Addison Phillips Victorious in $10,000 Welcome Prix at Horse Shows by the Bay

Shane Sweetnam and Jennifer Nadalin Were a Tight Second and Third

Traverse City, MI - Even with slightly chilly weather early morning, the sun broke through and the temperature went up, leaving a beautiful day for showing. The Flintfields Horse Park brought in many patrons for the big classes that went on in many different rings. The class that brought everyone to the Team Elmer's Grand Prix ring was the $10,000 Welcome Prix.

Thanks to Schreiber Corporation, who was the sponsor of the class, riders competed for a hefty purse of $10,000 in the Welcome Prix. Patrice Schreiber was the driving force behind the sponsorship.

"I have had the honor of being a part of this magnificent show since its conception. The show couldn't be run by a better or more generous group of people, which is a huge reason the horse show is growing successfully every year," said Schreiber. "I have been thrilled to have been a part of it all and to be able to continue to help grow this horse show and bring this type of quality horse show to the state of Michigan. Without the people behind it, it just wouldn't be the same."

The Welcome Prix course, designed by Canadian Eve Friske, utilized much of the space in the heart-shaped ring. The well-designed course put eleven horses through to the jump-off.

With just two horses in the class, the winner was the talented Addison Phillips of New York, NY, aboard her 12-year-old chestnut mare Trezebees. With a first round time of just 78.825 seconds and a blazing jump-off time of 38.679, no one could catch her.

"Trezebees, who I have had for almost four years now, has been doing this for awhile, so she is pretty much a pro at it," said Phillips. "The course was great. There was one really hard turn in the jump-off where it caught a lot of people, but the rest was pretty straight forward. It was challenging, but I liked it."

Others were close on her heels, including veterans Shane Sweetnam and David Beisel. While they may differ in age from Addison, there was one thing that they all had in common, and that was how much they have all enjoyed Horse Shows by the Bay. 

"This is our first time coming to Michigan, and we are extremely happy with it. The ring is great, we are really happy with the courses, the jumps are the perfect size, and it has been a great experience so far," stated Phillips. "My favorite part of the show has been the people behind it. Everyone has been super nice and they try so hard to keep the grounds looking nice, there is a ton of shade, the courses are nice and the jumps are pretty. They try so hard to make everyone feel important."

$10,000 Welcome Prix
1. Trezebees, Addison Phillips, Addison Phillips, 0/0/38.679
2. Little Emir, Spy Coast Farm, Shane Sweetnam, 0/0/39.105
3. Lazzara, Watershed Ventures, Jennifer Nadalin, 0/0/45.251
4. Irish Hunt, Carlie Beisel, David Beisel, 0/4/39.217
5. Triviant, Curtis-Louri Group, Shane Sweetnam, 0/4/40.080
6. Belvedere, Kimberly Seay, David Beisel, 0/4/41.331
7. Think Twice, Spy Coast Farm, Shane Sweetnam, 0/4/41.575
8. Starlight, Laura King, Kirsten Coe, 0/4/44.544
9. Cernunnus Von Hoff, Addison Phillips, Addison Phillips, 0/8/40.463
10. ABC Resistencia, Blythe Marano, 0/8/44.831

Tomorrow will bring more exciting classes in the Team Elmer's Grand Prix ring. Get there early to watch the $2,500 Low Junior/Adult-Amateur Jumper Classic and stay for the $10,000 SJHOF Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Prix, which is scheduled not to begin before 2:00 p.m. For more information and full results, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com

Photo Credit: Addison Phillips on Trezebees, winners of the $10,000 Welcome Prix. Photo (C) 2008 Randi Muster Photography.