Devon, PA - May 30, 2006 - The Open Jumpers opened up competition today at the 2006 Devon Horse Show, and it was last year's Leading Open Jumper Rider, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, NJ, who scored the Tuesday night win in the $7,500 Time First Jump-off class.

Designed by Germany's Olaf Peterson Jr., the course hosted 23 entries for the first round and a staggering 13 went clear. Only 11 horses elected to return for the jump-off, a twisting eight jump shortened course. Chapot said of the jump-off, "It was a little bit long for the first class, but I think it worked out in the end. He built such a nice, inviting first course that he had a number clear. The longer jump-off tends to separate them out."

First to return was Laura Chapot on her first horse, Samantha, owned by the Sundance Group. They had an unlucky rail at the second jump and came home with four faults and a time of 44.054 seconds. "This is the first time she's stepped up to this level at Devon," Chapot explained. "I really ran pretty fast to those first two fences. She's entered for the grand prix, and I'm really, really pleased with her performance."

The first clear in the jump-off would be put up by Church Road and Argentinian rider Max Amaya. They finished with a slower time of 45.413 seconds and moved into the lead.

Two horses later, Jimmy Torano and Marlo had smooth, clean trip to post a clear round in a time of 44.572 seconds. Alison Firestone and La Supra threatened with a clean trip, but could not catch Torano's time and finished in 51.429 seconds.

Victory seemed set up for Little Big Man and Laura Chapot, who are known for their blazing fast speed. As they sliced across the verticals and turned through the air, it was apparent that Chapot was going for the win. It came easily, as they chopped two full seconds off of Torano's time in 42.455 seconds.

After the class, Chapot revealed, "He has not jumped one jump since the American Invitational. He was ready to go!" She also told of his latest extravagant characteristic, "He's always been a little bit frisky, but now his new trick is to jump the jump and buck. He does a good job of clearing a schooling area. Everyone knows to stay away from me."

Despite his antics in the schooling ring, the eleven year old Thoroughbred is all business when he walks in for a jump-off. "He knows what he's doing when he gets in the ring," Chapot acknowledged. "He has a big ego. He thinks he's king, and he ends up being king! He doesn't know what he can't do, and we try and keep it that way."

Chapot has four horses in the Open Jumper division at Devon this year and will be a good bet to win her second rider title in a row. "It would be pretty hard to top last year. That was pretty incredible," she admitted. "But so far, so good. They all jumped great. The new footing seems to suit everyone well. It seemed to hold up well, and the horses felt like they were jumping well on it. We'll see how the rest of the week goes." She also said that she feels lucky to have so many nice horses at one time. "It's more often than not that you don't have so many. I'm very lucky right now. In this sport it's easy for things to go wrong and to take a step back, so I'm enjoying it while I have it," she remarked.

Official Results: Class 276, $7,500 Open Jumper, time first jump-off, Dixon Oval

1. Little Big Man, Laura Chapot: 0/0/42.455 Laura Chapot

2. Marlo, Jimmy Torano: 0/0/44.572 Jimmy Torano

3. Church Road, Max Amaya: 0/0/45.413 Sarah Becker and B&B Saddlery

4. La Supra, Alison Firestone: 0/0/51.429 M/M Bertram Firestone

5. Icon, Peter Leone: 0/4/44.039 Lionshare Farm, Inc.

6. Samantha, Laura Chapot: 0/4/44.054 Sundance Group

7. La Rocco Junior, Michael Walton: 0/4/44.582 Penlyn Farm Inc. and J. Peter Nissen

8. Quarnack de Longpre, Meghan Moran: 0/4/44.660 Meghan Moran

9. Carlos Boy, Ken Berkley: 0/4/47.740 Krista and Alexa Weisman

10. Rockford, Keri Potter Pessoa: 0/4/55.422 Keri Potter Pessoa

11. Great American, Mark Leone: 0/12/51.708 Ri-Arm Farm Inc. and All Seasons Farm

12. Pinkata de Longpre, Mark Leone: 0/NS Ri-Arm Farm Inc.

12. Carling King, Kevin Babington: 0/NS Kindle Hill Farm

It was Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward with the win on Larioso in the first Open Jumper class at the 2006 Devon Horse Show. Back from a successful tour in Europe, Ward was happy to begin Devon with a victory.

"We had a great tour in Europe, and I think my mare is just about ready for the world championships. It's nice to be home, and the weather is certainly considerably better!" he said with a laugh. "Sapphire will show in the second Lake Placid and one start in August at Saugerties before she goes back to Europe. I've brought three other experienced horses here, which I think is important at a show as difficult as Devon. They're horses that have been around the block. So hopefully if I don't get in their way too much, they'll perform well."

In a 22 horse field over the Table II (a) course, Ward and Larioso were nineteenth in the order. They chased a clear, fast round set by Callan Solem and Warsaw. They flew around the course and tripped the timers in 60.893 seconds, a full eight seconds faster.

About Larioso, Ward commented, "He's a very careful horse. He's a horse that I have for sale, and he's been a nice campaigner for me. He's a real winner and a lovely horse. He's sometimes a little bit spooky, so you have to watch him the first time. He's never does anything really wrong, but you have to make sure something odd doesn't happen. This is a spooky ring, so I was quite happy with him."

Ward also spoke about the evolution of Open Jumper speed classes at Devon. "Devon was traditionally a run-and-gun speed class. They were typically very small and very fast," he said. "They've evolved with a European course influence into a bigger speed division. It's different, but I don't think it's bad. It takes a little better horse sometimes and a little more accurate riding. The crowd is so educated here at Devon that they appreciate the performance."

For the opening class, many riders took their time. "It wasn't an overly fast class," Ward explained. "I thought I had a faster ride on Galant, but I made a mistake at the red oxer. It was a beatable round; a bunch of horses could have given him a run for his money. The first class is typically a little reserved. It was nice to strike early."

For full horse show results, please visit www.thedevonhorseshow.com .