It was the last night before the the championship nights.
The Owner-Amateur Riders on Three-Year-Old Walking Mares or Geldings, started the festivities. The earmark of the Celebration to this point has been the large number of entries in each class. Thirty-seven horses and riders made their entrance for Division A,
as Carpenter called the shots. One entry asked to be excused just before the group went on the reverse. The judges collected numbers for the first park in as the riders lined up. They selected 14 to remain for the
final workout. The riders gave it everything they had as they made the rounds.
The blue ribbon and awards went to The Paper Rose and Susie Harmon. Harmon rode for John and Susie Harmon of Fort Thompson, SD. Handling the reins and guiding her mount to reserve was Stephanie Rose on Mr. Fitzgerald. Franklin resident, Caryl Rose, owns the entry. Another strong performance by Tarheel’s Miss Dumas and Kenny Compton earned a third place tie for
the Rick Compton family.
The excitement continued with Division B when 33 entries passed through the gate. One hundred eleven entries were listed and a total of 70 were shown in the two divisions, another strong showing of young horses. Martin directed the class and notified riders
of the impending workout. Sixteen entries positioned themselves around the track vying for a place on the judges card. Workouts were plentiful every night, but they were necessary in order to give each participant
an opportunity to be seen and judged.
Summer Passion and Pam Ingraham collected their blue ribbon for Robert Ingraham Homes of Brentwood, Tenn. Pushing for reserve was Pusher’s Major Minor owned by Tommy Grider. Julie Grider handled the reins. Lock and Load locked in the third tie with Stacy Blackburn riding for Mr. & Mrs. Odell McConnell.
Class 111, Owner-Amateur Lady Riders on Walking Geldings, Specialty began with...what else? A workout! Hankins called 29 entries to be judged. There were fifty-one entries on the class sheet. Eighteen remained for further work in the class. After a time out for a tail brace, the riders went back to work. Larry Bright complemented the ladies with the tune “Oh, You Beautiful Doll” as they arrived at the line up.
Good Evening, made it a very good evening, when he and Jaclyn Harney did some flashy stepping to receive the blue ribbon. The John Harney family of Murfreesboro owns the entry. Down Under and Patti Pollack, riding for the Silver Spur Ranch, collected the red ribbon for reserve. Barracuda collected the
third place honors with Mary Medina up.
The youngsters graced the ring as Park Pleasure Walking Horses, Two Years Olds answered Hand’s call to show their horses. Forty-one entries were on the class sheet; 20 entered the ring for competition.
Jeff Givens and Movie Extra moved in for the victory pass. The Keith Johnson family are the owners. Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio and Trish Wooten pick up the red ribbon for California owners Gary & Carleen Redmond. Elegance
of Design was awarded the yellow ribbon for third place. Nancy Lavato owns the entry and Craig Swaggerty directed.
Between each class, Bill Kemp and his Flying Dogs entertained the crowd by performing daring frisbee tricks. They delighted the grown-ups and children alike when Kemp took the dogs to each section of the track and allowed fans to take pictures and pet the dogs.
Out of a class of 13, eight mamas and babies came to the ring for the Mare & Foal class. It was a beautiful sight to see young ones following mama. Oops, one baby
fell behind. Isn’t that just like kids? Little
whinnies broke out as the class was on the reverse. Four pairs lined up on each side of the track to be judged.
Pusher’s Walkin On and A Whisper of Rain with Charles Gleghorn and Karen Gleghorn won the blue and retired the Sam Gibbons Challenge trophy for two wins in a row. Coin’s Time Maker and RPM II carried away the reserve red ribbon with Bobby Richards and Rhonda Martocci handling the entries for Pete Hammond of Alabama. Charles Gleghorn’s entry Genteel Generator and Gentleman’s Cash collected the third place tie.
Class 114 was an inaugural class this year. The Trainer’s show first offered the class in 2001. The popularity was so overwhelming, the Celebration decided to include it in this year’s schedule. The class was small in size only, the fans loved it and cheered on each rider. The Retired Trainers Over 55 on
Walking Horses, Specialty was underway. They hadn’t lost a thing as they skillfully executed the gaits and the crowd raised a ruckus! The entries even made that last pass in front of the judges. There were no losers
in the class. The retired trainers ranged in age from 63 to 80.
Whitey Whitehead repeated his Trainers show victory with a victory ride that rivaled the Stake winners. He tossed his hat into the stands to what had to be the loudest outburst heard yet from the crowd. An outstanding ride was made by Preach Fleming, 80, aboard Generator’s No Question for Rae Nelson. Julia’s Choice Cut and Bob Atkinson tied up third with an equally outstanding performance for Pilkington & Atkinson. Seventy-two-year-old, Buddy Black rode for
Hawkersmith Nursery on Come Alive Ritz for the fourth tie. And all the entries definitely made the crowd come alive.
Well, they were back again, those exciting stallions in Owner-Amateur Riders on Walking Horses, Five Years and Over, Over 15.2. The class sheet read 42 but 18 actually presented themselves for the judges approval. The presence of the stallions in any ring would cause your blood pressure to rise, but at the Celebration, it goes off the scale. There’s just something about that big leg-waving walk that’s hard to describe. Hand
called for the canter and the ring was filled with rocking horses and riders. Now take a deep seat and “Walk On”. Yeah Boy!