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

Lexington, KY - May 14, 2008 - The Kentucky Spring Classic launched into action this morning at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The 1.40m Open Jumpers were met with cold rain and wet conditions. Despite the storms, the Sheila C. Johnson Arena held up well, and Alison Robitaille took first and third place with her mounts Pourquoi and Garfield 211, respectively. The 1.45m Open Jumper class was cancelled for the day because of approaching thunderstorms.

With a time allowed of 76 seconds, exhibitors participated in the 1.40m speed class over a course designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. Fifty horse and rider combinations were signed up for the class, which began at 8:30 a.m. The course included 11 fences and 13 jumping efforts.

Robitaille of Upperville, VA, earned top honors with her mare Pourquoi after they executed a smooth, clear round, coming home in 62.273 seconds. Shane Sweetnam and Houston, owned by Casey Curtis of Palm Beach, FL, finished in second place with their quick time of 62.706 seconds, and Robitaille also captured the yellow ribbon with her second mount Garfield 211, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone. She guided Garfield home in 63.160 seconds.

Ocala, Florida's Aaron Vale and Electric, owned by ABC 4 Horses, clocked in at 66.227 seconds, finishing in fourth place, and Candice King received the fifth place ribbon with Toronto, owned by AAA Equestrian. King and her mount finished Jorge's course in 68.015 seconds.

"Pourquoi is an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare," smiled Robitaille. "I've had her since she was two, so we broke her and have done everything with her. She's just a real winner and a real competitor. She felt really good out on course. She doesn't mind the rain at all, and she loves to go fast, so she was up for it today."

Robitaille described the course as "nice" and stated, "There were some nice inside options. I had a couple of other horses that I rode to use it as a training class. You could go for it, or there was a nice outside way to go around the course and get things done."

She said of her third place finisher, "Garfield is a 9-year-old German Warmblood. I'm thrilled with how he went today. He's a real competitor too and just really fun to go fast on. I was glad he didn't mind the rain either. The other two that I showed, Intrepide Du Valon and Vio Volo, were getting ready for the classic tomorrow, so I just went really slowly with them. They felt pretty good."

Tomorrow Robitaille will compete with Pourquoi and Garfield in the 1.40m Open Jumpers, and she will show Intrepide Du Valon and Vio Volo in the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix CSI 3*. In addition, she will compete with her horse Cartell in the 7/8 Year-Old Jumpers. "I'm still getting to know him," she added. "Cartell is a newer ride for me, so I'm excited to see how he comes along this summer." 

She has attended the Kentucky Spring Horse Show for years. "I love this facility. It seems like they are making a lot of changes now for the World Equestrian Games, and I think that's only a good thing. Hopefully it will continue to grow and become an even better show," she said.

The Kentucky Spring Classic will continue tomorrow with the 1.40m and the 1.45m Open Jumpers. Additionally, the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix CSI 3* will be held, which is the second of seven events in the Hagyard Challenge Series. The Hagyard Challenge Series, sponsored by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, features $215,000 in prize money and continues at the Kentucky Horse Park throughout the summer.

The first class, the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic Grand Prix CSI 3*, was held last Thursday, May 8, and Danielle Toronto of Fort Lauderdale, FL, won first prize with her mount Marlo. The final event in the series, the $50,000 World Cup qualifying grand prix, is scheduled for the Kentucky National Indoor Horse Show on Friday, September 26. After this concluding grand prix, the Hagyard Challenge Series will award its top competitor with a $50,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

For more information about the Kentucky Spring Classic or the Hagyard Challenge Series, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.orse e NAT R1 Faults R1 Time J/O Faults J/O Time

Results of 1.40 Jumpers Speed
T/A: 76.00
1 337 POURQUOI ALISON ROBITAILLE 0.00 0.000 0.00 62.273
M/M BERTRAM FIRESTONE
2 1312 HOUSTON SHANE SWEETNAM 0.00 0.000 0.00 62.706
CASEY CURTIS
3 333 GARFIELD 211 ALISON ROBITAILLE 0.00 0.000 0.00 63.160
M/M BERTRAM FIRESTONE
4 465 ELECTRIC AARON VALE 0.00 0.000 0.00 66.227
ABC 4 HORSES
5 665 TORONTO CANDICE KING 0.00 0.000 0.00 68.015
AAA EQUESTRIAN
6 1153 ELENTARI INIGO REYNOSO 0.00 0.000 0.00 72.060
INIGO REYNOSO
7 71 COCU NICOLE SIMPSON 0.00 0.000 0.00 72.101
JANE CLARK
8 386 DISCOVERY ROBIN SWEELY 0.00 0.000 0.00 74.169
ACORN HILL FARM
9 206 AMIS DE KANNAN LISA JACQUIN 0.00 0.000 2.00 77.074
TRESTLE TREE FARM & ARLET
10 339 VIA VOLO ALISON ROBITAILLE 0.00 0.000 2.00 77.190
M/M BERTRAM FIRESTONE
11 661 UNDINE SCHUYLER RILEY 0.00 0.000 4.00 63.621
TURTLE HALL FARM PARTNERS
12 1229 UNICUM LAUREN HOUGH 0.00 0.000 4.00 67.009
LAUREN HOUGH INC.

Photo: Pourquoi and Alison Robitaille, winners of the 1.40m Open Jumper class. Photo (C) 2008 Jenny Ross. Photograph may be used only in relation to this PMG press release.

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