Gladstone, NJ- October 4, 1998 - Cullen Latimer (16) of Pound Ridge, NY won the BET/USET Show Jumping Talent Search Finals-East. The Finals were presented by Sooner Trailer, held October 3-4, 1998 at United States Equestrian Team (USET) Headquarters and Olympic Training Center in Gladstone, NJ.

Judges Patty Stovel and Carol Maloney placed the top ten as follows;

1. Cullen Latimer (16) of Pound Ridge, NY (pictured above, right)
   
2. Patricia Griffth (20) of White Plains, NY (pictured below, left)
   
3. Marley Goodman (17) of Palm Beach, FL (pictured below, right)
   
4. Sarah Willeman (15) of South Hamilton, MA (pictured bottom, left)
   
5. Dominique Richter (17) of Cazenovia, NY
   
6. Kristin Brinkerhoff (17) of Shelburne, VT
   
7. Tiffany Cornacchio (15) of Baiting Hollow, NY
   
8. Katie Escherich (17) of Bronxsville, NY
   
9. Jennifer Hannan (14) of Wakefield, RI
   
10. Kate Levy (16) of New Haven, CT

The BET/USET Show Jumping Talent Search Finals-East, presented by Sooner Trailer, consisted of four phases held over two days.

Phase 1 - Flat Phase
Riders must perform specific tests of their riding skills without jumps.
Phase 2 - Gymnastics
Riders must jump combinations of jumps in the Gymnastic Phase
Phase 3 - Show Jumping
Riders must negotiate a grandprix style course of fences

The top four riders then return for the final (fourth) phase, the Ride-Off, and begin that round with an equal score. In this phase each rider negotiates a course of jumps first with their own horse and then with each of the other finalists' horses.

"The BET/USET Show Jumping Talent Search Finals are comprehensive tests of an individual rider's skills. Those riders who have gained exposure to many different types of horses have a definite edge coming into this exciting competition where strengths on one horse may turn out to be weaknesses on another," said Sally Ike, USET Director of Show Jumping Activities. "Every rider learns something just by competing."

Sponsors

BET Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE-BTV). Black Entertainment Television (BET) is the nation's first and only national television network providing a platform for quality programming targeting an African-American audience. BET is currently available in over 51 million households, as reported by Nielsen Media Research.

Sooner Trailer, the official trailer of the United States Equestrian Team, is a founding member of the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers. Sooner Trailers are built in a modern facility in Duncan, Oklahoma. From three employees in 1970 to more than 300 skilled craftsmen using state of the art equipment and technology today, Sooner Trailer remains an industry leader setting new standards of excellence. For more information, please call Sooner Trailer Mfg. Co., Inc. at (580) 255-6979, Fax (580) 255-9783, or visit www.soonertrailers.com today.

See the online video clip of winner Cullen Latimer!