Bridgehampton, NY – September 4, 2004 — The show jumping superstars of the future shined in the Grand Prix ring, as the Five and Six-Year-Old Young Horse Championships – Eastern Finals were held on Saturday, September 4, at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY.

In the $20,000 C. Wetherill Motors Five-Year-Old Young Jumper Championships – Eastern Finals, Ireland’s Darragh Kerins emerged the winner riding Extraordinaire, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Calvados who was bred by Stal Roelofs. The competition saw the top 15 horses competing for the title. Kerins was the rider on three horses that qualified for the Finals, determined by two earlier rounds of competition at the Hampton Classic. In the third and final phase held Saturday, September 4, in the Grand Prix ring, Kerins was one of only four riders to advance to the jump-off where he was again clear, in a time of 34.87 seconds to narrowly edge Wilhelm Genn who stopped the clock at 34.92 seconds with Chantal, a Holsteiner gelding by Calido.

“He is only five but he goes around like he is a ten-year-old,” commented Kerins, 29. “I thought he might be a little spooky coming into this ring, but he rose to the occasion.”

In a bittersweet twist, the victory marked the final time that Kerins will ride Extraordinaire. In May, Sarah Pankosky purchased the horse, but allowed Kerins to continue showing him for the remainder of the Five-Year-Old Young Horse series. Now, Pankosky will take over the reins, competing with Extraordinaire in the Junior Jumper divisions.

“My father purchased the horse as a three-year-old in Holland and brought him to Ireland where he competed for one year,” explained Kerins of Extraordinaire’s world travels. “In January, he came to the United States and we showed him in the Five-Year-Old competitions in Wellington, Florida. Sarah bought him in May and now we are going out with a win, so everything worked out great.”

Kerins, who has represented Ireland in Nations’ Cup competition on four occasions, has been based in the U.S. for the past five years, riding for Frank and Bonnie Cunniffe’s Whipstick Farm of South Salem, NY. He also placed eighth riding S&L Face Value, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Lemmod, as well as 11th with Cynthia Turecamo’s Dulce, an Irish Sport Horse gelding by Porsch, in the Five-Year-Old Young Jumper Championships – Eastern Finals.

The luck of the Irish followed Kerins to the $30,000 GGET Six-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship Finals where he finished second riding Costa, a Holsteiner gelding by Coriander. Victory went to 15-year-old Aimee Aron of Keswick, VA, who rode Reckless, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Farmer, for owner Kinloch Enterprises. Although all five riders that moved forward to the jump-off were able to post clear rounds, Aron’s time of 34.16 seconds was the fastest, giving her the victory over Kerins who stopped the clock at 34.22 seconds. William Genn and Happy Z, his Zangersheide gelding by High Valley Z, took third place.