Horse News - May 2009

Norther-nersBring Home bp PrizesFrom Flor,
TheTampa
Equestrian
Festival
o h seven horse jump-off took
place between the four-faulters in
the $2fi),fiD Budweiser American Invitational, Chris Kappler
and VDL Oranta captured the
gold medal and led the victory
gallop on April 4.
This was Kappler's third time
winning this prestigious class,
which has only been done by two
other riders, Rodney Jenkins and
Katie Prudent. In 1995 Kappler
rode Seven Wonder and produced
the only clear round to earn the
win, and in 2OO3 he rode his
Olympic mount Royal Kaliber
during the victory gallop.
o Ambition, ridden by Robin
Fairclough of Newton, N.J. took
home the reservechampionship in
the Green Working Hunters during week three.
Ambition. 5. is ownedby junior
rider Bailey Hughes who purchasedthe young horsefrom Emil
Spadone at the beginning of the
Ocala circuit. Ambition showedin
the First Year Green Hunters with
Fairclough and the Largc Junior
Hunters with Hughes at Ocala and
did very well.
Bailey, of Clark Summit, Patrains with Fairclough.
o Charlene
of
Graham
Rochester,N.Y. won the Ariat National Adult Medal during week
three on her brand new horse,
Only You.
After the first over fences
round, Michael Desiderio of
Chester, N.J. led with a score of
85 followed by Graham with 78.
After the final four riders had
tested the class was pinned with
Graham taking the blue ribbon
and first place honors. Desiderio
ended up third riding Mirkwood,
owned by Markena Cummings.
Graham trains with Amanda
Steege at Ashmeadow Farm,
based out of Far Hills, N.J. and
Ocala, Fla. This was only Gralraur's secondtime showing Only
V>u since her boyfriend surprised
hcr by purchasingthe horse.
"My boyfriend bought her fbr
rnc last week and she was such a
grcat surprise," Graham said after
thc class. "This was my second
Ariat class that I have ever done
on hcr and she was great.The test
was s() n'ruch fun because there
were a lot of twists and furns and
she was iust terrific."
o Not to be outdoneby her students, Steege was awarded the
championshiptricolor in the Regular Working Hunter division
aboardAbel during week two, the
TampaBay Classic.
Abel, ownctl hy Megan
McGuire won two first place ribbons and three sercondplace rib-
d
"y_::X'#ffiil,::i,A:?#T*:
and-sho*s him in the vounger
Amateur-Owner Hunters-
r
Gold Coast Dressage
.dssoc. Finale I Show
Sue Springsteen, of Philadelphia, Pa. and her Danish Warmblood Oskar won the USEF
Fourth Level Test 3 at the Gold
Coast Dressage Association Finale I Show and also rode away
the winner's of the TailRx "Best
Tail Award." Springsteen and Oskar were awarded a TaiIRx basket
filled with prizes along with the
much soughfafter TaiIRx product.
For more information on TailRx,
visit tailrx.com.
a
n
N
C
M
u
FTI Winter
Equestrian Festival
Ollmpic double gold medalist
Mclain Ward and Sapphire won
the biggest purse in his career
capturing the $400,000 FTI Consulting Finale CSI 5* Grand Prix
at the Palm Beach International
Equestrian Center on March 21.
Todd Minikus of Wellington
and Central Valley, N.Y. won the
$200.000 FTI Rider Challenge in
a double header event that made
the total purse the largest pay day
in U.S. jumping history.
Eight pairs made it to the jump
off in the FTI Consulting Finale.
Ward of Brewster, N.Y. and
Sapphire were the fastest in the
jump off, posting a time of 41.56,
earningthem $120,000.
The win was the third in a row
for Ward and Sapphire. earning
the pair $320,000 at this winter
circuit.
Minikus with a fifth place finish
in the finale on Pavarotti, secured
the top spot on the fuder Challenge rankings and the pize of
$100,000.Points were accumulated during designatedgrand prixes
during the WEF.
Ward was second in the Challenge . taking home another
$50,000.Third place and $30,000
went to BeezieMadden of Cazenovia, N.Y.
r Jennifer Alfano and Jersey
Boy won the richest ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter Derby when they
triumphed over a record number
of entriesAlfano of Buffalo, N.Y. held on
to the lead she established in the
first of two rounds of competition
to return for the final to post her
secondstraight victory in the multi-year nationwide series.
A record 66 combinations started the hrst round of the final under lights in the International Arena.
o Marilvn
Little-Meredith
C
K
Horse News: Lauren Fisher
CHA
Nati
ENE GRAHAM rides Only You to victory in Ariat
Adult Medal at the 2009 TampaEquestrianFestivalon
M
April , just a week after receiving the horse as a gift.
The riders had to tum in their
mobile phones and were not allowed contact with any one except
other riders in the class and
grooms.
Jessica,17, and Papillon led the
event after both the first and second rounds then clinched the victory with a faultless performance
in the Final Four. The judges had
the option of making the riders
switch horses for the final ride-off
but insteadlet them ride their own
horsesover a re-designedcourse.
Without the presenceof trainers
during the entire class, the riders
helped each other.
But. she said. the words of her
trainer, Stacia Madden, to "stay
calm" were lodged firmly in her
mind, "You aim for this class for
the whole of WEF," she said.
Unlike the ASPCA Maclay
where she shed a tear after winning the championship, the
George Morris event was a "really exciting" win she celebrated
pillon I
to captureGeorgeH. with her family and fiiends.
o Paradysz Farm's stabling
Morris
cellence in Eouitation
before
entire 2008 U.S.A. area won the Absorbine Stall
Safe@ Tack Room Award during
Olympic sold medal team that
the I lth week of the FTI Winter
judged
e event at the Palm
EquestrianFestival.
.ernational Equestrian
Beach
"I'm a visual guy so I want an
March 13.
Center
area that looks nice and is a little
Colt's Neck, N.J. and creative, but it is a team effort,"
on which she also won said Bert Mutch, trainer for
the geld
Maclay Championship ParadyszFarm.
the
led from
lust of two rounds of
Based out of Long Island Sound
Morris title and tri- and owned by Chris and Angela
the
umphed the Final Four rideoff. Paradysz,the farm prides itself on
Birdsall, of Topsfield, its family friendly atmosphere'
Mass. Cheyenne, was second, All three of the Paradysz children
Taylor arie Harris of Grant's compete on the circuit, and a
on Sundance was third room in the stabling area allows
Pass,
and
fer Raposa of Welling- the children to A-slip inside+^^l-to
aboard omtesseDu Lys in the fiof the $30,000 Braman
nale
WEF Challenge Cup
Motor
Marc 19.
Series
Little
ith of Frederick.
the mare Comtesse Du
Md. a
Lys, ow
by Raylyn Farms Inc.
erly Sheehy, were just
and
nlne
nts short of dislodging
Great itain's Peter Charles and
Murka' Pall Mall from the top of
Challengestandings.
the
redith and Comtesse
Littleted a time of 40.15,
du l-ys
2/10 of second faster than secfinisher McClain Ward
ond
Ward
and
and
hchild.
Rothchi , owned by Ward,
passed
timers in 40.35. LittleMeredit and the 1O-year-old
Olden
mare, the only horse
ride, have been "kept
she has
first and second spots
out of
all circu , knocking on the door,
finally burst through it,"
but
she sai
a
Springsteenrode Pa-
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