Nick Haness Rides Morrison and Starburst to Top Honors in the 2021 CPHA West Coast Green Hunter Incentive Championships
Nick Haness and Morrison win the $29,220 CPHA 3’/3’3″ Green Hunter Incentive Championships
San Juan Capistrano, CA – September 18, 2021 – It was a banner week for Nick Haness in the California Professional Horsemen’s Association (CPHA) West Coast Green Hunter Incentive Championships. Riding West Coast Equine Partners LLC’s Morrison, Haness captured the win in the seventh annual 3’/3’3” Incentive Championship. In the second annual 3’6”/3’9” Championship, Nick Haness and Ecole Lathrop’s Starburst lead the field. This year’s Incentive saw a chart-topping total of 89 horses enrolled in the program and with 90% of the entry fees added to the base purse of $25,000, over $46,000 was distributed in Championship prize money.
Nick Haness aboard Morrison
Of seventeen entries in the 3’/3’3” section, it was the 6-year-old gelding, Morrison, ridden by Nick Haness and owned by West Coast Equine Partners LLC who led the victory gallop earning an average score of 87.5 points. Coming in second by a narrow margin was West Coast Equine Partners LLC’s other entry, 5-year-old mare Marilyn also ridden by Haness, scoring an 86-point average. Irene Neuwirth rode her own entry, Juan Carlos, to a third-place finish with an average of 85.5 points.
Nick Haness and Morrison leading the victory gallop.
Haness was thrilled with Morrison’s performance today, “Morrison is a really special horse. He is only 6 years old and has the attitude of a champion. He’s one of my most winningest horses. He was the leading horse on the west coast going into this event. This was our main goal with him this year so it feels great and I’m really proud of him. I’ve won this final four or five times and it never gets old. It feels really fun to continue producing nice horses.”
Nick Haness and Starburst win the $17,470 CPHA 3’6″/3’9″ Green Hunter Incentive Championships.
Welcoming twelve entries in the Olympic Sand Arena, Haness, aboard Starburst for Ecole Lathrop, impressed judges Rachel Kennedy and Mike Rosser to earn an average of 86.25 points and the top call. Ava Park’s Lykke Li-Terma Z and Michelle Morris earned top scores to finish in the reserve championship position, scoring an average of 85.25 points. Nick Haness rounded out the podium with Ecole Lathrop’s other entry, Éclair, riding to an average score of 83 points.
Click below to watch the interviews with champion Nick Haness, Special Programs Director, Alexandra Zulia, and judges Rachel Kennedy and Mike Rosser.
After his second win of the day, Haness stopped to talk about his result with Starburst, “He is an amazing horse owned by Ecole Lathrop and trained by Archie Cox. He was recently imported at the end of last year and we started our partnership together at Thermal in December. We had a great start and a great team to develop him throughout the year.”
Looking forward to the rest of the year, Haness’s plan with Starburst is to head east to Capital Challenge and Harrisburg.
Nick Haness riding Starburst to the win.
CPHA West Coast Green Hunter Incentive Program offers an opportunity for green hunters to win prize money year-round in Incentive Stake classes and participate in the fall season Championships. In addition to the Finals prize money, ribbon winners also earned CPHA hats, saddle pads, and a bouquet of flowers. The winners in each section also received a $100 Topline Design Ribbon Wreath Certificate and Blenheim EquiSports frame.
Nick Haness is all smiles as he leads the victory gallop with Starburst
Blenheim EquiSports, an equestrian event management company based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, produces horse shows in San Juan Capistrano, CA and Las Vegas, NV. These competitions include USEF “Premier” rated hunter-jumper shows; a Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League Qualifier; the Markel Insurance 1.45m Jumper Series & Final, Interactive Mortgage “Ticket to Ride” High Performance Jumper Series & Adult Jumper Series; USHJA International, National, & Pony Hunter Derbies & Finals; the Whitethorne Equitation Challenge, Medal Finals, and so much more.