Molly Sewell Captures $10,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Professional Rider Award

Molly Sewell and El Raymond

Lexington, KY - After winning the Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, Molly Sewell began making her way to the top of the overall series leader board. The talented professional Over the Hill Farm went on to capture two more second place awards during summer series, and at the end of the Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby Series, Sewell accumulated 700 points to take home the coveted $10,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Professional Rider Award.

The Hallway Feeds Series consists of five national hunter derby events held throughout the 2015 show series at the Kentucky Horse Park. During the final event at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, Sewell's achievements throughout the year were recognized with the $10,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Professional Rider Award, which went to the professional rider accumulating the most points in the five classes that made up the series. Sewell also received a free flight for a horse, in the continental U.S., provided by Tex Sutton.

"I think it's a great thing for the Kentucky Horse Shows to do, and it's so generous of Hallway Feeds to sponsor it," said Sewell, who began participating in the series in 2013. "It's certainly a really nice thing for hunter riders to aim for. It used to be that the money in the hunters wasn't quite as good as the jumpers, but it seems like it's all catching on now."

Hallway Feeds Leading Rider Presentation

Sewell was aboard El Raymond, a 17-year-old Warmblood gelding owned by Stuart and Leslie Campbell of Wellington, Florida, to score her top placings. She commented, "I love having these smaller derbies to do because the horse I show in them doesn't need to jump 3'6" anymore, and he just loves doing these classes. He really rises to the occasion. I am so thankful to the horse's owner Leslie Campbell that she lets me show him and do these derbies on him. She sacrifices sometimes not showing him just so I can do them, and I think that is so generous of her."

Morgan Akers-McQuerry of Hallway Feeds stated, "We had a great year of hunter derbies leading up to the finale! Molly put in multiple phenomenal rounds this year and we are very pleased to award her the Leading Professional bonus check, as well as the flight from TexSutton. We would like to congratulate everyone who participated and look forward to next year. Of course we would like to thank all of our supporting sponsors as well, without them the series would not be what it is today."

In addition to the $10,000 Hallway Feeds Professional Rider Award, there were also awards for the amateur rider and junior rider accumulating the most points. Lilly French scored the $2,500 Hallway Feeds Junior Rider Award after earning multiple top ribbons throughout the spring and summer. Missy Luczak-Smith took home the $2,500 Hallway Feeds Amateur Rider Award after placing well this spring.

For more information on Kentucky Horse Shows LLC and the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.