For Immediate Release:  March 21, 2017

Gulfport, Mississippi

The jumper action at the Gulf Coast Winter Classic closed out six beautiful weeks of AA show jumping competition at the coastal venue in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Andy Kocher of Ocala, Florida, proved why he is on track again as the USHJA's Dash for the Cash King, winning both the $40,777 Sidelines Grand Prix and the $10,000 Horseflight Open Welcome as well as third and fifth placings in the Prix and fifth and eight places in the Welcome.

"We definitely had a great week in Gulfport and made a lot of money there," commented Kocher. "The weather was great, the Grand Prix field was excellent and so were the jumps," he said.

Twenty horses took to the course designed by Paul Jewel of Lambertville, New Jersey and only seven returned for the jump off round.

Kocher and his own Carlos were the first to go. "Carlos is the best horse I ever had. He's ten years old and a little green with tremendous potential. We went horse shopping in Europe and bought some, but didn't buy him," said Kocher. "About two weeks later I got a video of him and thought, 'I'm not buying a horse off of a video'," he said. "A friend of mine told me to do it, my business partner MC Morris agreed and we sent the money," he said. "Carlos showed up, we've messed around with him a little and did the 1.40 m and 1.45 m and wanted to start him in a nice Grand Prix which is why we brought him to Gulfport," he said. "This is a great field, really welcoming, beautiful jumps and I knew it would be perfect for Carlos," he continued. Although Carlos had a rail and one time fault as first to go, Kocher was very pleased with his performance and they ended up in fifth place overall with their time of 48.560 seconds.

Penny Brennan of Aiken, South Carolina and her own Sun Tzu were next in the jump off order. Brennan is known for her speed. "Penny is aggressive and fun to show with," said Kocher. "But, if you're doing a National or Regional standard class, you don't want to see Penny Brennan," he laughed. "You just don't want to jump against her because she is so fast," he commented.

Brennan and Sun Tzu turned in a clear jump off round in a time of 46.819 seconds, well within the 48 seconds time allowed, and set the new time to beat!

Shannon Hicks of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, in the irons of Helen Gilbert's Al Pachini followed Brennan, but their jump off round earned four jump faults and one time fault with a time of 48.499 seconds which would see them finish in fourth place overall.

Kocher returned for his second jump off ride in the irons of Eagle Valley Partners' Ciana. Their clear round in a time of 42.380 seconds took the lead.

Hicks followed, this time in the irons of Helen Gilbert's C'Havinia. The pair had eight jump faults and their time of 48.550 earned one time fault. They would finish in seventh place overall.

Kocher and his own Le Conte followed in the order and turned in a four fault second round in a time of 45.891 seconds which would see them finish in third place overall. "I've had Le Conte for about four or five years and he is my 'pet'," said Kocher. "I got a rough jump in the jump off and I didn't make the turn right," he said about their second round. "He's been doing that show for three years in a row. He's a great horse and one day I'll retire him when he's ready," commented Kocher.

Last to go in the order, Amanda "Happy" Comley and her own Mullentine Imperial had a rail at the first fence and finished with four jump faults in a time of 48.937 seconds, leaving Kocher and Ciana as victors.

"Quite honestly, I thought Ciana would win the class and it turned out I was right," said Kocher.

Ciana is owned by Karen Cobb of Eagle Valley Partners and she came out to watch the two compete Week VI. "Karen and her kids came out and we all had a great time. It's an awesome show, great location, supportive community and great seafood," Kocher commented.

Eighth place was awarded to Trapp O' Neal and Marieke Slik's Vorione Fortuna, Brennan returned for ninth place with Cerulean Stables' HHS Louis, Katie Cox and KLC Investment Group's Hocus Pocus placed tenth and O'Neal earned an eleventh with TKO Partnership's Capitano. Michael Tokaruk wrapped up the class with a twelfth place in the irons of Mattie Hatcher's Cumana.  For complete results, please visit horseshowsonline.com.

"I've been coming to Gulfport since the very beginning," said Kocher. "I used to come and groom for my Dad in the early days, back when they ran the Grand Prix under the covered arena," he said.

"It's one of my favorite shows and it's really interesting to see how it has positively impacted the sport," he said. "Some of my customers I currently have are from the area. They weren't horse folks, they just used to enjoy coming out on weekends," he said. "Because of this show, they went on to buy ponies and then horses. They are still showing here!" he said. "My student Sara Dees has been doing this show since she was in Short Stirrup. She did her first Grand Prix this past summer and it was always her dream to do a Grand Prix here-and she did!" said Kocher. "This is an example of how Gulfport got her into the sport and without this show, she wouldn't be here," he said.

Alexis Bowen won the Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks Style of Riding Award Week VI as the rider who exhibits the best American style of riding and possesses the respectful, dignified, courteous and workmanlike manner of a true sportsman. Alexis won a beautiful Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks belt. This colorful new line of woven-ribbon and leather belts, dog collars and accessories are handmade by founder and artisan Amanda Hood in her Middleburg, Virginia studio and can be purchased online or at select tack shops.

The Clothes Horse, makers of fine horse wear and drapes, is the Official Sponsor of all Grand Prix Champion Coolers at the 2017 Gulf Coast Winter Classic Circuit. Customization, excellent service and fast turnaround time, with a complete attention to every detail is what they are about! Visit them online at theclotheshorse.com

Kocher started off the week besting a field of twenty two in the $10,000 Horseflight Open Welcome with Eagle Valley Partners' Coconut after posting double clear rounds in times of 82.105 and 30.432 seconds. Holly Shepherd of Grand Bay, Alabama and Loretta Patterson's Sky High took second after posting double clear rounds in times of 84.647 seconds and 31.832 seconds. Michael Tokaruk of Germantown, Tennessee placed third with Alex Turner's Vanrock and also took home a seventh place with Mattie Hatcher's Cumana. Shannon Hicks of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, in the irons of Helen Gilbert's Emir D placed fourth and also picked up a tenth place ribbon with Helen Gilbert's Al Pachini. Kocher returned for a fifth place ribbon with Eagle Valley Partners' Ciana and came back for an eighth place with Angelo Danza's E Pleasure. Dominique Damico of Berwyn, Pennsylvania and her own Canoso placed sixth. A & A Balthazar, owned by Alexandra Comly and ridden by Alexis Bowen of Dallas, Texas, placed ninth. Penny Brennan wrapped up the class with eleventh and twelfth placings with Meco Equestrian, LLC's Cord 11 and Cerulean Stables' HHS Louis, respectively. For complete information, please visit horseshowsonline.com.

Horseflight is the Official Equine Air Transportation Company of the Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Companies and sponsor of all 2017 Open Jumper Welcome Classics. As a leader in international horse transport with locations in Greifswald, Germany, Califon, New Jersey, Ocala, Florida and Houston, Texas, with branches in Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California, Horseflight coordinates imports or exports anywhere in the world! With weekly flights to and from Europe, as well as the continental United States, Horseflight prides itself on transporting the competitive horse world, one flight at a time!

The $3,000 Arenus Jr/Amateur Owner Jumper 1.20 m Classic awarded Abigail Bergin of Gulfport, Mississippi and her own Cumlaude the win, after they bested a field of ten horse and rider teams with the fastest double clear rounds in times of 39.704 and 38.047 seconds, respectively. Bergin and Cumlaude were one of four to advance to the second round. Mikayla Foster of Dallas, Texas and Apex Equestrian Center's Ashville Rock came in second place after turning in double clear rounds of 67.975 and 39.704 seconds, respectively. Third place was awarded to Ashley Shaw of Ellisville, Missouri and her own Curiel Boston and fourth went to Sydney Long of Atlanta, Georgia and her own Venchy De Bornival. Heather Zuber of Zionsville, Indiana and her own Firebird were awarded the fifth place ribbon and Christina Martin of Dallas, Texas and her own Diamant placed sixth. Foster also picked up a seventh with her own Dare to Dream and Qisini Z, owned and ridden by Lexie Glisson wrapped up the class with a twelfth place finish.

The $5,000 Arenus Jr/Amateur Owner Jumper 1.30 m Classic awarded Jennifer Jones and Andy Kocher's E Umonia R the win and Ramble On Farm's Shaq, ridden by Kaitlyn Williams, second place. Third was awarded to Carson Ruff and Ron Daughter's Toulouse and fourth went to Manhattan, owned and ridden by Atkins Ward. Sara Dees and her won Rico S placed fifth and Ashley Shaw earned a sixth with her own Capua. Seventh went to Caitlyn Epperson and her own Aretzo while Gabby Walley and her own Cuanito wrapped up the class with an eighth place finish.

The $8,000 Arenus Jr/Amateur Owner Jumper 1.40 m Classic awarded Isabella Baxter and her own Jahil the win followed by TKO Partnerships' Camero, ridden by Caitlyn Epperson. Third went to Andy Kocher's Honfleur, ridden by Jennifer Jones and High Hopes Farm, LLC's Carl Loui TSP, ridden by Sydney Swarr finished in fourth. Goldfinger, owned and ridden by Kelsey Gore wrapped up the class with a fifth place finish.  For further results, please visit horseshowsonline.com.

Arenus is the sponsor of the Jr/Amateur Jumper Classics at all Classic Company and Gulf Coast Classic show jumping events.

Developed by veterinarians and nutritionists and supported by a team of animal health specialists, Arenus products deliver exactly what your horse needs whether healthy or ill.

Arenus is centered on the core belief of supporting complete animal care solutions, with deep passion and exact science. Brands like Sore No-More, BeneFab by Sore No-More, Equilite Herbals and Assure have offered such solutions for many years and solidified Arenus' spot in the equine health community.

More information can be found at www.arenus.com or you can reach out to their friendly customer service staff at 1-866-791-3344.

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

Riders love the Gulf Coast Winter Classic. Join us next year on the Gulf Coast and discover for yourself why the grass is greener on the Mississippi Gulf Coast!

The next stops on the Classic Company show jumping tour are the Atlanta Spring Classics kicking off tomorrow for two weeks of top show jumping competition followed by the Jacksonville Spring Classic at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center on April 7th through the 23rd. Atlanta offers plenty of jumper prize money including weekly Welcomes and Grand Prix. Jacksonville Week I is all about the Arenus Jr/Amateur Owner Jumpers with plenty of prize money up for grabs and Weeks II and III, $25,000 Grand Prix are added to the mix! Reserve your stalls today and enter!

The Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Companies ' philosophy is to offer an event for every level of rider and horse.  From lead line to Olympic level grand prix competition, from seasoned veteran horse and rider team to a first time horse show experience, the Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Companies offer competition that provides the competitor substantial prize money, award-winning facilities and courses, quality competition and the best customer service in the industry. 

Service is what sets the Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Company apart from other horse show companies.   Consistently awarded the USHJA's Member Choice Award for providing excellent customer-friendly competitions, the Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Companies provide champion service from in-gates to show office at all its venues.  Top competition with an emphasis on southern hospitality is their hallmark and the reason thousands prefer to compete at Classic and Gulf Coast Classic Company produced events each year.

All sponsorship and media inquiries should be directed to Lisa Engel.

All show program advertising inquiries should be directed to Drew Coster.