A total of 25 unshown Western Pleasure prospects are slated to compete for a total purse of $48,625 in the Virginia Maiden 3 & Over Open Horse Western Pleasure class this afternoon at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington.

The winner will take home a $12,000 paycheck. Reserve will earn $8,500 and the class will pay all the way down to 10^th place. In addition, there will be a $1,500 bonus for the highest placing Limited Rider and $1,000 for Reserve.

The $30,000 added money class, which is approved by the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA), is scheduled to get underway following the 3-Year-Old Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle and Maturity Non-Pro Hunter Under Saddle futurity classes at the end of the show day. The approximate start time is 5 p.m. and it will be livestreamed on Facebook by InStride Edition so slike the page to get notification when it goes lives

Ashley Lakins, of Wilmington, Ohio, is a class veteran. She has had an entry in the Virginia Maiden almost every year it has been in existence.

“I love the way the class and show are run,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity of save a nice horse and this is a great place to debut a novice 3-year-old.”

This year Ashley will be competing on Ladee Luck, sired by Gone Viral and out of Ashley’s all-time favorite mare, VS Code Me Lucky). She was bred and is owned by Mr. & Mrs. William Wilkes, East Dublin, Ohio.

“Lisa and Mike are such a blessing to have as owners,” Ashley said. “They have sent us so many fabulous horses over the years and I cant wait to get this mare’s show career started.”

Ashley said she and her husband, Kenny, let Lady Luck tell them when she was ready.

“We knew she would be a maiden horse for a class this year,” Ashley said. “She’s a strong mare, like her dam, and of course,, her sire was a fabulous show horse as well.

But to win today, everything will have to fall into place.

“To win any slot class the horse has to be pleasing to the eye,” Ashley explained. “They have to jog and lope well and most of all, you have to have some luck on your side.”

Formerly known as the Hylton Maiden Western Pleasure Class, the event was sponsored for many years by the late Cecilia Hylton, owner of Hylton Quarter Horses in Gainesville, Virginia.  Hylton introduced the class at the Reichert Celebration to encourage trainers to refrain from pushing young show prospects. The class was moved to Hylton’s home state in 2011 and is now managed by Cameron Van Sickle and Meghan Tierney, and held as part of the Virginia Quarter Horse Association’s Spring Breakout Circuit.

“I am thrilled with the participation of this horse show,” Tierney said. “We are so happy with how the show has grown over the last few years. Prior to this we had anywhere between 15 and 22 entries and now it has swelled to being consistently over 25. No other maiden class has those kind of entries to my knowledge.”

The class will run in one go using a five-judge system, with a tentatively slated to start at 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time).

This year is the first time Justin Clay Arrington will be riding into the arena for The Virginia Maiden, but he has long been an admirer of the class.

“I really love that it gives us a chance to put our horses on a big stage right at the beginning of the year,” Arrington said. “We love what Meg and Cameron have done to make the show fun and special for exhibitors and owners.”

For his maiden voyage he will be riding his fiancé, Lexi Francl’s horse.

“Our horse is Made for Naturdays. His barn name is Natty. He’s by Machine Made out of KM Little Bit Of Me. Clay had bought him from the Mastersons as a yearling. When we had started dating, it was around the time I was wanting to get a young one as my next partner. I always loved Natty because he was kind of the ugly duckling in the pasture but I always thought he was the cutest even if he was a little awkward. Later on when Natty was an early 2 year old, Clay, my grandma, and I decided that Natty would be a great fit as my next partner. It’s been really fun being apart of Natty since the first time he had a saddle on his back, to his first ride, and now his first time showing,” Frencl recalled. “It’s really special to be apart of the whole process. He’s always been willing and tries very hard to do the right thing. He’s a fast learner and even knows how to do the showmanship. He’s very kind and has a really sweet soul.”

The following is a list of entries for the class.

356 – Saay My Name (Machine Made x HP Only The Best), bred by Mariann Harrington/Joe Prause, Cabot, Arkansas; owned by Wes and Lindy Ashlock, Abilene, Texas; shown by Aaron Moses.

390 – Joggy Style (Certain Potential x Hotroddin On Sundi), bred by John Zuidema, Alachua, Florida; owned by Irena Tanko,  Zlin Czech Republic; shown by Mark Shaffer.

396 – Will E Good (Winnies Willy x Ms Good Ruby), bred by Brad Johnson, Hoskins, Nebraska; owned by Patricia Chaney, Aiken, South Carolina; shown by Jeff J. Steer.

399 – This Just Happened (How Bout This Cowboy x Radical Zensation), bred by Tina Vizzard & John Comas, San Diego, California; owned by Jacqueline Paugh, Taneytown, Maryland; shown by Erik Parsons.

436 – KM Once Upon A Time, (The Lopin Machine x Suddenly Its Time), bred by Masterson Farms LLC, Somerville, Tennessee; owned by Tami Bobo, Ocala, Florida; shown by Rusty Green.

440 – SST Heart Breakin (Heart  Stoppin x Diva La Blaze ), bred by Steven & Susan Davis, Hillsboro, Ohio; owned by Tiffany Loxton, Katy, Texas; shown by Dillon Hatten.

443 – Caution Hot Chips (Extremely Hot Chips x Oh So Pine), bred by Eric Turner, Tylersport, Pennsylvania; owned by Cindy Rubble Brown, Huningdon, Pennsylvania; shown by Taft Dickerson.

479 – Made For The Bigtime (Machine Made x This Version Glows), bred by Kari Jewell, Maysville, Iowa; owned by Karma Equine LLC, Maysville, Iowa; shown by Casey Willis.

604 – Made For Naturdays (Machine Made x KM Little Bit Of Me), bred by Masterson Farms LLC, Somerville, Tennessee; owned by Alexa Love Francl, Orland Park, Illinois; shown by Justin Clay Arrington.

611 – Shes Designer Made (Machine Made x Her Royale Hotness), bred and owned by Brad & Corrine Borton, Bridgeton, New Jersey; shown by Brian Baker.

625 – R We There Yett ( Machine Made x Diamonds R Best), bred by Bret & Candy Parrish, Pavo, Georgia; owned by John Pauluzzi, Wallace, North Carolina; shown by Kelby Hutchinson.

626 – Southern Shock (Its A Southern Thing x  Suddenly Gone Good), bred by John Narmont, Auburn, Illinois; owned by Taylor Gumz, Morganfield, Kentucky,; shown by Saul Sliss.

634 – Persuadedbymartinis (The Best Martini x  Winnie Persuasion), bred and owned by Alyssa Justus, Jeffersonville, Ohio;  shown by Brent Garringer.

644 – Made So Cool (Machine Made x Shes Cool N Good), bred by Rod Jeffries, Shannonville, Ontario, Canada; owned by Sandra Walters, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; shown by Glen Patterson.

654 – No Doubt Im A 10 (No Doubt Im Lazy x KM Perfect 10), bred by Gumz Farms Quarter Horses, Morganfield, Kentucky; owned by Tom Coughlin, London, Ohio; shown by Christina Brantner.

657 – Momma Always Said (Machine Made x Suddenly A Hottie), bred by Jared & Hollie Wedemeyer, Elk Horn, Iowa; owned by Caitlin Dunsmore Miller, Krugerville, Texas; shown by Cody Conover.

669 – Sundi Comin Down (Lazy Loper x Hotroddin On Sundi ), bred by John Zuidema, Alachua, Florida; owned by Courtney Suthoff, Collinsville, Illinois; shown by Katy Jo Zuidema.

673 – First Class Mechanic (Mechanic x SD First Class Fancy), owned by Gabrielle Gerard, Warsaw, New York, shown by Julie Schmidt.

684 – Suddens Made Mann (Machine Made x Mac Dilemmas Magic ), bred by Richard Baumann, Dothan, Alabama; owned by Richard & Melinda Baumann, Dothan, Alabama; shown by Cody Parrish.

685 – Easttwood (Batt Man x Shes Juan Good Story), bred by Doug Certain & Jack Creditt, Wilmington, Ohio; owned by Susan Simms, Winterville, North Carolina; shown by Steve Reams.

686 – Ladee Luck (Gone Viral x VS Code Me Lucky), bred and owned by Mr. & Mrs. William Wilkes, East Dublin, Ohio; shown by Ashley Lakins.

687 – Lopin For Likes (The Lopin Machine x Presidential Affair), bred by Brent Walker, Grimes, Iowa; owned by Dr. David Desmond, Erin, Ontario, Canada, shown by Danny Desmond.

694 – Cool Like This (Machine Made x In My Sunday Best), bred by Bret & Candy Parrish, Pavo, Georgia; owned by Robert & Lisa Thomaier, Greensboro, Georgia; shown by Bret Parrish.

698 – Made Just In Time (Machine Made x Shes So  Sizzlin), bred by Cody & Chase Parrish, Pavo, Georgia; owned by Debbie Daugherty, Knoxville, Tennessee; shown by Jason English.

5114 – She Be Creepin (Justa Creepin x Sassy Lil Good Bar), bred and owned by Kaitlyn Crane, Ocoee, Tennessee; shown by Jamie English.