Wellington, FL - March 5, 2006 - Riders from around the world assembled for the first event on the all new CN Worldwide Global Champions Tour on Sunday at the Winter Equestrian Festival, but it was a rider from just around the corner from the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club that took home the top prize. Wellington, Florida's Norman Dello Joio and his long time equine partner Glasgow survived two rounds of show jumping and a timed jump-off to take home the $59,300 ($45,000) top prize in the inaugural event on the new worldwide six nation tour.

Sixty-two starters went to the post for the 3p.m. lift-off of the $150,000 CN Worldwide Florida Open, presented by Cosequin, CSI-5*. The Internationale Arena Course Designer was Marco Cortinovis of Italy. Today's class was scored under the FEI Rules Table A. Article 273. 2.1-3.1-4-1, with two different rounds, against the clock for the first round, not against the clock in the second round, with one jump-off against the clock. Under this format, the top eighteen from round one were eligible for the second round. The scores from round one and round two were cumulative and those tied for first place jumped off against the clock.

The first round was held over a very demanding and ambitious championship level course of thirteen numbered obstacles, with seventeen jumping efforts, set at 1.60m-1.80m, with a triple combination, a double combination, and a water jump. Only four of the eighteen that survived round one to advance to the much easier second course, carried a clean round with them. Three riders cleared the seventeen hurdles without penalty, but failed to get under the wire within the tight time allowed and advanced to round two with a single time fault. The remaining eleven competitors carried four faults into the second round of action.

The four fault performers from round one returned first in the second round according to their times from the first round, and all but one were clear over the far less challenging second set of fences.

The three duos that returned with only that single time fault blemish on their scorecard all had difficulties in their second effort. Eliza Shuford of the United States and Larentino, owned by the Larentino Group, was the best of the three, coming home with just one time fault to put her at the top of the leaderboard (2 total faults) with the four clean riders from round one yet to come.

Of the four that were clean in round one, three went clean again, to set up the encounter against the clock.

Bulgaria's Samantha McIntosh returned first with Loxley, owned by Horst Jaeggle and G. Orsche. McIntosh found a fast and furious pace and toured the second round fault-free, setting what appeared to be a tough standard for her two challengers waiting in the wings. She crossed the finish line in 41.51 seconds.

McIntosh was followed immediately by "Stormin" Norman Dello Joio and his long time partner Glasgow, owned by the Glasgow Group. Dello Joio never let off the gas from start to finish, and his dazzling performance put him in the driver's seat as he topped McIntosh's time by 5/10ths of a second, flashing across the finish line in 40.94 seconds.

Dello Joio's win was secured when Kimberly Prince and the Overlook Farm's Couletto K. James pulled an early rail on her tiebreaking run, then ran into further difficulties and finished with eighteen faults in 56.70 seconds.

"I was very happy today, because I didn't think my horse was that jumping fit," admitted Dello Joio following his victory gallop. "I was concerned after the first round. We kind of sneaked through. But, he actually felt better in the second round and even better still in the third round. I thought he gave me everything he had today."

For Dello Joio, it was great to return to the winner's circle in Wellington with Glasgow. "He's just a great old friend. He always a pleasure and he certainly doesn't owe me anything. When he stops jumping well, he'll be retired, but as long as feels as good as he did today, he'll keep jumping."

"I couldn't have gone much faster," said McIntosh said with a smile. "Norman was extremely fast."

Third place finisher Kim Prince added, "I was pleased with my horse today. He's not much of a speedster, so I knew going in that I didn't have much of a chance to catch Norman." She said, "But, I loved giving it a try anyway. It was a great class, and I was very happy to be third."

All of the riders spoke of the two different courses offered in today's main event. "I thought the first round was a real championship course. I thought it was very difficult," Dello Joio said. "I thought the second round could have been a little bit harder. It could have separated the horses a little more. If they were going to make us jump our horses that much, I would have liked to not have the horses that jumped clear be in jeopardy of being pushed out."

"I feel pretty much the same as Norman does about the courses," agreed McIntosh. "I was happy to go clear in the second round to get into the jump-off."

And Prince added, "I thought the first round was very difficult, and I wish the courses could have been a little more balanced, with the first round maybe being not quite so hard and the second being a little more difficult."

For the Bulgarian rider McIntosh, the balance of the CN Worldwide Global Champions Tour will be close to home, but she was thrilled to get a leg up on her European counterparts. "For us, it's a big thing for to come from Europe to America for the first leg of the Global Champions Tour. I'm very happy that it was successful here, and I really hope I can keep going on the tour. All of the shows in Europe are high class shows and should draw a great field."

And the plans for the winner? "I have no plans at the moment," laughed Dello Joio. "I just want to get all my junior and amateur riders through next week. It looks like a wonderful concept, and it seems like a great thing for all of us."

Today's $150,000 CN Worldwide Florida Open, presented by Cosequin, CSI-5* was the twelfth of fourteen qualifying events for the FTI Rider Challenge, a rider bonus pool for $200,000 in which the riders receive points based on the number of riders in the seven Thursday and seven Sunday Grand Prix events that are part of the WEF Wellington series. The winner of the all new FTI rider Challenge will be known following next Thursday's $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup, Round Seven and Sunday's $150,000 US Open Jumper Championship CSIO-5*, presented by CN.

Next week, the final week in Wellington, features the $75,000 Nations' Cup, presented by CN, CSIO-5*, a competition that pits teams of show jumpers from multiple countries against each other in two rounds of competition. The 2006 Nations' Cup, presented by CN on Friday, March 10th, marks the fifth time that the Winter Equestrian Festival will host this prestigious international event. Making the competition especially exciting, the Nations' Cup will once again be held at night under lights in the Internationale Arena.

The richest show jumping event of the seven weeks in Wellington will take center stage on Sunday, March 12th. The $150,000 US Open Jumper Championship, presented by CN, CSIO-5*, brings the WEF Wellington series to a close.

Results of Class 106 $177,905 Florida Open CSI 5* presented by Cosequin - Internationale Arena Wellington Open CSI 5* -3/5/06Tot

2 $35580 Loxley- Samantha McIntosh -Horst Jaeggle/G. Orschel -0-0-0/41.51

3 $23720 Couletto K. James -Kimberly Prince- Overlook Farm - 0-0-18/56.70

4 $13640 Larentino -Eliza Shuford -Larentino Group -1-1 = 2 -80.46

5 $11270 Omelli -Tim Gredley - Mrs. Gredley-4-0=4 -73.10

6 $5930 Judgement -Beezie Madden - Iron Spring Farm -4-0=4 -73.53

7 $5930 Madison -Kent Farrington - Alexa Weeks -4-0=4 -73.99

8 $2965 VDL Groep Fleche Rouge-Leopold Van Asten -Stoetery Duyselhof -4-0=4-74.00

9 $2965 Sapphire -Mclain Ward -Double H Farm - 4-0=4-74.47

10 $2965 Little Big Man -Laura Chapot -Laura Chapot -4-0=4-75.05

11 $2965 Arriscraft Rocca - Keean White -Randy White -4-0=4-75.93

12 $1780 Hickstead- Eric Lamaze -Torrey Pines Stable - 4-0=4-76.31

13 $1780 Obelix-Herve Godignon -Herve Godignon - 4-0=4-76.74

14 $1780 Ollandaise -Megan Lamaze - Stoney Hill -4-0=4-76.87

15 $1780 Coeur - Cayce Harrison -Double H Farm - 1-4=5 - 78.06

16 $1185 Baloubet Du Rouet -Rodrigo Pessoa -Diogo Coutinho -4-4=8-74.89

17 $1185 Quebec -Harry Smolders -Euro Horse -0-8=8-75.49

18 $1185 Capone 1-Kyle King - Corrine Super -1-8=9-80.46