Laurel Bennett and Samantha Camp Dominate Junior Hunter Divisions at Quentin Fall Classic

Laurel Bennett and Wish List

Junior riders Laurel Bennett and Samantha Camp took home tricolor honors in their respective divisions on Sunday to close out the Swan Lake Quentin Fall Classic. After two days of competition in the Junior Hunter 3'6" and 3'3" divisions, both athletes were awarded championship titles and Noble Outfitters backpacks.

Bennett rode away with the victory aboard Wish List, sweeping all four over-fences classes in the Junior Hunter 3'6" division, including the handy round. The duo also earned a second place in the under saddle.

"I just really wanted to keep my pace consistent," Bennett explained about her handy-round performance. "I wanted to keep the bend. Wish List felt really good today, and the goal was to keep everything smooth. I think we did that. He was awesome."

Bennett continued, "He can be really lazy. He's still a little green, since he's only 7-years-old, so I have to make sure he knows where he is going. I think he's perfect and stepped up this weekend."

Laurel Bennett and Wish List

Alexis Ortenzio earned the reserve championship honors in the Junior Hunter 3'6" division with a blue and red ribbon, as well as three third-place finishes aboard Revolution.

After earning a first and third-place finish in Saturday's over-fences classes, Camp and Bella K started the day with a win in the under saddle portion of the Junior Hunter 3'3" division. The pair followed the blue-ribbon performance with a first and second-place finish in the morning's over-fences classes to seal the overall honors.

"I thought the courses were good today all around," Camp said. "In the handy round, there were several places where you could really show off your handiness. The plan was just to smooth it all out, go slower and make Bella K's turns look easy."

Bella K has taken off over a year to recover from an injury. Camp elaborated on what it means to be showing with her again saying, "This is her first show back. It means everything to have her back and to win just makes it that much better. I really like showing at Swan Lake, the rings are nice and big and the jumps are always nice."

Samantha Camp and Bella K

The reserve champion honors in the Junior Hunter 3'3" division was awarded to Madelyn Lowe and Aljano Jr. after securing a first and two second-place finishes, as well as a third and fourth-place ribbon.

Bennett and Camp sported their new Noble Outfitters backpacks proudly, along with their unique Quentin Fall Classic tricolor ribbons as they left the Dover Saddlery arena.

Expressing her gratitude, Bennett said, "This is a really nice bag. I'll be able to keep a lot of my show stuff in it, so that's good and needed."

"I really like this backpack," Camp smiled as she expressed her gratitude. "I just started school, so this will be very useful."

The main hunter ring was off to a bright and early start with competitors in the Amateur-Owner Hunter division. After a dominating performance on Saturday, Samantha Schaefer returned to the ring aboard Classified and earned a first, second and fourth-place finish to earn the pair top honors in the division.

Samantha Camp and Bella K

"I took a shot and took some turns to keep Classified on his toes," Schaefer said. "He felt perfect today. He's pretty consistent. We get along really well. I think we're a great team."

Schaefer, like Bennett and Camp, was also awarded a new backpack courtesy of Noble Outfitters for her overall victory of the division.

Sharing her sentiments, she said, "Swan Lake always gives great prizes that you can actually utilize. It makes winning here even better. I'm sure it will be put to great use."

Sunday's action marked the conclusion of the Quentin Fall Classic. For more information about Swan Lake Horse Shows visit: www.swanlakehorseshows.com.