Freehold, NJ - August 18 - It was another gorgeous day at the 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show at East Freehold Park in Freehold, New Jersey. A full schedule of jumper activities in the Stillwell-Hansen Arena was highlighted by the $3000 NAL Open Speed Stake, a member event of the North American League Open Speed Series.

Blake Alder of Germantown, Tennessee, is the Grand Prix course designer for the week. Eighteen competitors went to the post in a 4:30pm start. Scoring was under USEF Table II, Sec 1, Time First Round or "Fastest Clear Round."

Callan Solem aboard Warsaw, owned by the Quiet Winter Farm of Colts Neck, NJ, set the early pace out of the third slot in the jumping order, clocking in with a clean round in 53.986 seconds. Solem's lead lasted only until the next competitor Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, NJ, raced across the finish line. Riding Noteworthy, owned by her mother, Olympian Mary Chapot, Chapot tripped the timers in 52.387 seconds, knocking 1.59 seconds off of Solem's previous top time.

Andrew Philbrick, riding out of the seventh spot in the order, would be the next to challenge for the top spot. Partnered with E-Ticket, owned by Inc C-Ray Investments, Philbrick caught Chapot's time, but pulled the final fence. His time was 52.328, but the four faults accumulated for the knockdown dropped him out of contention for a ribbon.

The lead would change hands for good with Kevin Babington of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, and his mount, Iago du Quesnoy. Entering the fray from the thirteenth spot in the order, Babington, a 2004 Olympian for his home country of Ireland, made all of the inside cuts and flew home in 51.309 seconds, chopping 1.07 seconds off of Chapot's time.

Laura Chapot had one final shot on Silver Lining, another horse owned by her mother, Mary Chapot. As fast as she was, Chapot could only manage to edge out her previous mount Noteworthy for second place in the final standings, breaking the beams in 52.362 seconds. Chapot would settle for second and third.

Babington knew that he'd have to be at the top of his game to catch Chapot. "When you go up against Laura and you're riding to win, it makes you ride better and makes you take more chances," he said. "But, you had better be good."

"Iago Du Quesnoy is a 9 year old that Michael Whitaker sent over to me just ten days ago," said Babington. "He won a Level 6 class at Sussex County last week, and then I did him in the $10,000 class and he had the fastest time with one down."

Babington detailed where he was able to seal the deal today. "When I walked the course, I thought it was an eight, but then I saw that most people were getting down there in seven, so I did that comfortably," he said. "I noticed that the winning rounds were all in pretty much the same number range, so I just tried to tighten up my turns a little bit. I turned back very tight to the 3AB combination and he was super doing that and I think that's where I might have gained that extra bit of time."

Babington also had praise for this week's Course Designer. "Blake's done very nice courses. The courses for the young horses were very inviting and confidence building, and today he built an excellent course for the speed," said Babington. "He gave you a number of places where you could turn inside or leave strides out. On all of his courses, he gives you one or two places for an inside move that's not crazy, but can make the difference of finishing in the top three or not."

The highlight on the early afternoon Friday schedule in the Stillwell-Hansen Arena is the $10,000 US Mortgage Open Welcome Stake Class. The main event, the $35,000 Stillwell-Hansen Grand Prix, is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

The North American League (NAL) runs season-long series in six hunter and jumper divisions - Children's Hunter, Children's Jumper, Adult Hunter, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper, and Open Jumper Speed. Each series culminates with a championship final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, in October. Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in any qualifying classes, but only current members earn points toward year-end finals. For more information and a list of qualifying competitions for 2005, please visit the Ryegate Show Services website at www.Ryegate.com.

Official Results - $3000 NAL Open Speed Stake - Table II, Sec 1. Level 7

1-794-Iago Du Quesnoy - Kevin Babington -Kevin Babington- 0/51.309

2-565-Silver Lining -Mary Chapot - Laura Chapot - 0/52.362

3-559- Noteworthy Mary Chapot -Laura Chapot 0/52.387

4-574- Warsaw -Quiet Winter Farm Callan Solem -0/53.986

5-575- Haiti Du Serein -Quiet Winter Farm -Callan Solem -0/54.359

6-67-Play On- Allan Shore Jr.-Beezie Madden -0/54.936

7-306-Jillaroo - Kiwi Partners - Christopher Karpowicz - 0/54.980

8-438- BB Carvallo-Winley Farm Llc.-Carsten Jaeger -0/55.444

110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show Fast Facts

EVENT: 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show and Ride for Riverview to benefit Riverview Medical Center

WHAT: New Jersey's Longest Running and Most Prestigious Hunter and Jumper Horse Show. Sanctioned and recognized by: United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) "AA" USEF 3*, American Hunter Jumper Foundation (AHJF), New Jersey Professional Horseman's Association (NJPHA), New Jersey Horse Show Association (NJHSA), Marshall and Sterling and USGPL, North American League, Washington International Horse Show, A Member Event of the World Champion Hunter Rider Program Tour. (AHJF/WCHR Series)

WHERE: East Freehold Park, Freehold, New Jersey

WHEN: August 17th through 21st, 2005

ADMISSION: Admission is free to the public.

PARKING: Parking is free to the public.

VIP SEATING: Spectator Club Tables: Front Row Tables (seating for 12) $1,500 2nd & 3rd Row Tables (seating for 8) $1,000 Includes lunch Wed through Saturday 12-2, Sunday 1-3 We DO NOT sell individual seats.

Caterer is "David's World Famous"

Contact Ellen Tully - 732-291-0389 or email at: et-albert@msn.com

VENDOR/TRADE: Prices range from $200 to $250 with oversized spaces available. Hook ups and water extra. Vendors, please call Ellen Tully, Chairman - Vendor Organizing Committee at 732-291-0389 for further information. Or email at: et-albert@msn.com

DIRECTIONS: From North:

Garden State Parkway to Rte. 9 South. Rte. 9 South to Rte. 18 South. Rte. 18 South to Rte. 537 West. Rte. 527 West to Kozloski Rd. jughandle (right turn). Follow ramp to Kozlowski Road West. Show grounds 1 �� miles on the right.

>From South: Garden State Parkway to Exit 98, Rte. 34 North. Rte. 34 North to Rte. 33 West. Rte. 33 West to Kozlowski Road. Turn right on Kozlowski Rd. Show grounds after first light on left.

>From Turnpike:

Exit 8 (from South). Take Rte. 33 East, stay on alternate route (not business) to Halls Mills Road East. Halls Mills Road turns into Kozloski Rd. after third light. Show grounds is on left.

THE FACILITY: East Freehold Park 1500 Kozloski Road, Freehold, NJ (732) 842-4000 or (732) 431-4664 http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/index.asp

81 beautiful acres of show grounds for horse shows, dog shows, and special events each year, including the Irish Festival. East Freehold Park is the home of the annual Monmouth County Fair. Upwards of 100,000 people enjoy the 5-day late July event. Permanent show rings. Tens of thousands have attended the Monmouth County Horse Show over the years.

HIGHLIGHTS: The 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show and the Ride for Riverview will once again benefit the Jane H. and John Marshall Booker Cancer Center at Riverview Medical Center, located in Red Bank, New Jersey. Through the generosity of sponsors and exhibitors, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for this worthwhile cause.

Friday, August 19, 2005

$10,000 US Mortgage Corp. Open Jumper Welcome Stake

Saturday, August 20, 2005

"Family Day at Monmouth" 10am-4pm featuring Pony Rides, Face Painting, Clowns, Rides and Games

Junior, Amateur Owner, Children and Adult Jumpers

$10,000 Paul Miller Automotive Saab/Land Rover of Woodbridge Hunter Classic

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Juliam Farms Leadline classes

Pipe and Drums of the Jersey Shore Shillelaghs

$5,000 Junior-Amateur Owner Jumper Classic

$30,000 Stillwell-Hansen Grand Prix

CONTACT: THE MONMOUTH COUNTY HORSE SHOW

The Monmouth Group, Inc.

et-albert@msn.com

Stadium Jumping, Inc.

1301 Sixth Ave West Suite 406

Bradenton, FL 34205

INFORMATION

Prior to August 15 (941) 744-5465

>From August 16 (732) 780-3150

Kim Tudor - 908-512-2828

MEDIA CONTACT:

Phelps Media Group, Inc.

Kenneth Kraus

Mason Phelps, Jr.

Jennifer Wood

13833 Wellington Trace

Unit E-4 #221

Wellington, Florida 33414

561-753-3389

www.phelpsmediagroup.com