Lexington, Kentucky: Veteran Canadian Team member, Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, Ontario claimed victory in the $25,000 Lexington Classic along with a third place finish in the $50,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix aboard the Oldenburg gelding, Special Ed, at the Kentucky Spring Classic CSI Tournament May 18-22.

Forty-eight entries contested Thursday's $25,000 internationally ranked event held in the scenic Johnson ring in the historical Kentucky Horse Park. Renowned international course designer, Leopaldo Palacios of Venezuela, made a fair test asking questions of both carefulness and scope. Eleven horse and rider combinations were able to qualify for the timed phase, including three entries from Henselwood's stable; Special Ed and Nicole with Henselwood aboard, and del Destino with Canada's newest equestrian star, Kim Farlinger riding.

Third horse in the jump-off, Lionel, and Lauren Bass set the time to beat in an efficiently ridden round in 43.49 seconds. Watching carefully from the sidelines, Henselwood and the nimble mare Nicole, owned by one of her up and coming student's Mark Leyton, went after the lead and executed a brilliant round in 43.83 seconds, putting them temporarily in second position.

The field was heating up and Kim Farlinger of Annan, Ontario, (who has been coached by Henselwood for the past three seasons) was enthusiastic for a win after her third place finish in last week's event. With calm determination, the twenty year old Farlinger gave a skilful attempt and managed to better her coach's time, but just missed the lead also. Eager for a Canadian victory, Henselwood returned next with her top partner Special Ed. Knowing exactly what it would take to win, Henselwood captured the lead with a tightly executed round in a time of 40.87 seconds. Four more contestants tried to beat Henselwood's time, including the current record holder for grand prix victories in one year, Aaron Vale, but even he came up short by more than a second and a half.

Leading the way for Canada, Henselwood finished first and fifth, and Farlinger ended up in fourth place behind Vale and Bass respectively. "We had a really productive day today," commented Henselwood, whose victory marked her second of the 2005 season. "I'm not only proud of how my horses performed today, but I am thrilled with Kim and her horses. It's a really satisfying feeling when one of your students is right along side of you, competing in the thick of things. Kim's a real competitor. When she's in the jump-off I don't take anything for granted.but today. the teacher managed to stay on top," smiled Henselwood.

Advancing to Sunday's $50,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, Henselwood and her team craved for another Canadian victory. With a top-notch, twenty-nine horse field, Palacios tightened the noose and set a very difficult track with a stiff time allowed that asked the riders to solve his puzzle under demanding time restraints.

By the end of the class only three entries managed to advance to the speed phase, including Henselwood and Special Ed. Fellow stable mate, Kim Farlinger and her mount del Destino, had an unfortunate four fault performance in the first round leaving them to finish in eighth position.

First back for the jump-off, Aaron Vale and Artur 28 laid down a blistering round in 38.78 seconds sending a strong message to his competitors. Second to go, Paige Johnson and Lancier 4 opted for a careful clear and nestled into second position.

Henselwood, the final entry to return, was determined to revisit the winners circle again and challenged Vale's ride. Neck and neck until the second last jump, Henselwood and Special Ed were on the pace but the top pole slowly rolled out of the cups. The valiant effort had Henselwood finish in third.

"It was a great class today. Leopaldo challenged us on every level," stated Henselwood. "I'm not disappointed that's for sure. Special Ed jumped very well the entire week. When you're putting it all on the line to win, there is always an element of luck. Aaron rode a great round and it was his day to have everything fall into place.that's part of the sport. When it all works out and you win, it's rewarding for that very reason."

Henselwood and her stable will return home to Oxford Mills, Ontario for a small break before heading out west to Calgary, Alberta for the summer to compete at the Spruce Meadows Tournaments. With four premier internationally ranked events, Spruce Meadows hosts top riders from North America and Europe for world class competition.