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Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2008 - The 2008 Washington International Horse Show continued in its third day of competition and saw the Open Jumpers begin with the $25,000 International Open Jumper class. Mario Deslauriers of Canada rode Paradigm to the win in the first class, which was a qualifier for Saturday night's $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix. Hillary Dobbs of Sussex, NJ, and Marengo put together the highest score to win the $20,000 Gambler's Choice class in the evening session.

The course designer for all of the jumper cours es this week is Richard Jeffrey of Bournemouth, England. The $25,000 International Open Jumper class was a Time First Round format, and there were 26 entries in the class. Deslauriers went tenth in the order and was chasing the fast time of 53.76 seconds set by Darragh Kerins on Night Train, owned by Double H Farm. Kerins finished in second place, while Carolyn Kelly and Rulanda were third in 53.46 seconds.

Deslauriers and Paradigm, a 14-year- old gelding, sped easily through the course with neat turns to bring the winning time down to 52.16 seconds with no faults. Although there were eight clear rounds in the class, nobody was able to catch his time.

The top Canadian rider was pleased with hi s win today. "It feels good. I had a so-so week last week in Harrisburg, so it's good to come here and break the ice in good fashion the first day and win. My horse has been jumping well, just a little unlucky here and there. But today, he was great," Deslauriers commented.

Deslauriers felt that Paradigm was comfortable with th e speed class as his opening trip at Washington . "This horse is very good usually in these Time First Round classes. It's good for me to let him go the first day to catch everything a little bit forward," he explained. "I've known this horse for a few years now, and I know him well enough to take those risks the first time in the indoor and to go fast."

This is Deslauriers first time back to the WIHS in more than five years and he said he was enjoying his time in Washing ton D.C. "It's a nice city to come to and a nice show. Everything was great for the first class," he said.

Hillary Dobbs, last year's Leading Open Jumper Ri der, kept her winning form in Washington by taking the blue ribbon in the $20,000 Gambler's Choice. She rode Marengo, her horse that won two classes here last year.

Dobbs smiled and said that Gam bler's Choice classes are a "little bit stressful," due to their uncertain nature of choosing a course and being ready for anything. She and her trainers, Missy Clark and John Brennan, were "brainstorming courses," but they made last minute changes to the plan. "It ended up being totally necessary because McLain was only behind me by 70 points," she said. "Missy masterminded a great course."

McLain Ward just missed winning the Gambler's Choice class two years in a row. He and Goldika 559 finished in second with 1200 points, just behind Dobbs' 1270 accumulation. Christine McCrea and Twisther finished third with 990 points.

Dobbs thought her opening class with Marengo was the p erfect setting for her speedy horse. "It was his first time in the ring this week, and I was very pleased with the way he jumped. He felt fresh and careful. He enjoys this kind of competitive class too, galloping and turning. He's just a very competitive horse, and this is right up his alley," she said.

The night session featured the always popular Barn Night competition, so the seats were full of enthusiastic fans. Marengo and Dobbs were unfazed by the loud atmosphere, and Dobbs actually thought it made her horse rise to the occasion.

"I think the more atmosphere and cheering an d the more I'm spurring him on, makes him jump even better," she said. "He feels the presence of the crowd. I enjoy those kinds of fun classes here. I'm looking forward to the costume pair class tomorrow!"

Paige Johnson of The Plains, VA, and C hiron S were last to go and won the Amateur-Owner Jumper Time First Round class with a clear round in the fastest time of 55.964 seconds. Second place in the Amateur Owner Jumpers went to Natalie Johnson of Greenwich, C T with one of her two mounts in the class, Rodenburgh's California. The pair rode across the finish line with no faults and a time of 60.905 seconds. Then it was Natalie Johnson again in third place with her other horse, Tokade de Kalvarie with zero faults and a finishing time of 67.961 seconds.

Alexandra A rute of Avon, CT, and Saphira took home the top prize in the opening class for the Junior Jumpers. They went fourth in the class of 22, but they set the standard that no one else could beat in their 55.844 second, zero fault round. Clementine Goutal and Rastella, owned by Halifax Farm in Wellington, FL, won second place in the Junior Jumpers today with a clear, 56.505 second round. Third place went to Kimberly McCormack on Jamison, owned by Athlone Partners of Elmira, NY, with a clear round in a time of 57.276 seconds.

On tomorrow's jumper schedule for the 2008 WIHS are t he Amateur-Owner Jumper's Ambassador's Cup class, the junior jumpers, and another qualifier for the International Open Jumpers in the day session. The night session, which begins at 7:15 p.m., will include the Costume Pair relay, a Four-in-Hand driving demonstration by Chester Weber, an American Saddlebred demonstration, and an Ashley Holzer dressage demonstration. The $25,000 Puissance class will cap off a full night of fun.

For full results and more information, please vi sit www.wihs.org.

FINAL RESULTS: $25,000 I NTERNATIONAL OPEN JUMPER
1 PARADIGM MARIO DESLAURIERS
2 RULANDA  CAROLYN KELLY
3 NIGHT TRAIN DARRAGH KER INS
4 QUINCY B HILLARY DOBBS
5 LAPACCO SCHUYLER RILEY
6 HIDDEN CREEK 'S PAMINA L MARGIE ENGLE
7 ORMSBY HILL JIMM Y TORANO
8 VANCOUVER D'AUVRAY DANIELLE TORANO
9 UP CHIQUI KENT FARRINGTON
10 SAPPHIR E McLAIN WARD
11 URBANUS CHARLIE JAYNE12 BOTTOM LINE JENN SEREK

FINAL RESULTS: $20,000 GAMBLER'S CHOICE
1 MARENGO HILLARY DOBBS
2 GOLDIKA 559< span> McLAIN WARD
3 TWISTHER CHRISTINE McCREA
4 BRAVO VA N DE KWAKKELHOEK BRIANNE GOUTAL
5 CARLSSON VON DACH DARRAGH KERINS
6 BOXTER ANGEL KAROL YI
7 SINATRA IV AARON VALE
8 SORBET TE ERYNN BALLARD
9 CONCERTO MARIO DESLAURIERS
10 CREME BRULE BEEZIE MADDEN

FINAL RESULTS: $2,500 AMATEUR OWNER JUM PERS
1 CHIRON S PAIGE JOHNSON
2 RODENBURGH'S CALIFORNIA NATA LIE JOHNSON
3 TOKADE DE KALVARIE NATALIE JOHNSON
4 RONJA MARLEY GOODMAN
5 LUCKY ONE LILY HAHN
6 SEA COAST CANTONA Z DANIELLE TORANO
7 SR. DOCTRO B LYTHE MASTERS
8 NALEIDA CATIE BOONE

FINAL RESULTS: $2500 JUNIOR JUMPERS
1 SAPHIRA ALEXANDRA ARUTE
2 RASTELLA CLEMENTINE GOUTAL
3 JAMISON KIMBERLY McCO RMACK
4 LA PAZ CAITLIN HOPE
5 PERFEKT CHASE BOGGIO
6 KELLINE FONROY CLEMENTINE GOUTAL
7 VENTURO JENNI FER WAXMAN
8 PERLE SAMANTHA SCHAEFER