Becky Douglas - Worth the Trip from Minnesota

The caliber of Capt. Mark Phillips' course, the quality of the footing and $10,000 in prize money drew distant horses and riders with impressive resumes, like Becky Douglas of Hugo, Minn., an alternate for the 2000 Olympics on the three-day-event team.

Douglas, who won the intermediate division with Highland Hogan and was fourth in advanced with Courageous Comet, traveled 1,200 miles west to run at Jackson. "I'd hear good things about the course from Mark Phillips'," Douglas said. She thought the terrain would prepare her horses well for the fall competitions she'd planned for them back east. "I was thrilled with the footing — springy turf on all the courses."

Though western Wyoming experienced dry weather and above normal temperatures in July, the conversion from flood to sprinkler irrigation at Spring Creek and some well-timed evening rainstorms during the event resulted in great competition conditions. The course was changed somewhat to allow for $2 million worth of new roads, berms and landscaping in Dr. Roubin's plan, but course builder Mick Costello and crew executed Phillips' adjustments beautifully in time.

Personal Best for Sara Mittleider and El Primero

Following Douglas in the intermediate division, 17-year-old Sara Mittleider and her eight-year-old Thoroughbred gelding El Primero finished on their personal best intermediate dressage score for second place.

Clocking the fastest cross country time and one of only four double clean show jumping rounds, Mittleider and "Tony" are ready for the move up to advanced when Sara turns 18 next spring, her father and trainer Gary Mittleider said.