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Wellington, FL - February 19, 2007 - The Kilkenny Internationale, CSI 3* wrapped up competition Sunday with the highlight of the week, the $60,000 Kilkenny Internationale Cup. After winning the Sunday grand prix in week two of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) and finishing second last week, Laura Chapot and Little Big Man continued their streak by triumphing in Sunday's class over Molly Ashe and Cocu and Erynn Ballard and Robin van Roosendael.

The course was designed by Olaf Petersen of Germany, who set a rolling track around the field that included 14 numbered obstacles, including an open water jump, a triple combination and a two stride set in front of the in-gate. Five made the good list to return for the jump-off, and there were six four-fault rounds and one elimination. After two-thirds of the 47 entries had gone, those who had faults or a refusal were choosing to retire from the course rather than continue, with nine retirements in all.

Returning first in the jump-off was William Lowry on Winsor Farm Sales' Polygraaf. Lowry has had one solid performance after another in the grand prix events this year at WEF, and Sunday was no different. Polygraaf had a consistent clear round going until the tight rollback to the Animal Planet vertical, the second to last jump in the second round. Polygraaf lost his footing and slipped and was able to muster the effort to jump the fence, but the top rail came down. Lowry finished with four faults in a quick time of 39.54 seconds, which would hold up for fourth place. The top finish will no doubt help his standing in the FTI Rider Challenge, where he was third before Sunday's class.

Next were Chapot and Little Big Man. While Chapot did not seem to go all-out, she was quick through the turns and made nice galloping runs where she could. Little Big Man's incredible carefulness left all the jumps up, and they crossed the timers in 39.08 seconds. She explained that while Little Big Man is now a feared competitor in a jump-off, he was not always the one to win by time. "He's become quite fast. When I first got him, he used to over-jump so much that he wasn't very fast. Now he is very fast, and he is extremely careful," she said.

Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui, who is owned by the triumvirate of Alex Boone, Richard Bass and James McNerney, were next to challenge, but a rail at fence two and at the first jump of the one stride left Farrington in fifth place with four faults in 40.22 seconds.

Erynn Ballard of Canada cantered in to try to beat Chapot's time. Ballard guided the tall 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding to the jumps at a slower pace, going for the clear round. They posted a time of 43.63 seconds to finish in third place.

Second place would be determined by Cocu and Molly Ashe, who rode for Jane F. Clark. While Ashe did not go for broke, she did keep a quick pace and neat turns. This helped them stay just off Chapot's pace in 39.61 seconds for the red ribbon. Ashe recalled, "I didn't see Laura go, but that was probably for my own well-being! I probably would have tried to go too fast. There's no way the horse that I was showing could go as fast as Little Big Man, so I was trying to go as fast as I could and leave the jumps up. She did just that. She was great."

Jumper Results - Wednesday through Saturday

The fourth week of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the Kilkenny Internationale, CSI 3*, started competition Wednesday. In the main Internationale Arena, the 1.45m jumpers took to the field in the morning. In a class of 32 entries, Leslie Howard and Lennox Lewis 2, owned by Peter Howard, raced for the win.

She had tough competition from Laura Kraut, who rode Love Z for Kinloch Enterprises to a time of 67.990 seconds. Seventeen-year-old Aimee Aron finished right behind her in third place on Ria 56, who crossed the timers in 69.758 seconds. Aron also picked up fifth place on Killigrew's Attraction. In fourth was Beezie Madden with Onlight. Howard finished sixth with Lady in Red 4.

Wednesday's 1.40m Jumper class on the big field was split into two divisions. In the first section, Lauren Hough and Rodos moved into first place with a clear round in a time of 64.689 seconds to beat Joe Fargis and Diams III, who finished in 65.834 seconds. Section B of the 1.40m Jumpers had 63 entries. First place in the class went to Acertijo and Norman Dello Joio, who rode for J. Adalberto Roig Jr. They sped through the course to finish in 72.220 seconds over Gilmore and Mario Deslauriers.

Under gray skies on Thursday, the jumpers took to the field for the fourth round of the $25,000 WEF Challenge Series during the Kilkenny Internationale, CSI 3* week of the Winter Equestrian Festival. The 2006 World Equestrian Games double silver medalists, Authentic and Beezie Madden, made easy work of the 15 horse jump-off to take first place, while Ireland's Darragh Kerins and Hot Wheels sped around for a second place finish.

On Friday, the winner in the first section of the Acorn Hill 1.40m Speed Challenge was Diams III, owned by Mary B. Schwab and ridden by Olympic gold medalist Joe Fargis. Fargis raced to the win over 5 other competitors and was six-tenths of a second faster (70.326 seconds) than second place finisher Nick Skelton and Salamander Farm's Sunny Boy (70.902 seconds).

First place in the section B of the Acorn Hill 1.40m Speed Challenge was Cheeky, ridden by McLain Ward. Ward recently imported the nine year old Belgian Warmblood by Darco. They showed last week and placed, and this was their first win together. Second in the class was Scott Lenkart of Minnesota on Impulsive, a ten year old Dutch Warmblood owned by Bennett Sport Horses.

Carolyn Kelly and Omona AW won the High Amateur-Owner Jumper Power and Speed Class, and in the High Junior Jumper Power and Speed Class, Aimee Aron and Heaudine raced to the win almost three seconds faster than second place finishers Lanoo and Ali Wolff.

In Saturday's jumper competition in the Kilkenny Internationale, CSI 3*, the amateur jumpers sponsored by Prestige took center stage in the Internationale Arena, followed by the 1.50m Jumper Classic. Natalie Johnson and Crocket 16 beat a field of 17 other competitors in the jump-off to win the Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHOF) High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. On the other end of the spectrum, Federico Sztyrle (ARG) and Lorena 90, owned by Christian Wolffer, were the only clear round to lead the victory gallop in the $20,000 1.50m Jumper Classic.

Course designer Olaf Petersen of Germany set an imposing course for the 1.50m Jumper Classic. The most difficult element came at fence five, which was a triple combination consisting of a triple bar in two strides to a tall plank vertical in one stride to a wide oxer. The combination caught many horses struggling to clear the "c" portion. Directly after the combination came the open water. Another careful two stride later in the course brought faults for many. Sztyrle was the only clear, while eight riders had four faults and one rider had four jumping and one time faults. The balance of the class (36 competitors) had eight faults or more.

Twenty-six trips into the class, Laura Kraut and Anthem had a clear round going until the final oxer on course, which came down for four faults when Anthem touched the rail with his hind feet. They finished in a time of 79.566 seconds, and they received third place.

A handful of riders to follow Sztyrle just missed making a jump-off. Joe Fargis and Edgar 12 had fence 11 down, a tall vertical set after the two stride combination. They had four faults in a time of 79.921 seconds, which put them in fourth place. Molly Ashe and Lutopia were second.

Hunter Results - Thursday through Sunday

Starting the morning off on Thursday in the Regular Conformation division was Tommy Serio and Popeye K, who has been champion in the division every week. The 10-year-old bay stallion, is on a roll and won the model, the hack and one over fences class on Wednesday, and was second in another over fences class. Reserve champion in the Regular Conformation division went to Holly Orlando and Highland Park.

In the Second Year Green Hunter Division, it was Stephen Heinecke and Alise Oken's Alisette who brought home the championship. In the Green Conformation Hunter division, sponsored by Equestrian Properties, Scott Stewart swept the top two spots with Westpoint and Trousseau, respectively.

In the Regular Working Hunter division sponsored by Farnam Companies, Inc., it was Erynn Ballard and Cabardino who took the tricolor.

On Friday, the First Year Green Hunter divisions, split into two sections, were hotly contested. In Section "A," both Sandy Ferrell and Tim Goguen earned 16 points and were tied for the championship, but the tricolor ultimately went to Ferrell and Cisco because more of their points were from over fences classes. In Section "B" of the First Year Green division, Patricia Griffith and Positano repeated their championship performance for the third time. Reserve champion went to Scott Stewart riding Ovation.

In the USET Show Jumping Talent Search, Jacqueline Lubrano and LB Carte Noir came out on top of Section "A." Lubrano, 15, trains with Frank and Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Farm.

On Saturday, Just Harry, piloted by Debbie Bass, showed competitors in the 51 & Older Adult Amateur Hunter division section "A" how a veteran does it.

In section "A," reserve champion went to Diane W. Burt and Amandale. In section "B" of the 51 & Older Adult Amateur Hunters, Carol Cone and Harmony Bay, who are on their way to repeating last year's circuit championship performance, earned the tricolor. The pair were first and second over fences on Friday, and third under saddle and both firsts over fences on Saturday. Margaret O'Meara and Sensation were reserve champion.

Competing in the Mogavero Arena, the 18-35 Amateur Owner Hunter division, sponsored by Kilkenny Insurance Agency, concluded with Clara Lindner and her new partner Hush earning the championship.

The pair earned a first over fences and a first in the hack on Friday and were fourth and ninth Saturday. Reserve champion in the 18-35 Amateur Owner division was Round About, ridden by Morgan Trexler.

Adrienne Sternlicht piloted Regalia to the championship spot in the 14 & Under Children's Working Hunter division, section "A" on Sunday.

The championship in section "B" of the 14 & Under Children's Working Hunter divisions was awarded to Kaitlin Porath and O.C., who is owned by Meadow Hill Stable. Reserve champion in the "B" section was Catherine Tyree and Peppercorn, owned by First Partners.

In section "A" of the 36 to 50 Adult Amateur Hunter division, Stephanie Ingram swept the top two spots, earning both champion and reserve champion on Pilgrim and Ocean Front, respectively. Pilgrim, and 8-year-old Oldenburg, was first, second, third and eighth over the two-day period, and Ocean Front, a Holstein gelding, earned three firsts and a third.

The section "B" championship of the Adult Amateur Hunters went to Frances Briggs, who happens to be Ingram's twin sister, on Red Carpet. On Saturday, the pair earned a first place over fences and a first and second place over fences on Sunday. Reserve champion in section "B" was Glen Senk and Dynamic, who were eighth under saddle on Saturday and first and second over fences on Sunday.