Auletto wins title on jumper

Riding Claire, Jaime Auletto of Blackwood, Camden County, won the $5,000 NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic Monday at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

The bonus points Auletto received for the win earned her the championship over Miss Kitty and Katherine Edgell of Mendham, N.J.

Auletto's was the faster of the only two clean runs in a 13 horse jump-off, beating Lucy Mitchell-Innes on Prego by almost 3 seconds.

"I just got Claire in Florida" in late January, Auletto said. "I've done hunters all my life. But when I started jumpers, I had a great jumper that gave me confidence.

"There are so many competitive adult jumpers, it didn't surprise me that there were 13 in the jump-off," she added.

"But it did surprise me there were so few clean [runs] in the jump-off. . . . I never thought that my first championship here would be in jumpers. I have two hunters coming here for the amateur owner-hunters [classification] at the end of the week."

Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., who has dominated the hunter ranks at Devon, opened with a strong defense of his Leading Hunter Rider title on Monday.

Stewart has won the Leading Rider title for the past seven years, and judging from the results of the Memorial Day hunter classes, he could be on his way to title No. 8.

Stewart won three of the seven "over fences" classes. Maggie Jayne of Elgin, Ill., won two classes, one over fences.

Stewart's wins came on Blessed in First Year Green Hunter, on Way Cool in Second Year Green, and on Declaration in Regular Conformation.