WELLINGTON, Fla.--Louise Serio of Kennett Square, Pa., won the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular riding Jennifer Burger's Rock Harbor on Saturday evening, Feb. 17.

Louise Serio on Rock Harbor (Photo by Tricia Booker/USHJA)For Serio, this is always special a special class because she was instrumental in establishing back in 1997, and this year it was particularly rewarding as it was her third win in the class.

"You never know when you're going to get back here again," said Serio. "It's very rewarding. Jennifer Burger, who owns Rock Harbor, has been a wonderful client for a long time, and she's been a big supporter, so to win on her horse is really nice."

Serio and the 11-year-old, warmblood gelding led after the first round with a score of 89.50.

She returned for the second round to post an 86.75 and a total of 176.25, a total no one else could catch.

"My horse was awesome tonight," said Serio. "I thought he jumped really well. I've never done him in a night class under the lights, and I thought he was really on his game."

This is the third time Serio has won this class, first in 2005 with Costello and again in 2011 with Castle Rock.

 

BURGER purchased "Harry" six years ago as a 5-year-old, and he's steadily moved up the levels to the High Performance Hunter section, and in WEF week 6, he qualified for the Spectacular class in the 3'6" Performance Working Hunters.

"He's been such a fun horse to own," said Burger. "I'm on top of the world. Louise is an unbelievable rider, and she found me an amazing horse. Tonight was the crescendo of those two things coming together and the best it could be. We both love him. He's a great horse."

Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., and Catch Me came close to a "three-peat" after winning in 2016 and 2017 but couldn't quite edge Serio and Rock Harbor.

Scott Stewart on Catch Me (Photo by Tricia Booker/USHJA)The 10-year-old, Holsteiner gelding owned by Gochman Sport Horse LLC, leapfrogged up the standings from 11th after the first round to second place overall with the best second round score of 91, for a total of 174.33.

"I had nothing to lose," said Stewart of the second round and his strategy. "I had a little bit of a funny jump in the first round, so I was really happy that I made it back at all in the second round. I sort of just went for it. It was probably one of the best rounds I've ever had, especially for the handy. Everything just worked. The jump that he took a little look at in the first round was the jump I really sliced in the handy, and he was perfect about it. It all just worked out great."

 

TRACY FENNEY, of Flower Mound, Texas, finished third aboard MTM Outbid in her first appearance in the Spectacular class.

The 8-year-old warmblood gelding, owned by MTM Farm, jumped to an 85.33 in the first round and sat seventh, but a tidy and bold second round moved them up to third with a 174.16 total.

"I was a little star struck when I first got here," Fenney said. "Showing against all of these guys is amazing. It's a great class and a really fun crowd. My horse seems to deal with whatever, the lights, daylight, he's good with that. It's fun to compete against all these guys."

The $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular was a featured event of the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit Week 6, and the Saturday night event drew 36 entries that qualified to compete after showing in the week's Junior, Amateur-Owner and Open Hunter sections.

Designer Steve Stephens set the courses for the two-round classic in the big International Ring., and the six-member judging panel that sat in pairs around the arena consisted of Sissy Wickes and Chris Wynne at Panel 1, Rick Fancher and Shane George at Panel 2 and John French and Mary Lisa Leffler at Panel 3.

For their victory, Louise Serio and Rock Harbor were presented the Dark Continent Perpetual Trophy, donated by Jim Greene, as well as the Let's Dance Perpetual Trophy, donated by the late Gene Mische.

"This is a cool night and means so much, but what's special to me is we actually started this class," said Serio, who was instrumental in establishing the WCHR with Geoff Teall in the early 1990s. "I remember asking Gene Mische if we could have the class here. Then I asked, 'Could we have a tent? And a refrigerator and some chairs?' He was so generous, and it's just grown from there."

 

Private Life, highest scoring Conformation Hunter and  WCHR Hunter of the Year. (Photo by Tricia BookerUSHJA)IN BETWEEN Rounds 1 and 2, Betsee Parker's Private Life, ridden by Stewart, received the Charlie Weaver Memorial Award for the highest-scoring Conformation Hunter in Round 1 with an 84.50.

The Mark Gregory Memorial Award, established by Susie Humes, for the best-conditioned horse in Round 1 was presented to Libertas Farm LLC's Chablis, ridden by Kelly Tropin and trained by Peter Lutz and Mary Manfredi.

Jennifer Hannan's Olympic Fire, received the Shapley's Best Turned Out Award, presented by Sally Stith-Burdette to groom Abelardo Sanchez.

Daisy Farish, of Lexington, Ky., and Cinemagic, who were fifth overall, finished as the highest-placed Junior combination, and Kelly Tropin, of New Canaan, Conn., sixth on Chablis, was the highest-placed Amateur-Owner rider.

Riders earning championships or reserve championships in the 3'6" and higher rated WCHR hunter sections qualified for the $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular, with additional riders qualifying based on points if the qualified riders chose not to compete or were pre-qualified. In addition, riders also qualified based on their 2017 standings in the WCHR national awards programs.

Other special awards presented included the week's high-score honors: the Professional was Stewart with 94. the Amateur-Owner, 3'6" was Lindsay Maxwell with 91, the Amateur-Owner 3'3" and Adult Amateur was Martha Ingram with 92 and 90, the Junior 3'6" ended in a tie between Daisy Farish and Emma Kurtz, each with 90, the Junior 3'3" was Ella Bostwick with 90, and the Developing Professional was Christina Serio, who earned the Champion Equine Insurance Trophy for her high score of 88.

Betsee Parker's Private Life, ridden by Stewart, was named the 2017 USHJA WCHR Hunter of the Year and was presented with the WCHR Peter Wetherill Cup on Saturday night.

 

Geoff Teall, third from left, was awarded the Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award. (Tricia BookerUSHJA)THE KAVAR KERR Distinguished Service Award, presented by the World Championship Hunter Rider Committee in honor of Kerr's philanthropic background, was awarded to Geoff Teall.

The award is presented to a person who has demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership and commitment to the WCHR Program through their volunteer service and philanthropic efforts. This person also honors the past and tradition while representing the future and growth of philanthropy in the sport.

Teall's dedication, support and leadership,  in conjunction with co-founder Louise Serio, helped to bring the WCHR Program to life and sustain it over the years, and his leadership in governance, volunteerism, grit and determination enabled the WCHR to grow and thrive.

Kavar Kerr, for whom the award is named, said, "Geoff Teall was always inspiring to work with. His concern and commitment to his fellow horsemen as well as the equestrian community is amazing. He always wants to do the right thing for the horses and people, and I greatly admire that about him. He is also a good friend to have! I'm very pleased this award is going to Geoff!"

The Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular Gala, held in the International Club, was once again a great success and is projected to raise more than $50,000 to support the WCHR program.