Gladstone, NJ—October 17, 2002—Lisa Singer of Chadds Ford, PA, took the lead in the Triple Crown of Driving, presented by Driving Essentials, Inc./Glinkowski Carriages, after winning the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Pairs Championship at the Gladstone Driving Event, the second leg of the Triple Crown, held in Gladstone, NJ, October 11-13.

The 2002 Triple Crown consists of three events: The Laurels at Landhope Driving Event which took place September 6-8 in West Grove, PA; the Gladstone Driving Event; and the Fair Hill International Driving Event in Fair Hill, MD, October 24-27.

Singer, a two-time Triple Crown champion, took first place in Gladstone’s USET Pairs Championship with a score of 118.88 penalties. She now has a total of 229.60 penalties and the lead in the Triple Crown over Kate Shields of Middleburg, VA, who won the Advanced Singles division at Gladstone with a score of 129.63 penalties and is in second place in the Triple Crown standings with a two-event score of 237.70. Dave Vanderhoof finished second behind Shields in the Advanced Singles division with a score of 133.15 and sits in third place in the Triple Crown with an overall score of 265.10 penalties.

Each of the Triple Crown events, The Laurels, the Gladstone Driving Event and the Fair Hill International, offers a testing, three-phase competition. The components are dressage, highlighting training and obedience; the exciting marathon, where speed, timing, and nerve rule the day; and cones, which emphasizes accuracy. The competition is for horses showing at the advanced level in the Singles or Pairs divisions. There is no U.S. citizenship requirement, but drivers must compete at all three of the participating events.

The Triple Crown champion is determined by adding each competitor’s two best final scores from the three events with the championship being awarded to the driver with the lowest combined score from his or her two best events. The 2001 Triple Crown champion was Nancy Johnson of Lincoln, MA, with her horse Canequin’s Look Out.

This year, Driving Essentials, Inc. will provide the prize for the Triple Crown champion, a Glinkowski Carriage. The winner of the illustrious title will receive his or her choice of either a single or pair FEI Presentation or Marathon competition vehicle made by Glinkowski Carriages. For more information about the Triple Crown of Combined Driving, please call (610) 486-6484.