aug. 26 and Monday Aug. 28, respectively. Classes have been inserted between the splits of these classes to accommodate the large number of trainers showing horses in each of the splits. 

Starting Saturday night, the schedule is now as follows: Class 75 is the O/A Novice Youth 12-17 on Mares/Geldings. Next is class 76A, the first split of the Two-Year-Old Mares. Class 77 will be the O/A Pony Stallions, following by class 76B, the second split of the Two-Year-Old Mares. Class 78 is the Yearling Championship.

The Monday evening schedule, which includes three splits for the two-year-old stallions, is as follows: Class 110 is the O/A Five-Year-Old Stallions. Class 111A is the first split of the Two-Year-Old Stallions, followed by Class 112, the O/A Gentlemen Show Pleasure. Class 111B is the second split of the Two-Year-Old Stallions, followed by Class 113, Elite Lady Riders on Stallions. Class 111C is the third split of the two-year-old stallions, followed by Class 114, O/A Park Performance Stallions.

The Celebration does this to alleviate some of the stress trainers endure from having to show in back-to-back classes, in the case when are showing in more than one split. It also creates a fair and level playing field for trainers campaigning more than one entry.

“Splitting the classes up this way gives the trainers (showing in more than one split) equal amount of time to prepare their mounts,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman. “Otherwise they’re in the ring in the A division, for example, and cannot properly warm up the horse they have in the B division, if they were back-to-back. Inserting classes between the splits gives each horse and rider equal time to warm up.”

The Celebration has done this for the past three years and has received positive feedback.