A total of 16 horses are slated to compete today for a total purse of $37,200 in the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Open Western Pleasure slot class, being presented as part of the Virginia Maiden March To Virginia AQHA Show March 27-30, in Lexington, Virginia. Action is expected to start at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and will be broadcast live on the InStride Edition Facebook Page.

To be eligible for the class, horses must be at least 3 years old and not have shown under saddle. Entry fee is $750.

Today’s winner will receive $9,300. The highest placing Limited Rider in the class will receive a $1,500 bonus and $1,000 will go to the second highest placing Limited Rider.

North Carolina trainer Adam Mathis will compete today aboard Hay Hay Hay (Albert), a 2022 sorrel gelding, sired by Hay Goodlookn out of Irresistible Cookie, bred and owned by Scott & D’Lynn Jones, Millsap, Texas.

He and his wife, Pasley, own and operate Mathis Show Horses in Camden, South Carolina and brought seven horses to this year’s event.

“D’Lynn ad Scott sent Albert to us last spring after Rob Foster started him,” Adam said. “He is an absolute character. He has been super easy to get ready and prep.”

This is Mathis’ fourth time competing in the Virginia Western Pleasure slot class. He and Pasley have been coming to the show since they established their business in 2020 but before that they both attended several times as assistant trainers.

Mathis said to be successful tonight it’s going to be important for him to get his horse shown.

“Albert enjoys his rest, he doesn’t have a big motor, so keeping him fresh enough to stay sharp in his legs is very important,” he explained. “His greatest strength right now to me, apart from how trainable he is, would be his jog. He has cadence and jogs on his own.”

Mathis said the maiden classes are important to the industry because they allow trainers to give horses a chance to mature before asking them to perform.

He said Futurity Manager Cameron Van Sickle and AB Show Management have done a great job running the show this year.

“I think we’re going to have a nice stout class to show in and an exciting class for spectators to watch,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw, horse showing is just fun.” 

Competing today will be:

• Hay Hay Hay (Back #682), a 2022 sorrel gelding, sired by Hay Goodlookn out of Irresistible Cookie, bred and owned by Scott & D’Lynn Jones, Millsap, Texas, shown by Adam Mathis.

• Colors Of The Sun (Back #308), a 2022 palomino stallion, sired by VS Code Red out of Good Diverse A Te, bred by John Pawelek, owned by Dorothy Hornback, Eufaula, Oklahoma, shown by Camden Calland.

• Pickup Man (Back #310), a 2021 bay roan gelding, sired by VS Flatline out oof Mia Machine, bred by Paulette Christen, owned by Karen Carter, shown by Taft Dickerson.

• VS Rhythm N Booze (Back #321), a 2022 brown mare, sired by VS Flatline out of A Wee Bit Toasted, bred by Deborah Spork, owned by Paige Barnett, Stockton, New Jersey, shown by Roland D’Alterio.

• When Ya Know Ya Know (Back #319), a 2021 bay mare, sired y VS Code Red out of Don’t Know Don’t Care, bred by Capall Creek Farm LLC, owned y Michael McInnis, Rockingham, North Carolina, shown by Kelby Hutchinson.

• Made Olive You Look (Back #320),  a 2021 brown mare, sired by Machine Made out of A Certain Melody, bred by Lorie Johnson, owned by Looney Quarter Horses LLC, Jackson, Tennessee, shown by Kaitlin Hutchinson.

• Jesse Jaames (Back #318), a 2022 sorrel gelding, sired by Machine Made out of On The Front Row, bred by William Hodges, owned by Libby Trucco, Delaware, Ohio, shown by Blake Britton.

• Smalltownsouthrnman (Back #327), a 2022 chestnut stallion, sired by It’s a Southern Thing out of KM Smooth N Fancy, bred and owned by Lola Allen, Kernersville, North Carolina, shown by Jon Allen.

• The Party Machine (Back #326), a 2022 chestnut gelding, sired by The Lopin Machine out of Shesherefortheparty, bred and owned by Alyssa Garringer, Jeffersonville, Ohio, shown by Brent Garringer.

• Candyy Land (Back #323), a 2021 bay mare, sired by Machine Made out of In My Sunday Best, bred by Bret & Candy Parrish, owned by Tiffany Pattison, Norwich, Ohio, shown by Donnie Recchiuti.

• Party Till Daybreak (Back #322), a 2022 gray gelding, sired by I Am The Party out of Huntin For Daybreak, bred by Eliza Roberts, owned by Alyssa Greymont, Woodford, Virginia, shown by Jim Chafin.

• A Bit Of Heaven (Back #325), a 2021 bay mare, sired by Machine Made out of Best Of Jasmine, bred and owned by Susan Ostrander, Ocala, Florida, shown by Stephen Reams.

• Dangerouss Woman (Back #328), a 2021 chestnut mare, sired by Machine Made out of Invited By The Lady, bred by BS Ventures, owned by SSH Partnership, Gainesville, Texas, shown by Garrett Streit.

• Ten Kinda Southern (Back #441), a 2022 chestnut stallion, sired by It’s a Southern Thing out of KM Perfect Ten, bred and owned by Gumz Farms Quarter Horses LLC, Ocsla, Florida, shown by Shannon Curl- Holbin.

• Choose Wisely (Back #680), a 2022 brown mare, sired by Only Request out of Best Machine Made, bred and owned by Michelle Sullivan, Southbury, Connecticut, shown by Cole Baker.

• Daizy Dun It (Back #657), a 2021 red dun mare, sired by One Hot Krymsun out of Suddens Scotch, bred by Iowa State University, owned by Ben & Dixie Susman, Beckley, West Virginia, shown by Jeff Long.

Yesterday, Speakeassy, a 2022 brown mare, sired by One Hot Krymsun out of She Gets The Blues, won the 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Hunter Under Saddle with Farley McLendon in the irons for Amanda Smith. Reserve was Gone Buh Bye, sired by Gone Viral out of A Great Ride, owned by Dan & Allison Rock and shown by Jamie English. The win was worth $9,075. Taking home a $1,500 bonus for being the top Limited Rider in the class was Tami Thurston aboard All Assets In Blue, sired by Only Blue Sky out of Im Al Cowgirl, owned by George Harocopos.

The 3-Year-Old & Over Maiden Working Western Rail drew a total of 20 entries. Daytona Five Hundred, owned by Debbie Kuffer and shown by Shannon Hill captured the top spot and $5,150. Reserve was Tinkers Gotta Spark, owned by Sean McGinley and shown by Kristy Smith, earning $3,780.

Judges for this year’s event include: Mike Hawkins, Clint Fullerton, Lisa Ligon, and Mike Rapley.