Caroline Moran And Saint Nick Win A-O Working Hunter Over 35 Championship, A
Louise Otten And Just Looking Win A-O Working Hunter Over 35 Championship, B

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2004 – Norman Dello Joio of Wellington, Florida, won the $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series – Round IV, CSI*** for the Barry Louise Lane Memorial Trophy today, riding Quriel for owner Eleanor Belknap. While the hunters have taken over the Internationale Arena this week at the 32nd Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, the Grand Prix normally held on Thursday moved to the DeNemethy Arena. Mehves Trak designed the courses for both fields.

A field of 32 riders took the 16-element test, a Time First Jump-Off where the fastest clear wins. Chris Kappler aboard Korina owned by Pro Jump led off, setting the pace with his clear round in 70.77, but he finished in second place. Dello Joio went 12th in the order and tripped the timers in 69.77. The rest of the field chased his time but though two more riders posted clean trips – Leslie Howard aboard her Edelf Bauchetiere (72.95) and Roberto Teran riding his Flubber Cocoy (79.47) – Dello Joio could not be caught.

“Our time held up so that was nice,” said Dello Joio. “The difficulty was that you had to go fast all the way around over a big course of fences and it was fairly intricate. There were five or six problems along the way that were major problems. We answered all those questions and kept everything prompt, and it was good enough.”

Quriel is a nine-year-old, French-bred Belgian that Dello Joio has been riding for two years. “He’s naturally a pretty fast horse and everything came up the way I wanted it to, so it wasn’t like we were racing around,” Dello Joio said. “Everything was very economical and came up easily.”

Dello Joio noted that he watched Chris Kappler go and took his cue off that ride. “He had a great round. Watching him I thought he was going to be hard to beat and I didn’t want to do anything radical but I just wanted to beat him by an inch, and that’s basically all that happened.”

Competing in a different venue did change the flavor of the event. “This class has its own nature because it’s a little bit more like an indoor type event,” explained Dello Joio. “Everything is off a tight turn and it’s in the DeNemthy not out in the big field, so it was more of a turning, handy kind of a course than a big galloping course.”

Dello Joio noted that his plan for Quriel is, “To keep winning and to keep going. He’s a very nice horse. He’s a very useful horse for me. He’s good at speed, jump-offs, grand prix, and he’s been a real pleasure to have. He’s always a threat pretty much every class. He won the Zada Grand Prix last year. He’s just been a great horse.”

Caroline Moran And Saint Nick Win A-O Working Hunter Over 35 Championship, A

It was a clean sweep for Caroline Moran and St. Nick in the Amateur-Owner Working Hunter Over 35, Section A. Over two days of competition, the duo won all four jumping classes and the hack, clinching the Championship. Moran, 37, of North Salem, NY, and Wellington, FL, has owned the 15-year-old, 16-hand, gray Dutch stallion for five years. Her trainer is Scott Williamson, who has been her coach for 12 years.

“The best thing about my horse is he’s gotten old and smart,” said Moran. “He’s gotten much more relaxed. It takes half the work that it did before to get to the ring. He’s always been in a groove but now it seems like he’s comfortable with it and is very level-headed about everything.” Moran was especially pleased at how St. Nick handled the Internationale Arena compared to their performance in the Florida Classic/WCHR Spectacular in 1999 – their first show together. “He had shown in there as a jumper and so the head was up and he thought he was back in the jumper ring, but now he’s just taken a deep breath five years later and knows what he’s doing.”

The Championship was especially sweet for this ‘rookie’ in the Over 35 division. “This is my first year as an ‘Older’ – it’s tough!” said Moran. “It’s not any easier when you move up because there’s a lot of good riders and a lot of good horses in this division. This is the first year they’ve had to split them because there are over 50 in the class. There’s a lot of experience in this ring.” Moran said it was an extra special win because her mother had come down from Pennsylvania to watch her compete this week.

She called St. Nick’s overall performance in the division “spectacular” though she admitted that. “He has a tendency sometimes to get a little cranky and get some attitude but that’s just the stallion in him. I do breed him quite a bit.” Though she is an amateur, Moran rides full time, also shows in the jumpers, and operates her Goshen Hill Farm. Moran plans to cut back on her stallion’s show schedule for the remainder of the year. “He’s going to have an easy year this year. He’s already qualified for Devon and Harrisburg because he was champion there last year. I talked about retirement but if he keeps going the way he is, then he’ll show a little bit next year, but that horse doesn’t owe me anything. I’m not going to show him forever.”

Regarding her own performance, Moran laughed, “It’s very weird to have a clean sweep. I’m very excited. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before. I’m ready to retire after that!” Moran and St. Nick will compete in the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation Hunter Classic Spectacular on Saturday night though Moran admits that St. Nick has not performed well under lights in the past. “But since my mother’s here I’m going to do it. He might be older and wiser this year – it will be interesting, we’ll see!”

Jackie Schubert riding her Max Q earned the Reserve A-O Working Hunter Over 35, Section A.

Louise Otten And Just Looking Win A-O Working Hunter Over 35 Championship, B

Louise Otten of Wayzata, Minnesota, riding Just Looking for her Alpine Farms won the Amateur-Owner Working Hunter Over 35 Championship, Section B. Competing in five classes over two days, the placed first in the hack, and over fences earned first, fourth, and two fifth place ribbons to clinch the top spot.

Overall, Otten was pleased with her horse’s performance. “He went really well. He had a couple of really tiny mistakes, except for the round where he was first – he was really good then. He was shaking his head with the earplugs yesterday but other than that he jumped beautifully in all four rounds,” she said, and added with a laugh, “But every little teeny thing counts in the hunters.”

Just Looking, whose barn name is ‘Jessie’, is a 10-year-old Thoroughbred that Otten has ridden for five years. She showed him previously in the Pre-Green, Adults, and First Years in Florida and in the Amateurs in the Midwest last year. “This is my first year of showing in this division and definitely my first time of showing him out there,” she said, indicating the Internationale Arena. “I was pretty nervous. It’s a real different thing to go out there. It’s wide open and the horses don’t show out there the rest of the time. We’re used to riding now in rings although I’m old enough to have ridden in outside courses, and I did.” Otten is a grandmother of four and has been riding since she was four years old. She intends to compete in the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation Hunter Classic Spectacular on Saturday night. “I will try it. That will be pretty scary.”

Otten credited her staff for her championship today. “You and the horse are just such a small part of getting to the ring. We have a groom and trainers that are really good.” In Florida, Otten trains with Timmy Kees, Chris Cawley, and Leslie Howard. “They’re all from Connecticut but I’ve been meeting them down here for years and years.” In Minnesota, Otten formerly trained with Debbie Kemp. “Debbie Kemp found this horse and did most of the training with me. She’s here watching, but doesn’t train now due to illness. This last year I’ve been training him pretty much on my own.”

Otten says she rides frequently but she’s got a lot more on her plate in the horse world. She owns Alpine Farms, a 60-horse hunter/jumper boarding and training stable in Minnesota with four trainers on staff. Plus, she owns half of a store called Shorty’s Loft that sells jewelry, clothing, home accessories, and artwork at horse shows. Her partner Nancy Sherman is currently keeping shop at the Indio Desert Circuit in California. Otten also manages two A-rated shows each year at her Alpine Farms. “I am a busy little gramma!” she laughed.

Caroline Moran and In Return earned the Reserve A-O Working Hunter Over 35, Section B.

Louis Otten and Caroline Moran as champions of the A and B sections each receive the Kilkenny Agency Perpetual Trophy for their victories.

For complete results, visit www.stadiumjumping.com

2004 WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL TICKET INFORMATION
Show days for the 2004 Winter Equestrian Festival are Wednesday through Sunday. Gates open at 8:00 am. Ticket Prices: Wednesdays are free to everyone; Children 12 and under are admitted free every day; Young Adults 13 to 18 and Seniors are $5 on Thursday through Sunday; Adults are $5 on Thursday and Friday, $10 on Saturday, and $15 on Sunday. The Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club is located on Pierson Road off South Shore Boulevard. For additional information, visit www.stadiumjumping.com or call 561-793-5867.