$50,000 Hylton Maiden Class Returns to Virginia Classic in 2014- $25,000 to the Winner
The Hylton family. Image courtesy of Gordon Downey.
By: Brittany Bevis
We recently had the privilege of speaking with horse industry veteran, Cecilia Hylton, who wanted to relay the exciting news that she will once again be sponsoring the Hylton Maiden 3-Year-Old and Over Western Pleasure class at the 2014 Virginia Classic. The big news for the class this year is that the impressive $50,000 purse will be returning. Hylton spoke about her decision to resume full sponsorship in 2014.
“I stepped back last year and didn’t do as many sponsorships, but I’m back up to where I can do sponsorships this year,” Hylton says. “The Hylton Maiden class has always been very special to me.”
“I’m from Virginia, and I thought I should put this money back into Virginia, so I decided to do the Hylton Maiden at the Virginia Classic. It’s been going on for about four years here in Virginia. It started out at the Reichert Celebration when they were still up in St. Louis, Missouri. Then, when they moved to Tulsa, we moved to Tulsa. Then, I decided to bring it [home] to Virginia.”
Over the past ten years or so, Hylton has watched as the horse industry has evolved into a place where more emphasis is put on rewarding maiden horses in western pleasure competition, in addition to younger futurity prospects. This shift away from a sole focus on preparing two-year-olds for the show pen is a direction that Hylton is proud to have been a part of.
“This was one of the first [maiden] classes,” she says. “What I thought was instead of trying to drag people in, I would just start it and when they saw how good it was, they would come in themselves. That has happened.”
“This class is for horses three years old and over. There are not many horses, at two years old, who can go in the show pen or who need to go in the show pen. This gives [those horses] another opportunity to come and show. That’s our belief.”
In an effort to include as many participants as possible, Hylton has confirmed that entries will be accepted right up until the gate closes in April at the Virginia Classic. When all is said and done, a whopping $25,000 check will be presented to the winner and an additional $25,000 will be paid down through tenth place.
In other news, Hylton is excited that there is a new head trainer at the helm of Hylton Quarter Horses, Lucas Cash.
“He started in the middle of November, but he worked for me before training horses for me, riding horses for me, and going to shows with me,” she says. “I just like his style. He decided to come on board with me, and I decided that was something we could do [together].”
“As far as our training operation, he already knows what we do and what we don’t do. That was one reason why I went with Lucas. We are leaving tomorrow to go to Texas where my horses are now. There are a couple of two-year-olds there that we will be bringing back up here for Lucas to put the finishing touches on.”
The Virginia Classic Quarter Horse show and Hylton Maiden class will be held April 10-13 at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. For more information about the show stay tuned to EquineChronicle.com and be sure to check out the Virginia Quarter Horse Association website and Facebook page. Additional questions about the Hylton Maiden class may be directed to Lucas Cash at 540-294-0267.
