Hunter rider Amanda Steege has had great success with Lafitte de Muze in the country’s most important hunter competitions. Even so, she admitted to some extra stress today during the inaugural $10,000 Bill Ellis Memorial/U.S. Hunter Jumper Association International Hunter Derby at the Princeton Summer Classic in Skillman, N.J.
“I always feel like Lafitte’s a favorite, and if Lafitte and I execute, he and I can be the winner,” she said.
But then she observed, “It felt like a lot of pressure out there, because I wanted to do that for Bill and for this class being in memory of Bill,” she commented.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Citing “emotional reasons” for her desire to do well in the class, Amanda mentioned she was very friendly with Bill, a top rider, trainer and judge during his career, who died at the age of 69 last November. (For another story about Bill, click here.)
When Bill was ill, he sent her one of his clients, Cara Garito, who now is part of Amanda’s Ashmeadow stable family.
“That gives me a little extra connection,” said Amanda, who is based in Califon, N.J., and Ocala, Fla.
“I was like, `Derby Finals is going to be a piece of cake after this,’” she chuckled, referring to the annual USHJA competition at the Kentucky Horse Park in August. It offers well over $100,000 in prize money, with the final figure, based on entry fees, yet to be determined.
In addition to wanting to participate at Princeton because the class was a tribute to Bill, Amanda thought it would be a good preparation for Kentucky “because it’s such a nice, big ring and we don’t have that many places to practice riding in rings this size.”
While the Rolex stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park is huge, she said, “I felt this was the closest I could get without driving too far away to do something, in terms of timing and similarity of ring size to Derby Finals.”
The class attracted a field of 12 for the two-part test, a classic round and a handy round, designed by Michael Puffer. Three names were standouts among the entries; Amanda, Geoffrey Hesslink and Jeffrey Ayers, all successful professinals.
“It was a good class with a nice group of competitors in it that all are very supportive of each other. The results reflected who you thought, when you looked at the list, would be in the top three or four,” Amanda said.
Lafitte’s total for the two rounds was 383 points, just ahead of the 380 score for Geoffrey’s ride, Chivalry. Jeff was further back with Cartel on 368, while Geoff’s other mount, Reddington, finished fourth on 364.
Geoffrey Hesslink and Chivalry, runner-up in the derby. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
The winner collected $3,000 for his share of the purse. He is an equine ambassador for the Equus Foundation, with his prize money used by his owner, Cheryl Olsten, to match donations up to $35,000 to help care for horses who have been abused and neglected, were being sent to slaughter or who are involved in therapeutic riding programs.
Bill’s family gathered at the event, with his husband and business partner, David Connors saying. “This is the best day ever. They did an amazing job. Bill would have been happy beyond.
“This was his favorite class and he just loved seeing spectacular horses show. This means a lot to us. He would have been thrilled.”
Amanda and Lafitte at the awards ceremony with Kelly DeSaye, Tim Delovich, Peggy McNeil, Cara Garito, Carol Stillwell, David Connors, Billy Ellis and Barbara Ellis. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
Like many of the others on hand, he felt Bill’s presence.
“When the horses were going around, we’d be like. `You know what Bill would say, `She’s going too slow,’ he wants to see her pick up the pace,” he said with a grin.
Bill Ellis and David Connors at a quarter horse show in 2003. (Photo courtesy of David Connors)
Barbara Ellis, Bill’s sister, said “it’s such an honor to be here in memory of my brother. This would mean the world to him.”
Bill’s son, Billy Ellis, observed, “the best way to remember him is with a derby, a class he was so fond of and so special to him. It’s meaningful that so many people come out and celebrate and share great memories.”
Carol Stillwell, who rode with Bill, donated $5,000 in prize money, with the rest of the purse made up of contributions from Cara Garito, Kelly Moore, Dolly Hubbard, Abby Skelton, Lanie DeVoer and Peggy McNeil.
“The people who supported this, from local to far away, spoke volumes about the respect for Bill, about his journey about what they learned from him,” said Carol.
Amanda Steege and Lafitte de Muze enjoy their victory gallop. (Photo © 2022 by Nancy Jaffer)
“He was a true horseman. With Bill, it was about the horses and making sure they were taken care of. I couldn’t be prouder, in New Jersey, to have it here, I would like to see this continue on and on.”
Andrew Philbrick, the impresario of Princeton Show Jumping, agrees that the class should be held again in Bill’s memory during World Champion Hunter Rider week.
Standing in the midst of the VIP tent, Andrew glanced over to Carol’s table and said, “A year ago, Bill was sitting right there in the front row. He was one of our professionals that we grew up with and he never had a bad word to say about anybody. Everybody loved him, everybody thought the world of him. He was the consummate horse professional.
“When they came to me and said Carol would like to honor him, we were all about it. What better than at an international hunter derby with all these top riders in the middle of New Jersey? The response was amazing. These classes are hard to fill because they’re difficult. Some of these international derbies are having six or eight horses because they’re hard. It’s a real test,” Andrew pointed out.
“It fits into our summer beautifully and I think it’s a testament to our friend, a hunter professional who spent his whole life developing hunters. To have our highest level hunter test in honor of Bill, what could be better?”
