The 2025 Grand National is in the history books
It was a great week of partnership with our friends at Rose Haven Farm, with tricolors and spotlight passes all around!
Kurt & Teri Rumens of Fire Run Farm made a smart purchase in July at the New England show, and it paid off. Their beautiful and talented SSDF FLIGHT RISK (DDF Raptor x MJY’s Sequence) chalked up the Grand National 4YO Pleasure Driving Champion, and wrapped it up with a top 3 finished in the World Championship. Austin Hazelwood did a masterful job on the lines of this wonderful gelding, who is now safely in his new home at Fire Run Farm, prepping for the 2026 season in the pacific northwest.
Bringing home TWO world titles to Hershey, Pennsylvania for Schengrund Stables, EVENING SKYLINE showed tremendous versatility as a 3YO by winning the Futurity 3YO Park Harness World Championship, then returning to claim the Futurity 3YO Park Saddle Reserve World Championship. By the late BKC Valiant Star, and out of SSLLC Perfect Timing, by Kevin Schengrund’s Grand National Champion HVK Man About Town, we were really pleased with her performances, and we have Austin to thank for his expertise in both classes. This exciting young mare is available for purchase, and we think she’ll end up as a really competitive ladies horse.
SSDF FLIGHT RISK
EVENING SKYLINE
IY FREEDOM EXPRESS
FIRE RUN REVOLUTION
One of our barn favorites for his “I LOVE MYSELF” attitude, IY FREEDOM EXPRESS (RRG Mesmerize x Patriotic Lady) flagged his tail all the way to the Reserve World Championship in the Futurity 2YO Stallions in Hand, with Austin & Andrew trying to keep up! He should be a wonderful performance horse in 2026 for Kim Swartz’s High Style Stables.
Also representing High Style Stables, VALORANT (Dragonsmeade Spectre x ESM Enraptured) turned in two excellent performances in World Champion 2YO Park Harness and Futurity 2YO Park Harness, earning top three in both.
We were also thrilled to see Rose Haven Farm’s wins with FIRE RUN REVOLUTION (Treble’s Patent Pending GCH x FCM No Boundaries), owned and ridden by Morgan King under the direction of Julianne Rafferty & Austin Hazelwood. Morgan purchased this grand 4YO gelding from Fire Run Farm at the 2024 Grand National, and earned the top #SunriseSalesIcentive prize from our alumni this year as the Classic Pleasure Saddle Junior Horse World Champion, Grand National Champion Classic Pleasure Saddle 4YO, Grand National Reserve Champion Classic Pleasure Saddle Stallion & Gelding, and then capped it off by taking on the senior horses and winning Reserve World Champion Classic Pleasure Saddle! We couldn’t be more proud of having started and represented this horse for breeders Kurt & Teri Rumens.
Also making a victory pass in Oklahoma was our good friend Amanda DuPont of Windward Morgan Farm, who chose well for Kelsey Robinson when they took home the beautiful JY SERAPHIC (MEM Hollywood Bouledare x Sarde’s Gypsy Rose) from Sunrise last June. Just a 3YO, she placed well in her age group classes, then topped the Grand National Hunter Pleasure Mares! We can’t wait to see this nice youngster next year after a winter of maturing.
We were so excited when Kathy Papola selected PVE FULLY DISGUISED (Fully Charged x TRE Mia Bella Disguise) to be her next project last December, and Megan Gallagher has done a fabulous job with this mare, winning classes all year in the 3YO and junior horse western pleasure division. Their trip to OKC resulted in the Western Pleasure 3YO Mare Grand National Championship, as well as a top 5 finish in the World Championship. Congrats, ladies!
It’s always exciting to see our #SunriseAlumni come back year after year with wins, and this year we saw JJS COMMANDO earn the Reserve World Champion victory pass in Western Pleasure Amateur Gentlemen with his latest owner, none other than Phil Alderman, otherwise known as “Peggy’s Hubby”! These two gentlemen had a great ride and we congratulate them on their excellent placings under the direction of Christine Molthrop at Timber Hill Farm.
JY SERAPHIC
PVE FULLY DISGUISED
EXTREME SENSATION
Kelly Kraegel and EXTREME SENSATION (RL Jackpot x FAMS Halleberry Ovation) won their first World Championship together in the 4YO Park Saddle for Kelly and her client Scott Charlton, showing under the Cottonwood Creek Ranch banner. Selected after the 2024 New England Show, they were Grand National Champions last year as well.
And finally, one of our favorite alumni, SSLLC EXTREME WAZE (Mizrahi x AWS Candlelight) returned capped off a winning season for owner/rider Allyson Wandtke by winning the Park Saddle Amateur World Championship, after warming up with a victory pass in the Grand National Park Saddle Amateur. Under the direction of our friends at Broadmoor, this is a team that we expect to see at the top of the cards for many years to come, and we are so proud to have played a part in his rise to the top.
SSLLC EXTREME WAZE