Kama Godek and Lady Stakkata Score $25,000 George P. Ohrstrom Grand Prix Victory at Lexington Spring Encore
Lexington, Va. – May 3, 2025 – An enthusiastic crowd gathered Saturday afternoon at the Dee Dee Arena for the highlight event of the Lexington Spring Encore: the $25,000 George P. Ohrstrom Grand Prix, part of the 2025 Festival of Champions, presented by Attwood Equestrian. Six horse-and-rider combinations advanced to the jump-off, where Kama Godek and Lady Stakkata emerged victorious with a lightning-fast clear round in 33.180 seconds—just one-hundredth of a second ahead of veteran competitors Mary Lisa Leffler and Zaza Z, who crossed the timers in 33.196 seconds. Grace Long rounded out the top three with a double-clear effort aboard Keina.
“We call Lady Stakkata a little shrimp – she’s not so big, but she has a huge heart,” smiled Godek after her win. “She’s been such a great horse for me and she wins a lot. She’s just a turnkey horse. She’s very fun.”
Paul Jewell set a technical track for the week’s main event, where the first round tested riders with an early vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination, a liverpool vertical going away from the gate and the final line with an oxer-vertical double combination going towards the gate. Six combinations advanced to the short course, where they started over a wide oxer to a new vertical, and finished with a quick gallop to the final oxer by the gate.
Tiffany Cambria set the original time to beat with Perfect Match D after clearing the jump-off in 38.128 seconds. She was soon bested by Grace Long and Keina, who broke the beam in a faultless 36.653 seconds. The lead would soon change hands again as the week’s Leading Jumper Rider, Mary Lisa Leffler, entered the ring with the very quick Zaza Z. They shaved the turns and were speedy to every fence as they galloped through the timers in 33.196 seconds. It looked like they might take home another win, but the best was saved for last. Kama Godek and Lady Stakkata were swift back to the double combination and left out a stride to the final oxer, which proved to be just enough as they flew through the timers in 33.180 seconds to claim a very narrow victory.
“I know that Lady and Za are probably the two fastest mares in this region for these grand prixs,” explained Godek. “I was like, ‘I have to be tighter to the combination.’ Then I just saw the first option down the last line into the oxer and I was like, ‘I have to go for it.’ She was there for me, so it was good!”
Godek has been riding Lady Stakkata for two years and appreciates the talented mare’s ability to always give it her all. “Lady’s just very understated,” she said. “Sometimes when I’m in the warmup ring, the horses are no joke, two hands bigger than me and I’ve had multiple professionals see me in the warmup and say, ‘Oh, she’s so cute. She should be a hunter.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, you can just wait and chase me in the jump off!’ She is quite understated, so I just kind of chuckle to myself because she’s just a really good girl.”
The Virginia Horse Center has been a part of Godek’s life since she was in Pony Club and competing in high school, so she is thrilled to be back at the beautiful venue. “It’s very convenient and everyone has really gone out of their way to make it a hospitable show with the breakfast and a competitor’s dinner and the new footing,” she concluded. “It is a great facility. The horses are really happy in the stables here. I have so many videos of my horses just hanging out. They love the fresh air and to see what else is going on.”
The Lexington Spring Encore will continue through Sunday at the Virginia Horse Center. The Festival of Champions, presented by Attwood Equestrian, begins again in August with the Lexington National Horse Show, scheduled for August 6 – 10, 2025. For more information please visit vahorsecenter.org.