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Lexington, KY - May 7, 2008 - The Kentucky Spring Horse Show launched into show jumping action today at the picturesque Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Sheila C. Johnson Arena hosted the 1.40m and 1.45m Open Jumper classes, with the in-gate opening at 8:00 a.m. Jimmy Torano and his horse Ormsby Hill captured the victory in the 1.45m class, and Sarah Segal piloted True Love for the blue ribbon in the 1.40m speed.

In the 1.45m, 14 entries went to post, and the course was scored under a Table II.2(b) format. The Time First Jump-Off course was designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England. With a snug time allowed of 84 seconds, only five of the 14 jumped the first round without jumping or time penalties. The jump-off consisted of the oxer at fence 1, a roll back to the oxer at fence 3, and then an immediate left turn to fence 12, which was a bank jump with a white rail on top. After jumping onto the bank, the horses made another left to fence 5, a right turn to a vertical, and then finished over 13, another oxer.

Todd Minikus and Romy were the first to successfully jump the first round, and they set the pace in the jump off. Minikus and Romy, owned by the Diamond Group, galloped through the start timers and finished with the first double clear round. They came home to an applauding, appreciative crowd in 34.601 seconds. Minikus resides in Loxahatchee, FL. Triviant and Shane Sweetnam left all of the fences intact in the first round as well, and they executed a double clear ride with a faster time of 34.219 seconds. Triviant is owned by the Curtis-Lourie Group of Palm Beach, FL.

Pablo Barrios of Wellington, FL, and his mount La Gran jumped clear in the first round and the tie breaker, coming home quickly in 34.582 seconds and beating Minikus' score. Christine McRea also qualified for the jump-off with Twisther, owned by the Windsor Show Stables of East Windsor, CT. They lowered the height of one fence over the short course, crossing the finish line in 38.934 seconds.

Jimmy Torano and Ormsby Hill were the final pair to qualify for the short course, and they blasted through the timers. Torano's roll back and quick ride up and over the bank helped him edge Sweetnam into second place. He guided Ormsby Hill to the lead in 33.892 seconds. 

"Ormsby Hill felt great out on course," smiled Torano. "I was basically experimenting with a new bit today, and it seemed like it worked," he laughed. "I was running late from the other ring, so I didn't get to walk the course, but I thought Richard built a nice track today. It wasn't overly big. It was a nice 1.45m class. I didn't know how many were clear or anything," he revealed. "So I figured once I made the jump-off, I would take a little shot and maybe start the week off with a little prize money to take care of the week."

"My horse was fine jumping up the bank in the jump-off," added Torano. "My horse isn't spooky, so he didn't mind it. Once I jumped on, I could cut right across the bank...He felt really good, and he jumped great. We finished up first in the class, so it was nice to start out with a win."

Torano of Fort Lauderdale, FL, will show Ormsby Hill, an 11-year-old Belgian-bred horse, tomorrow in the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Grand Prix CSI 3* and on Sunday in the $55,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix CSI 3*.

"We love to show here at the Kentucky Horse Park," noted Torano. "A couple of years ago they had three weeks [of shows], and we came for all three. For us, with the campgrounds right here and our baby, it's very convenient. The facility is obviously top notch, and what they are going to do for WEG will be incredible. Even right now, the footing is good, all the rings are great, and it's beautiful to ride here. We come every year; it's always a stop for us."

In the 1.40m class, 58 horse and rider combinations entered the class, and Sarah Segal of New York, NY, piloted True Love for the winning round. The course was scored under a Table II.Sec.1. (Time First Round) format with a time allowed of 79 seconds.

Throughout the class, Todd Minikus and Ultimo Van Fer Monde maintained the lead with their fast time of 63.754 seconds. With only four competitors left to go in the class, Sarah Segal and her horse True Love tightened their turns and accelerated at all the right times, leaving the rails up and soaring home in 62.823 seconds. Her time was untouched by the remaining competitors, and she finished the first class of the show with first place.

"It was a speed class, and my horse is really fast, just naturally," beamed Segal after her win. "It was a great class for him because he could be quicker across the ground and easily jump around. He likes this height too," she noted. "It's pretty easy for him to jump, and he feels really confident. I'm really happy with today. He was wonderful. I think he was better than I was," she laughed.

She felt that Jeffery's track was "a great course for the first day," and she stated, "Richard does a great job. He is always conscientious that the horses are in the ring for the first time. I thought this was a nice course because, if you wanted to school or go fast, the course was built so that you could do either one. I've shown here a couple of years, and I really enjoy it," noted Segal. "I think the ring is very different and interesting, and they always have beautiful fences and a lot of great classes."

Segal will compete with True Love tomorrow in the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix CSI 3*. The $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic is one of seven events in the Hagyard Challenge Series, a series of major show jumping competitions held throughout the summer at the Kentucky Horse Park. The series offers $215,000 in prize money, and this first class counts toward the $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus. The second $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic will be held next week at the Kentucky Spring Classic. The Kentucky Spring Classic will be held from May 14-18, 2008. 

Results of Class 225 - $5000 Open Jumper 1.40m II, Sec. 1
T/A: 79.00
1 766 TRUE LOVE SARAH SEGAL 0.00 62.823
SARAH SEGAL
2 293 ULTIMO VAN FER MONDE TODD MINIKUS 0.00 63.754
TODD MINIKUS LTD
3 1172 MAGIC CRUISE JIMMY TORANO 0.00 65.030
SCNC INVESTMENTS
4 1248 MASERATI CHRIS KAPPLER 0.00 65.719
MARCIA DAMMERMAN
5 334 INTREPIDE DU VALON ALISON ROBITAILLE 0.00 65.953
M/M BERTRAM FIRESTONE
6 1173 CALDAM ' OR JIMMY TORANO 0.00 66.472
SCNC INVESTMENTS
7 957 VICTOR III SHANE SWEETNAM 0.00 66.493
SPY COAST FARM
8 861 SYDNEY RAMIRO QUINTANA 0.00 66.832
KATHRYN QUIRK
9 764 TORNADO ANDREW WELLES 0.00 69.370
PETER WELLES
10 445 SANTANA ALISTER GATHERUM 0.00 69.457
ALL SEASONS FARM LLC
11 949 NEMO ROBERT KRAUT 0.00 70.158
MEGHAN MORAN
12 292 PAVAROTTI TODD MINIKUS 0.00 71.488
TODD MINIKUS LTD

Results of Class 226 - $5000 Open Jumper 1.45m II, Sec 2(b)
T/A: 84.00 T/A: 44.00
1 1165 ORMSBY HILL JIMMY TORANO 0.00 83.241 0.00 33.892
JIMMY TORANO AND DANIELLE
2 962 TRIVIANT SHANE SWEETNAM 0.00 80.409 0.00 34.219
CURTIS-LOURIE GROUP
3 553 LA GRAN PABLO BARRIOS 0.00 79.034 0.00 34.582
PABLO BARRIOS
4 302 ROMY TODD MINIKUS 0.00 83.405 0.00 34.601
DIAMOND GROUP
5 620 TWISTHER CHRISTINE MCCREA 0.00 82.791 4.00 38.934
CANDY TRIBBLE & WINDSOR S
6 1328 KAISER DE LA COUR EMILY WILLIAMS 2.00 85.805
EMILY WILLIAMS
7 619 TRIOMPHE DE MUZE JONATHAN MCCREA 2.00 85.870
CANDY TRIBBLE & WINDSOR S
8 300 PRESIDENTE TODD MINIKUS 4.00 79.775
SLEEPY P RANCH
9 1313 ARISTIDE SHANE SWEETNAM 4.00 80.107
BARBARA KELLY
10 545 SOUVENIR KEVIN BABINGTON 4.00 80.944
BARBARA WALL ROUX
11 1206 HIDDEN CREEK'S CALIPPO 1 MARGIE ENGLE 4.00 82.370
HIDDEN CREEK FARM
12 676 KING CARA CHESKA 4.00 82.431
CARA CHESKA