Katy, TX – March 26, 2025 – The 79th annual Pin Oak Charity Horse Show opened with a win for Maddee Morley on Wednesday, March 26, at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX. Morley, 27, kicked off the three-week horse show by piloting Champions Legue to victory in the $10,000 Irish Day Farm 1.40m Welcome Stake.
On her way to the win, Morley was one of five riders to produce a clear round over the Oscar Soberon-designed course, and she and Champions Legue were the only duo to ultimately jump double clear, stopping the jump-off clock in 37.161 seconds.
Second place with four faults in a time of 36.508 seconds went to Diego Bedoya and Baglioni, owned by NRG Farm LLC. Rounding out the top three was Alexandra Pielet who rode Co-Pielet LLC’s Hyperbolics to a four-fault time of 37.046 seconds. As the highest-ranked under 25-year-old rider, Pielet also took home the win in the $5,000 U25 Welcome held concurrently.
Of the day one course, Morley said, “It rode really great as an opening course for the rest of the tracks for tomorrow and Saturday. My biggest struggle with Champ is that we have a pretty strong left drift. He doesn’t like to land right. He really loves left. So, with this course starting on the left lead, that was definitely something that I had to be really aware of…It was just a lot of me trying to remember keeping him in the middle!”
Morley has owned her winning mount for roughly four years, and presently, she is focused on keeping the 12-year-old Westphalian gelding healthy and happy – and ideally gaining more 1.50m and FEI experience.
“He is so great,” said Morley, who trains with October Hill Farm and works as a mental health therapist when she is not riding. “I truly love him so much…he’s very easy. He’s very chill, but he’s very careful; he does not want to have a rail. He really bails me out of some of the distances I put him in!”
Morley continued, “[In my nine to five], I primarily work with kids. Then, I go to the barn when I can, and I’m very grateful to have a really supportive barn at October Hill that’s able to keep Champ in great shape when I’m unable to come out.”
Morley and Champions Legue will next jump Thursday, March 27’s $25,000 Wentz Family Foundation Grand Prix – one of the many highlight classes of Week 1 at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. To view a full schedule, click here. To learn more, visit www.PinOak.org
