Contact:
Kenneth Kraus of Phelps Media Group, Inc.
at (561) 753-3389 or at pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com

Wellington, FL - July 10, 2006 - The leaders in the race for the American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year title went head to head in Lake Placid, New York, this past weekend. While McLain Ward and Rodrigo Pessoa battled for the top spot in the standings, Jeffery Welles and Armani posted back to back wins at the upstate New York venue to vault into contention for the 2006 AGA year-end awards.

Entering its twenty-eighth year, the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping is the world's richest and longest running series of equestrian show jumping events. The AGA series offers over $3 million dollars in prize money on a tour that encompasses thirty events and twenty different equestrian markets across the United States.

With thirteen events remaining on the 2006 AGA tour, McLain Ward has grabbed the lead in the race for AGA Rider of the Year, an award he has won three times previously. With a second place finish, Ward picked up fifteen points and two clear rounds at the $75,000 Hermes I Love New York Grand Prix CSI 3* on Sunday and moved ahead of Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa. Pessoa, who made the trip from Monte Carlo to Lake Placid, notched a fourth place finish Sunday to keep within striking distance of Ward. Pessoa earned seven points and two clear rounds. In this battle of Olympic Gold Medalists, Ward now has 102 points and seven clear rounds, while Pessoa is eight points behind with a total of 94 points. Pessoa has accumulated five clear rounds.

Kent Farrington, with fifth and eleventh place finishes at Lake Placid, jumped from fifth to third place in the rider race. Farrington has 85 points with seven clear rides. Laura Chapot moves from tenth to eighth place with a fourth and seventh place finish in upstate New York.

The biggest move in the AGA Rider of the Year race was made by Jeffery Welles. Welles rode to victory in both the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid, CSI 3* on July 2nd and the $75,000 Hermes I Love New York Grand Prix CSI 3* this past Sunday. The exceptional back to back wins earned Welles 39 points and three clear rounds. Welles moves from off the charts into a fourteenth place tie for AGA Rider of the Year.

The six top places in the race for AGA Horse of the Year remain unchanged with Pessoa's superstar equine partner, Baloubet Du Rouet, owned by Diego Parella Coutino, still atop the leader board in the race for AGA Horse of the Year with $83,685 in total prize money won. Welles' Lake Placid partner Armani, with double pay days of $18,000, vaults into eleventh place with $36,000 in money won. Armani is owned by Kimmel Yager Equine. Little Big Man, owned by Laura Chapot and Chado Farms, moves from eighth to seventh and Sir Ruly Inc.'s Capitano, ridden by Pessoa at Lake Placid, jumps four places, from sixteenth to twelfth. Ward's mount Sapphire, with a total of $28,665, moves into the top twenty with a $13,200 second place finish in New York.

The new leader in the AGA Rookie of the Year race is Brianne Goutal, who finished third in the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid CSI 3* and bankrolled $7,800. Addison Phillips is bumped to second place with $4,500 in prize money.

The next events on the American Grand Prix Association tour feature stops in the Midwest for the $40,000 Merrill Lynch Cleveland Grand Prix on Sunday, July 16th, 2006 and $50,000 Kentucky Summer Classic on Sunday, August 6th, 2006. Out West, it is two week of AGA action in Colorado with the $40,000 Rocky Mountain Grand Prix taking place on Saturday, July 15, 2006 and the $60,000 Grand Prix of Denver on Saturday, July 22, 2006.

7 102 2 Pessoa, Rodrigo

5 94 3 Farrington, Kent

7 85 4 Kraut, Laura

6 84 5 Dello Joio, Norman

3 82 6 Engle, Margie

7 77 7 McIntosh, Samantha

5 74 8 Chapot, Laura

6 53 9 Kursinski, Anne

5 50 10 Kappler, Chris

2 49 11 Madden, Beezie

4 43

Prince, Kimberly

3 43 13 Skelton, Nick

3 41 14 Shuford, Eliza

3 39

Welles, Jeffery

3 39 16 Prudent, Katie

2 34 17 Smith, Robert

2 32 18 Howard, Leslie

3 31 19 Deslauriers, Mario

3 30

Pearce, John

0 30 21 Guerra Piedra, Jaime

1 29 22 Lamaze, Eric

4 28 23 Fargis, Joe

3 24

Porter, Mandy

0 24 25 Leone, Mark

4 22 26 Amaya, Max

2 21 27 Vale, Aaron

2 19 28 Van Asten, Leopold

4 18 29 Watring, Mark

4 17 30 Potter, Keri

3 16

AGA Horse of the Year Standings: Standing Horse Owner Total Money

1 Baloubet Du Rouet

Diego Parella Coutino

$ 83,685

2 Madison

Alexa Weeks

$ 77,480

3 Glasgow

Glasgow Group

$ 77,300

4 Loxley

Horst Jaeggle

$ 68,580

5 Panic

Abigail S. Wexner

$ 52,500

6 VDL Oranta

M & K Oranta, LLC

$ 46,600

7 Little Big Man

Laura Chapot & Chado Farm, Inc.

$ 45,615

8 Goldika 559

McLain Ward

$ 43,250

9 Arko III

John & Lisa Hales

$ 38,000

10 Larentino

Eliza Shuford

$ 36,140

11 Armani

Kimmel, Yager EQ

$ 36,000

12 Capitano

Sir Ruly, Inc.

$ 32,800

13 Authentic

Abigail Wexner

$ 31,750

14 Hidden Creek's Wapino

Hidden Creek Farm, Inc.

$ 30,500

15 Archie Bunker

Forest View Farms

$ 30,000

Gerry Maguire

Brook Furlong Farm

$ 30,000

Humour Du Parc

Plain Bay Farm

$ 30,000

18 Sapphire*

McLain Ward

$ 28,665

19 Youp

S'Blieft Group

$ 27,450

20 Couletto K. James

Katherine Miracle & Overlook Farm

$ 26,720

21 RMW Lorenz

Rocky Mountain Warmbloods

$ 26,000

22 Summer

Wild Turkey Farm

$ 24,400

23 Hickstead

Torrey Pines Stable

$ 23,780

24 Paradigm

Mario Deslauriers

$ 23,340

25 Roxana 112

Scott Hakim

$ 22,850

26 Lorenzo

Market Street, Inc.

$ 22,000

27 Edgar 12

Mary B. Schwab & O.E.J.I. Farm

$ 21,000

Hidden Creek's Perin

Hidden Creek Farm, Inc.

$ 21,000

29 Miss Independent

Miss Independent Group $ 19,500 30 Church Road

S. Becker/B&B Saddlery

$ 18,300

AGA Rookie of the Year Standings: Standing Rider Total Money 1 Goutal, Brianne

$ 7,800

2 Phillips, Addison

$ 4,500

3 Calderon, Romelia

$ 3,900

4 Coluccio, Evan

$ 2,000

5 Taylor, Jamie

$ 1,250

6 Gibson, Devon P.

$ 1,000

AGA GRAND PRIX SERIES OF SHOW JUMPING

2006 AGA Season

Sat., July 15, 2006 $ 40,000 Rocky Mountain
Grand Prix Parker, CO

Sun., July 16, 2006 $ 40,000 Merrill Lynch
Cleveland Grand Prix Moreland Hills, OH

Sat., July 22, 2006 $ 60,000 Grand Prix of Denver
Parker, CO

Sun., August 6, 2006 $ 50,000 Kentucky Summer Classic
Lexington, KY

Sat., August 12, 2006 $ 50,000 Sussex County Grand Prix
Sussex, NJ

Sun., August 13, 2006 $ 25,000 Evergreen Classic Grand Prix
Monroe, WA

Sun., August 13, 2006 (T) $ 50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Zionsville, IN

Sun., Sept 10, 2006 $ 75,000 Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic
South Hamilton, MA

Sun., Sept 17, 2006 (T) $ 75,000 Budweiser American Gold Cup, CSI-W
Devon, PA

Sun., Sept 17, 2006 (N) $ 50,000 World Cup Qualifying Grand Prix CSI-W
San Juan Capistrano, CA

Sat., Sept 23, 2006 $ 35,000 L.A. International, CSI-W
Burbank, CA

Sat., Oct. 21, 2006 $ 65,000 Budweiser Grand Prix De Penn National, CSI-W
Harrisburg, PA

Sat., Nov. 18, 2006 (N) $ 50,000 LA National, CSI-W
Burbank, CA

2006 AGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Sun., Dec. 3, 2006 (T) AGA Championship CSI 3* (Final)
Wellington, FL

(CSI-W) - World Cup Qualifier (CSI) - FEI Sanctioned Event (N) = - Night dates - prize money - location subject to change (revised 11/01/05)

Televised Events will be broadcast on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) Eastern Standard Time - check local listing

AMERICAN GRAND PRIX ASSOCIATION 1301 Sixth Ave West, Suite 406, Bradenton, FL 34205 941-744-5465 fax 941-744-0874 www.stadiumjumping.com"> /aga