United
States’ McLain Ward and Sapphire Take Home Biggest
Prize in U.S. Outdoor Show Jumping History in €300,000
CN Worldwide Florida Open Grand Prix, CSI-5*
Canada’s Frankie Chesler Ortiz and Picolien Zeldenrust
Finish Second, Danielle Torano and Vancouver d’Auvrey
Stay Clear for Third
Wellington, FL – March 17, 2007 – The luck
of the Irish was on American rider McLain Ward’s
side today. He and his veteran partner Sapphire stayed
clear through two rounds of competition and had the
fastest clear round in the jump-off to win the largest
purse ever offered in an outdoor show jumping event
in the United States, the €300,000 CN Worldwide
Florida Open Grand Prix, CSI-5*. The grand prix today
was the first leg of nine competitions that make up
the CN Worldwide Global Champions Tour.
Today was the culminating show jumping event of the
2007 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington
before the circuit moves to Tampa, FL, for two weeks
of competition. In the biggest individual finishes of
their careers, Frankie Chesler Ortiz (CAN) and Danielle
Torano (USA) finished second and third, respectively.
Today’s class began with the top 50 qualifiers
at noon. Judy Garafalo Torres (USA) and Oliver III were
the first clear round in the 15th position. Eleven more
clear rounds would join her to move on to the second
round. The second round brought back the top 15 from
the first round. The order of go was determined by the
first round time. Two four-fault rounds were quick enough
to stay on to the second round, while one rider, Daniel
Deusser of Germany on Pristanna, had just one time fault
from the first round and advanced as well.
The courses today were designed by Guilherme Jorge of
Brazil. The masterful designer, who will test riders
at this year’s Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Finals
in April, set a large track for the second round. McLain
Ward described, "The second round was final day
championships jumping. I thought it was as big as you’d
jump anywhere. It was the real deal." While the
first round had 13 numbered obstacles, the second round
had just ten. Rails fell all over the course, but not
one of the top 15 riders had any major adversity.
"It’s very nice to be sitting here at the
final event here. WEF was my very first competition
in the United States. So, I’m very happy to have
made it to this competition today," Jorge said.
"I had a team out there and big support from Pepe
Gamarra and Steve Stephens. They showed me how the horses
were jumping so well and so we could really build. This
is the biggest course I’ve ever built for the
biggest grand prix. We had great jumping and the atmosphere
was fantastic, so I’m really, really pleased."
The first to return for the second course was Ken Berkley
(USA) on Carlos Boy, owned by Alexa Weisman. He carried
over four faults from the first round, and added eight
more faults after the second round for a total of 12
faults. This would put him in 14th place at the end
of the class.
 Beezie
Madden (USA) and Iron Spring Farm’s Judgement
were the other four-faulters from the first round. Madden
had to circle before the huge triple bar in a corner
after they had the top plank down at fence three. This
led to eight jumping and one time faults, for a two
round total of 13 faults and 15th place.
Deusser and Pristanna, owned by Stal Tops, had just
one time fault in the first round and duplicated that
score in the second round. Their two round total of
two faults would keep them out of the jump-off and left
them in fifth place.
Yann Candele of France was the first rider with no faults
carried over to attempt the second round course. On
Mustique, owned by Susan Grange and Lothlorien, Candele
had the last fence down in the second round for a two
round total of four faults. In the event of a tie in
total faults, placings were determined by the first
round time. This put Mustique and Candele in 11th place
overall.
Lisa Silverman (USA) and Obelix R had a rail into the
one stride on course for four faults. Their four fault
total and slightly faster first round time gave them
10th place.
The first to go clear in the second round was Torano
and Sir Ruly’s Vancouver d’Auvrey, a nine-year-old
Belgian Warmblood stallion. They bounced around the
course with apparent ease to set the crowd on fire.
Nick Skelton (GBR) and Russel was another pair to fall
victim to the plank jump and their four fault total
left them with ninth place. Richard Spooner and Show
Jumping Syndicate’s Cristallo, who made the trip
from California to compete, had a heartbreaking rail
at fence nine for four total faults and eighth place.
On Ublesco owned by Trelawny Farm, Cara Raether (USA)
could not quite make it over the triple bar. Their four
fault total and quicker time gave them seventh place.
On the 17-year-old Swedish Warmblood stallion Oliver
III, Garofalo Torres was unable to match her first clear
round. Their rail at the final jump relegated them to
sixth place with the fastest four fault score.
A jump-off was guaranteed when Eric Lamaze (CAN) and
the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion Hickstead,
owned by Torrey Pines Stable and Ashland Stables, soared
around the course for a clear round.
Todd Minikus (USA) and Pavarotti had a rail at fence
5a and another at fence 9 to total eight faults for
13th place.
McLain Ward and Sapphire, owned by Ward and Blue Chip
Bloodstock, added their clear round to the jump-off
list, but Ward’s fellow World Equestrian Games
teammate Laura Kraut and Miss Independent would not
when they had the final two fences down. Kraut and Miss
Independent finished in 12th place.
It would be a four horse jump-off after Chesler Ortiz
and Picolien Zeldenrust, a ten-year-old Dutch Warmblood
mare owned by Sher Al Farm, had the fastest clear second
round.
Torano was the first to return for the jump-off. "I
was more nervous going into the second round than the
jump-off," she remembered. "For me, there’s
no pressure to go first." She and Vancouver d’Auvrey
galloped to the first jump, made a good slice across
the second vertical and kept an efficient pace throughout.
The striking bay stallion jumped a foot over every jump
and was able to notch a third clear round for the day
in a time of 37.48 seconds, which would hold up for
third place.
As a rider who is always a threat in the jump-off, Lamaze
and Hickstead had their trademark fast and furious style
today. It was not to be when they pulled a rail at fence
9 for four faults in 37.96 seconds.
Stalking Torano’s lead next was Ward and Sapphire.
While Sapphire’s speed has been downplayed in
the past, she had no trouble beating the leading time
by over two seconds. Ward and Sapphire were triple clear
and had a jump-off time of 35.25 seconds.
"She’s a big-strided horse, but she can rollback
very tight because she jumps the fences very easily,"
Ward noted. "I wanted to shave the turns just a
little bit tighter, and I thought that might make up
the time."
The last to go in the jump-off was Chesler Ortiz and
Picolien Zeldenrust. They struck up a gallop, which
they carried through the course. Chesler Ortiz was near
Ward’s time, but with an added stride to the last
jump, they just missed the win. They finished in 37.32
seconds. "I should have left one step out to the
last jump," she acknowledged. "I didn’t
get to see McLain go, and I know that he’s very
fast on that horse. My horse is fast across the ground
and across the jumps, but the turns are still a little
tricky with her. I took a little extra time through
the last turn and to the last jump. I think I made the
right choice for her. She left the ring really confident."
Chesler Ortiz bought the talented mare when she was
seven and said Picolien has grown "leaps and bounds,
getting here this fast." She added, "She’s
really coming into her own now. I love riding her. The
course was challenging, but I feel like I can face the
challenge with her."
Torano has owned Vancouver d’Auvrey for almost
a year, but had not shown him much. She gave birth to
a daughter, Natalia, in December and began riding again
at the beginning of this year. She and husband Jimmy
Torano compete in the grand prix ranks together. "Jimmy
kept saying, ‘I have a good feeling about this
today,’" Torano laughed. "I didn’t
think I was as fast as Eric or McLain, who is really
fast and has so much more experience. I really tried
to go clean, but I didn’t want to crawl. I thought
I’d do as much as I thought I could do. It was
just one of those times when everything showed up. When
we walked the second course, I said to Jimmy, ‘These
are huge. I can walk under most of these.’ But,
I wasn’t thinking, ‘I can’t do it.’
It’s definitely the biggest course I’ve
jumped."
CN President and CEO Hunter Harrison, whose company
sponsored this week’s horse show, commented, "I
thought it was a wonderful day, a wonderful competition.
It was a great competition, a great crowd, and it was
a great day for South Florida."
Jan Tops, creator of the Global Champions Tour, was
also pleased with today’s competition. "I
need to thank Mr. Harrison and CN Worldwide. He was
the first who believed in this vision to let our sport
grow and make it better for the horse and for the rider,"
he said. "I want to thank the riders as well. This
was an important class; they were all serious, on time
and ready for this class. I think the best job today
was from the course builder. The start is fantastic,
and I look forward to the rest of the Global Champions
Tour."
For his win today, McLain Ward took home $133,000, part
of the biggest purse ever awarded in the United States
in an outdoor show jumping event. Ward conveyed, "I’d
like to say a special thanks to the Global Champions
Tour and CN. This is where our sport needs to go. We
were live on TV today in Europe and there was great
prize money. These horses and riders work very hard,
and it’s nice that the prizes match that. It’s
nice to have great sponsors like this come along and
it makes our life very nice."
About his jump-off round, Ward described, "I saw
Danielle go. She didn’t go crazy, but it was fast
and it was neat. I was a little relieved to see Eric
have a fence down because he has a very fast horse.
My goal was to go a little bit faster than Danielle
and try to put some pressure on Frankie. It worked out.
I have a great horse and a great team."
Ward summed up his feelings about Sapphire easily. "Sapphire
always feels amazing. She’s now very seasoned.
As long as I don’t make a major error, which sometimes
I can even get away with, she’s going to perform
well. I feel that I can answer most questions with her
now. She’s a horse of a lifetime."
"I think it’s probably my biggest personal
win," he went on to say. "I have a lot of
people to thank for it. Hunter was a big part of my
success. Now, a friend of mine, Thomas Grossman, is
a part of it, and most importantly, my father, who spearheads
my success. I owe most of the credit to him."
Eugene R. Mishce, president of Stadium Jumping Inc.
and chairman of the Winter Equestrian Festival competition
committee, summed up, "I have to thank my staff
for their hard work and long hours. I’d also like
to thank the riders who did an excellent job today and
showed what the sport is all about. We’re really
proud to be part of the Global Champions Tour and of
Jan Tops’ vision. I have to thank CN Worldwide
and Hunter Harrison. Without our sponsors, this competition
wouldn’t be possible."
Guilherme Jorge, Gene Mishe,
Hunter Harrison, McLain Ward, Frankie Chesler
Ortiz, Danielle Torano, Jan Tops
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CN Worldwide Wellington Finale CSI 5* - March 18, 2007
T/A: 72.00 T/A: 47.00
1 3077 SAPPHIRE MCLAIN WARD USA 0.00 88.29 0.00 68.53
0.00 0.00 35.25 MCLAIN WARD
2 1514 PICOLIEN ZELDENRUST FRANKIE C ORTIZ CAN 0.00
86.09 0.00 63.29 0.00 0.00 37.32 SHER AL FARM
3 2809 VANCOUVER D'AUVREY DANIELLE TORANO USA 0.00 93.23
0.00 69.26 0.00 0.00 37.48 SIR RULY
4 1468 HICKSTEAD ERIC LAMAZE CAN 0.00 91.93 0.00 68.43
0.00 4.00 37.96 TORREY PINES STBLE
5 2762 PRISTANNA DANIEL DEUSSER GER 1.00 96.39 1.00
72.20 2.00 STAL TOPS
6 1744 UBLESCO CARA RAETHER USA 0.00 92.28 4.00 69.98
4.00 TRELAWNY FARM
7 2622 CRISTALLO RICHARD SPOONER USA 0.00 92.76 4.00
65.76 4.00 SHOW JUMPING SYN.I
8 2677 OLIVER III JUDY GAROFALO TORRES USA 0.00 92.19
4.00 69.70 4.00 HIGHER GROUND FARM
9 559 OBELIX R LISA SILVERMAN USA 0.00 93.24 4.00 68.69
4.00 LISA SILVERMAN
10 3161 RUSSEL NICK SKELTON GBR 0.00 92.83 4.00 66.21
4.00 JOHN HALES
11
654 MUSTIQUE YANN CANDELE FRA 0.00 93.63 4.00 71.84
4.00 SUSAN GRANGE
12 2286 MISS INDEPENDENT LAURA KRAUT USA 0.00 87.84
8.00 65.22 8.00 MISS INDEPEND. GRP
13 2841 PAVAROTTI TODD MINIKUS USA 0.00 89.77 8.00 67.92
8.00 TODD MINIKUS LTD
14 1711 CARLOS BOY KEN BERKLEY USA 4.00 88.15 8.00 65.74
12.00 ALEXA WEISMAN
15 1960 JUDGEMENT BEEZIE MADDEN USA 4.00 86.60 9.00
76.00 13.00 IRON SPRING FARM
Jennifer Wood for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
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not be used without written permission
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