Denise Wilson Tops Showplace Leading Junior/AO Jumper Rider Standings

Wayne, IL - Twenty-year-old Denise Wilson of Dousman, WI, is currently at the top of the standings for the $10,000 Taylor Harris Insurance Services, Inc. (THIS) Leading Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Rider bonus. Wilson has won a total of $8,500 in the division so far this season, and she has her sights set on staying on top through the end of the competitive Showplace Leading Rider Series.

The Showplace Leading Rider Series tracks the top riders through a series of nine events and awards bonus money to the top three riders in five different sections: $30,000 Tapestry Farms Open Jumper, $10,000 THIS Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper, $10,000 Weathertech.com Children's/Adult Jumper, $5,000 Our Day Farm Low Children's Jumper, and $5,000 Ann K. Hubbard's Tack Shop Low Adult Jumper. Riders are ranked according to the prize money won by their top placed horse in the Classic or Grand Prix for their division.

Denise Wilson had an exciting win in the $20,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, which vaulted her to the top of the standings at the end of the Showplace Spring Spectacular II. The class was sponsored by Our Day Farm and Alex Jayne, and Wilson got the win aboard her eight-year-old mare For Elenor. "That was probably one of my biggest wins, and it was really great," Wilson stated. "I have had the mare For Elenor for two years now. I bought her as a six-year-old and she is just eight this year, and we have learned to love each other. It has been really fun bringing a young horse along like that, so it kind of made the win that much better."

"She is awesome, she makes you feel like you can jump anything," Wilson continued. "She is really smooth and she has a huge stride so when you are galloping, you really don't feel like you are going as fast as you are. It makes it pretty fun because everything comes up really easy."

Wilson has been riding since the age of six and trains with renowned show jumper Wilhelm Genn, who is currently at the top of the standing for the Tapestry Farms $30,000 Leading Open Jumper Rider bonus. "Wilhelm is great. I love riding with him," Wilson smiled. "He is really supportive, and he doesn't just teach you about the riding, but about managing the horses and doing everything on the ground too."

Wilson rides out of her family's Blue Gate Farm in Wisconsin and trains with Genn when they meet up at shows around the country in Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky, and Illinois.

"We love the Showplace shows," Wilson added. "We do Ledges in May, the Spring Spectacular in June, and then we leave next week to go to Ledges for the two weeks in July. I grew up around the Chicago area, so I just love all of the people there. You know the show grounds, you know the schedule, and you know what to expect. There is great money in the Junior/A-Os for me, and it gives you great competition because Chicago is a tough area."

Wilson also enjoys the extra incentive that the Showplace Leading Rider Series adds to the competition. "I think it is great because it encourages people to come to the shows and it is a really nice reward for the people that do stay around the Chicago area and are loyal to Pat Boyle's shows," she explained. "It gives you that extra incentive to want to go to his shows and an extra reward if you do well all summer."

On being at the top of the standings, Wilson added, "It is a lot of pressure because you obviously want to stay there. We are just going to keep going to Ledges and Lamplight and hopefully keep up in the ribbons and keep that spot."

When it comes to her riding career, Wilson plans to remain an amateur for a few mores years while she gets herself on her feet with the family business. "My family started our own farm called Blue Gate Farm, and we started a small breeding program. We have a couple of mares, and we get three or four babies a year. We are trying to hopefully make that into a business of selling really good young horses and getting them started for people."

Blue Gate Farm has been a generous sponsor for Showplace Productions for the past several years and was the sponsor of the $10,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Classic during the first week of this year's Showplace Spring Spectacular. "We like to help Pat out and sponsor every year," Wilson said. "We also hope to sponsor a $10,000 Open Speed Derby for next year."

Wilson's next competition will be the Showplace Summertime and Ledges Summertime Horse Shows, which run July 1-5 and 8-12, 2009 at the Ledges Sporting Horses show grounds in Roscoe, IL. Wilson will compete through the summer in the hopes of staying at the top of the Leading Rider Series, which concludes with its finale at the Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse Show on September 22-27, 2009. There, the top three riders in each section will win bonus money (first place- 50%, second place- 30%, and third place- 20%), and the top ten will receive awards.