The ten obstacle course for the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal, designed by Bobby Murphy, opened over a straightforward line heading away from the in-gate, and it went on to test riders back and forth through tight turns and rollbacks.

Although thunderstorms disrupted competition throughout the day at the Kentucky Horse Park, the clouds parted as the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic got underway during the Kentucky Spring Classic. Sixteen horse and rider combinations advanced to the tiebreaker, creating a speed duel for the winning prize. Kent Farrington proved to have all the answers with Venus, blazing an uncatchable clear track that was almost two seconds faster than second place finisher Andrew Bourns of Ireland. Reed Kessler and Mika were the pathfinders to take home the third place honors.

The Kentucky Spring Classic features five consecutive days of top of the line hunter competition, running May 15-19. Day two of the popular spring series concluded today with the awarding of the professional hunter division championships, and it was Cookie Beck who rode away with the tricolor in the combined Second Year Green and High Performance Hunter division.

Beck finished first over both of today’s Bobby Murphy designed hunter courses in the Stonelea Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park to secure title of division champion aboard Last Call, owned by Lisa Cudahy of Mequon, WI.

Beck and Last Call came into the afternoon with a second place over fences and a first place under saddle earned yesterday, and they only improved upon their performances from there.

“He tries harder and harder every day. Other horses get tired the second day, but not him. He tries harder every single class,” Beck explained.