GG Valentine and Jennifer Alfano Win Grand Hunter Championship
by Jennifer Wood, Special Report provided by PhelpsSports.com

Saratoga, NY – June 26, 2006 – SBS Farms Inc. had another great week at the Saratoga Classic Horse Show. It was the second week of competition held at Skidmore College, on June 21-25. Thanks to two weeks of consistently spectacular performances, GG Valentine, owned by Barbara Kearney of Placerville, CO, and rider Jennifer Alfano of Buffalo, NY, were awarded the Grand Hunter Championship of the horse show series.

Alfano is the rider and trainer for SBS Farms Inc., along with head trainer Susie Schoellkopf. She and GG Valentine have been partnered for six years and have won championships at major horse shows around the country.

These past two weeks were no different, as the pair garnered the championship in the Regular Working Hunter division. Added to their reserve championship last week, they were the best hunter combination at the series. “GG is the best,” Alfano stated. “She’s one of those horses that you can count on every time you get on her.”

Alfano swept the Regular Working Hunter division this past week. She rode Rock Star, owned by Jennifer Burger of Snyder, NY, to the reserve championship.

Trish Bookbinder of Cazenovia, NY, rode Adeline in the Adult Amateur 36-45 Hunter division and repeated the results of her trainer. They were champion this week and, with their reserve champion from last week, they were named the Grand Adult Hunter Champions of the series over winners from all three Adult Hunter divisions.

Charlotte Jacobs, who is from East Aurora, NY, piloted Razzle Dazzle this week to a blue ribbon and the reserve tricolor in the Medium Pony Hunters.

Junior rider Kacey McCann continued her successful streak in the Low Junior Jumpers on her new mount, Only Jumping Boy. They finished fourth in the Low Junior Jumper Classic this week and won a class in the division.

SBS Farms Inc. will travel next to the Chagrin Valley Horse Show in Ohio on July 11-16, 2006.

Photo Credit: GG Valentine and Jennifer Alfano, Grand Hunter Champions at Saratoga Classic Horse Show series. Photo © 2006 Jennifer Wood/PhelpsSports.com.

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