McLain
Ward and Larioso Catch Win in Fifth Round of $25,000
WEF Challenge Cup Series at Winter Equestrian Festival
 Wellington,
FL – February 22, 2007 – The fifth round
of the $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series was the sole
class in the Internationale Arena today during the Bainbridge
Florida Classic, CSI-W, WCHR Spectacular presented by
the Palm Beach Post. The hunters are center stage this
week, but the jumpers still have today’s grand
prix, Sunday’s grand prix, Young Jumper classes
and the FEI World Children’s Jumper competition.
In today’s class, the course designer was Olaf
Petersen Jr. of Germany. The class was scored as a Table
A format at 1.50m in height. The time allowed was 87
seconds. Petersen set an interesting, turning course
that included an option at fence four. Riders could
either turn left to a one stride or right to a two stride
before continuing on to the skinny fence at jump five.
Another testing line was a triple bar to a vertical
in two strides to an oxer in four strides that was set
in front of the in-gate. Of the 57 entries, ten were
clear, 18 had four faults, four retired and two were
eliminated.
Ward mentioned, “It was a fun option for a speed.
I thought it was a good class, not too big. All of the
horses seemed to leave the ring confident for Sunday.
I think you had good horses in the ribbons.”
The first to go clear out of the seventh position in
the order was Michael Morrissey on Crabamboli. Morrissey
and the big, grey horse were going for the slow, clean
round, and they finished in 86.05 seconds. The next
to take over the lead was Margie Engle on Hidden Creek’s
Wapino. They took the two stride option on course and
sliced a whopping 14 seconds off of Morrissey’s
time. Memphis and Caitlin Shiels would make a run for
it and be clear, but their time was 81.18 seconds.
The
lead changed hands in the 24th spot in the order when
Todd Minikus and Houlihan Lawrence’s Olinda started
with a swift gallop to the first oxer. Minikus pushed
her though the one stride at fence 10 and came home
clear in 70.42 seconds. After the class, Minikus said,
“Actually, on my first horse that I rode, I thought
Pavarotti went amazingly well, but from the skinny to
the triple bar he slipped, and I ended up circling.
On Olinda, I came a little wider than I would have.
I saw Beezie go, and for sure she was much more to the
inside of my line to the triple bar. I thought Olinda
went fantastic. I guess it was almost to my disadvantage
that I rode one before Olinda because I was scared with
the slip.”
Daniel Deusser of Germany on Stal Tops’ Hooligan
de Rosyl had a deceiving pace. They finished clear in
76.65 seconds. Another clear round was notched by Christine
McCrea on Promised Land in 73.25 seconds.
Beezie Madden and her dependable mount Judgement, owned
by Iron Spring Farm, made a bid from the very start,
had an excellent turn to the line in front of the in-gate,
but they stopped the timers just short of Minikus’
time in 70.96 seconds. When asked where she was slower
than Minikus, Madden answered, “I didn’t
see Todd go, but I had an idea of how fast he was. I
think from one to two to three, if I had hit a little
better lick there, I think I might have been able to
nip him. Everywhere else I thought I was pretty good,
but I was a little slow there. I thought it was close.
I wanted to put Judgement in to win or get a good piece
of it.”
Norman Dello Joio and Glasgow were clear as well, but
were well short of the leading time when they finished
in 74.46 seconds. Another clean trip came from Eliza
Shuford and BCO Olymp in 83.03 seconds.
The last clear round in the class and the one to take
away the lead from Minikus was McLain Ward on Larioso,
owned by Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock. Ward was very
fast throughout the course and came home just a hair
faster than Minikus in 70.37 seconds. Ward remarked,
“He’s a very fast horse. I did some adds,
but he can do the adds very quickly. I knew it was going
to be close.”
The riders in the top three took the left turn option
on course. They explained that due to it being a one
stride (compared to two in the right turn) and being
fewer strides to the next jump, it was the faster option.
Madden said, “Margie was quite fast everywhere
else and did that (right turn) option about as fast
as you can and was four seconds behind.” Ward
added, “I don’t think it was possible to
go right and win.”
Resigned in his second place, Minikus wryly said, “I
didn’t see McLain go, [but] it didn’t surprise
me. Fact of the matter is, if Beezie nips me, if McLain
nips me, oh well. That’s how racing goes.”
Minikus was very pleased with Olinda, an 11 year old
Dutch Warmblood mare that he has only shown at the grand
prix level since last summer. “She is a green
horse at this level. It’s one class at a time
really – two steps forward, one step back kind
of thing – until they really become very solid.
I think I am going to show her on Sunday. This was her
third class for the circuit so far, so she’s probably
just knocking the rust off. She’s been kind of
chomping at the bit, if you will, to be a very competitive
mare.”
 Like
Minikus, Ward was happy with Larioso, who has not shown
extensively in the big grand prix classes. Ward has
ridden the 11 year old Selle Francais gelding for two
seasons. When one of his top horses, Goldika 559, was
injured in the first week of WEF, Larioso was asked
to move up. “This horse has really been a second
horse for me. He’s been a great campaigner, but
not a Sunday horse. He’s really been thrown into
the fire, and I’m proud of him handling it. A
lot of horses go by the wayside here when they get in
that situation,” he asserted.
While Larioso may not have as much experience, his inherent
speed is something that helps him win. “He was
always a fast horse, a quick type. I say that Sapphire
is a bit of a slow type, but he’s always been
a very fast horse and a winner,” Ward explained.
“He’s a fun horse to show because you always
have a chance to win the class.”Results of
Class 101 $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup V - Bainbridge Florida
Classic/WCHR Spectacular - February 22, 2007 T/A: 87.00
1 1068 LARIOSO MCLAIN WARD USA 0.00 70.37 $7500 MCLAIN
WARD
2 828 OLINDA TODD MINIKUS USA 0.00 70.42 $5500 HOULIHAN
LAWRENCE
3 989 JUDGEMENT BEEZIE MADDEN USA 0.00 70.96 $3250 IRON
SPRING FARM
4 936 HC WAPINO MARGIE ENGLE USA 0.00 72.93 $2000 HIDDEN
CREEK FARM
5 27 PROMISED LAND CHRISTINE MCCREA USA 0.00 73.25 $1500
CANDY TRIBBLE
6 1074 GLASGOW NORMAN DELLO JOIO USA 0.00 74.46 $1250
GLASGOW GROUP
7 982 HOOLIGAN DE ROSYL DANIEL DEUSSER GER 0.00 76.65
$1000 STAL TOPS
8 387 MEMPHIS CAITLYN SHIELS USA 0.00 81.18 $750 CAITLYN
SHIELS
9 966 B.C.O. OLYMP ELIZA SHUFORD USA 0.00 83.03 $750
ELIZA SHUFORD
10 965 CRABAMBOLI MICHAEL MORRISSEY USA 0.00 86.05 $500
EUGENE R. MISCHE
11 969 PARADIGM MARIO DESLAURIERS CAN 4.00 70.26 $500
MARIO DESLAURIERS
12 819 CASADORA LAUREN HOUGH USA 4.00 75.39 $500 LAURA
MATEO
13 243 IN STYLE IAN MILLAR CAN 4.00 75.69 $500 SUSAN
GRANGE
14 1061 EPIR LAURA BOWERY USA 4.00 76.45 $500 THE EPIR
GROUP
15 895 FLIER JIMMY TORANO USA 4.00 77.51 $500 HARRY
R. GILL
Jennifer Wood for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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