Devon Fall Classic Returns for its 10th Anniversary Show
An armature rider completes her run in the prestigious Dixon Oval during the Devon Fall Classic on Saturday, September 16th, 2023 (Andrew McKeough/AKSM Photography for AKSM Equestrian/AKSM Sports).
A stellar lineup of competition highlights Devon’s 10th annual Fall Classic.
Article by Andrew McKeough
DEVON, Pa. - For its tenth run, the Devon Fall Classic returned with three days of high-performing competition in the historic Dixon Oval from Thursday through Sunday with the 2023 $25,000 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix headlining the weekend on Saturday night.
Thursday night brought out Laura Chapot who won blue in the show’s opening $5,000 Welcome Jumper Stake. Chapot - who is no stranger to the Dixon Oval having competed during Devon’s renown spring show - topped the list of twenty-four other competitors while riding C&C Willow. Sloane Coals took red with Ninja Jw Van De Moerhoeve with Andrew Ross taking yellow with Cornet Cobalt.
Friday’s $5,000 Speed Stake (1.40m) kicked off weekend competition in the Dixon Oval with only twelve out of nineteen running a clear course. Arielle Aharoni riding Dutch Times - another spring show duo returner - topped the leaderboard to secure a blue ribbon with a time of 69.569 seconds. Though this wasn’t her first time in the Dixon Oval, Aharoni said, “This was my first time winning at Devon [...]. I have been hungry for the win, and I’m happy it finally happened.”
Saturday saw the Fall Classic’s annual Leadline return to the Dixon Oval. An annual tradition during both the spring and fall shows, Leadline spotlights the talent of young riders under the age of seven who are led into the ring by a handler and judged on positioning and trotting around the ring. This year saw a five way tie for blue from the judges between Logan Gallagher, Nora Yenner, Ari McCloskey Blanche, Penelope Dever and Kayla Harris. Saturday’s competition also saw the Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Jumper Classic Series which saw Kara Joes and her horse End Game go clear in the jump off to take the blue.
Saturday’s much anticipated Grand Prix night brought out the best competition of the weekend riding for a prize of $25,000. The 2023 Devon Fall Classic Grand Prix featured twenty-eight runs at a course designed by Canada’s Peter Grant and sponsored by Jaguar/Land Rover of the Main Line. A Table II, 2(a) formatted class, those riders who went clear would return for a shortened jump-off round. Out of the twenty-eight entries, only ten cleared in the first round and returned for the jump-off. During the jump-off, only two duos would clear with Jimmy Torano riding Kochio Z proving the master of the Fall Classic. Torano cleared the shortened course with a time of 40.645 and left the Dixon Oval with a blue ribbon. The red ribbon went to Eleanor Kunsman riding Jermaine HX for the other clear of the evening with a time of 41.684 seconds. Friday’s champion, Arielle Aharoni riding Dutch Times, took yellow with a time of 38.237 seconds. Aharoni had one fault, and had she gone clear, she would have taken the blue for the evening. Aharoni’s run at this year’s Fall Classic definitely positioned her in a spotlight for the 2024 spring show this May.
Despite the storms that Sunday brought, the competition continued with the final highlighted event of the weekend, the $5,000 Low Amateur Jumper Championship classes. There were thirteen combinations that competed on the Dixon Oval where - with no rain delay - there were some added challenges. Eight out of the thirteen would continue to the jump off. Sima Morgello rode Double Farms LLC’s Irseline VD Hagenhorst to, not only win the blue ribbon, but also be crowned champion in the Low Amateur Jumper division. Saly Glassman on Vemac JJS Z took home the red ribbon with Peyton Preblick on Altezza De Jardin taking home the yellow ribbon as well as the reserve champion title for the division.
Sunday’s competition ended with the $3,000 High Children’s Jumper Classic. In it’s second day, the division saw eleven jumpers returning from Saturday’s competition. Hailey Salita - who took the blue on Saturday - returned on Sunday to be crowned the division’s champion with Contiki. Though Salita would be crowned champion, an error in her performance earned her third in the class with Sophia Ercolano on Linessa Hof Ter Zeedycke taking first coming back from third on Saturday and Katie Hackett on Horatio Z claiming the reserve champion spot.
Not only did this year’s Fall Classic highlight the extreme high-level of competition that Devon brings to its historic showgrounds, but also continued a fall tradition of bringing the local Main Line community together. Sponsored by twenty-one local businesses, this year’s show brought out forty-six local vendors for dining and boutique shopping while the midway provided thrills for the younger crowd. Clydesdale Corner kept the excitement of the Fall Classic going long after the competition ended for the evening. Show photography was provided by Brenda Carpenter Photography and Kind Media.
The Fall Classic is not the last show for the year; competition returns to the Devon showgrounds on September 26th for Dressage at Devon which runs through October 1st. Tickets are available for the show’s 47th run at dressageatdevon.org/box-office.