Upperville, Va. – June 11, 2026 – The heat was on during Thursday afternoon’s main event at the 75th Loudoun Benefit Horse Show, presented by Piedmont Equine Practice. Thirty-six athletes gathered at the Salem Main Jumper Ring to vie for the winning honors in the $7,500 1.35m Welcome Stake, sponsored by Cricket Bedford, Thomas and Talbot Estate Properties, Inc. Fourteen combinations advanced to the jump-off, where Hayley Barnhill sped to victory with Kalief De Brinco. They narrowly edged out early pathfinders Abby Funk and In The Stars, taking the lead by just two-tenths of a second, while Taylor Kamataris and Callagan rounded out the top three.
“It feels great to win today,” smiled Barnhill. “I love that horse so much, and every time I get to show him, I feel lucky. He had a little bit of a break, and since he’s come back, he’s won every class he’s jumped at Upperville!”
Oscar Soberon set a welcoming 12-obstacle track for the highlight event of the afternoon, which began with a rollback to a bending line, followed by a vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination going towards the gate. There was a vertical-oxer double combination later in the track before a final bending line in front of the hospitality tent, where spectators enjoyed dinner sponsored by Amber Hill Farm. Fourteen advanced to the tiebreaker, but only six were able to complete a second clear effort. The jump-off began over two delicate verticals with an ‘S’ line to an oxer followed by two more rollbacks and the double combination, before riders galloped past the gate to the final line.
Funk was the third to show, and first to clear the track and advance to the jump-off. She set the early time to beat with In The Stars, breaking the beam in a clear 37.834 seconds, leaving the rest of the field to chase her. Kamataris came close with Callagan five rounds later, racing across the arena and leaving all the rails intact in a time of 39.467 seconds, which would hold up for third place. It was not until the end of the class that anyone was able to catch Funk’s time. Barnhill put her foot on the gas with Kalief De Brinco, making two sharp rollbacks and leaving each rail in place as they galloped through the timers in 37.635 seconds to take home the winning title.
“I was really fast back to number six,” explained Barnhill. “He goes a little right, and I landed and I was already spun back. Then I took a good shot to the second-to-last jump. I think those two turns probably made up the time.”
Kalief De Brinco is a 16-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by For Pleasure and owned by Donald Cheska that Barnhill began riding a few years ago. “He is such a careful horse, such a good competitor,” she noted. “If you ride him well, he’s going to do his job. He has such a big stride and he’s so bloody, but it took a minute for us to figure out how to go fast. Now I’ve learned to use his stride. We jumped a lot of clears, but it was harder to find that extra step to go fast. I think we found it now. Donald and Cara Cheska are the best. They just let me stick to my plan, and they always trust me, so that’s a nice feeling.”
Barnhill concluded, “I love it here. I used to come here when I was younger, and we came again last year. All of our young horses learn so much in these two weeks. I think it’s such a nice facility because you actually have places to ride the horses, the rings are beautiful, and they have great course designers. I think every detail about it is done well, so it’s a great experience!”
The 75th Loudoun Benefit Horse Show, presented by Piedmont Equine Practice, continues through June 14, with Saturday afternoon’s feature class set to be the $50,000 Grand Prix, generously sponsored by Michael Smith. Hunters will also be showcased on Saturday during the $5,000 W. Gary Baker Junior/Amateur Hunt & Go Derby, sponsored by Cleremont Farm. Competition comes to a close on Sunday as riders compete for championship and grand championship honors in their respective divisions. For more information, please visit www.LoudounBenefit.org.
