Piloting Marlou Virginia Resident Bests Olympic Team Riders

Upper Marlboro, MD – October 9, 2004 - Every rider has their day and for Kim Frey of Hume, VA, her day was October 9. Riding Marlou at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD, Frey won the $40,000 Ariat Congressional Cup Grand Prix besting the best riders in the nation, including Olympic team members Chris Kappler, Beezie Madden and McLain Ward.

Frey said, “Chris Kappler is very fast, Peter Pletcher is very fast. I didn’t even watch anyone before I went because I knew the fastest horse would win. They were both so close to me. I thought it was very exciting.”

The index of horses was packed with talent, and course designer Conrad Homfeld built a tough course for the FEI World Cup Qualifying class. Homfeld was able to narrow field of 34, allowing only seven riders to keep all the rails in the cups during the first round.

The first to tackle the jump off was individual Olympic bronze medalist Chris Kappler who rode Primeur 58 to a clear round. The pair set the pace and no one had a choice but to beat the clock. Kappler rode the clear round in 34.41 seconds and put the pressure on the riders who were to follow.

Peter Pletcher returned on Charmed but couldn’t beat Kappler’s time. Pletcher opted to make a wide outside turn to the third jump and in doing go, gave up the win. He posted a 38.56. Frey was the next to attempt the course and it was clear she was attempting to leave Kappler in the dust. Posting a 32.73 Frey not only cut Kappler’s time, she set a new pace for the remaining horses.

Lauren Bass and Lauren Hough were both able to leave the jumps up but couldn’t beat Frey’s time. Bass posted a 33.17 which was good enough for second and Hough stopped the clock in 33.9 seconds – a finish that left her in third.

Following the class Hough commented on the class saying, “I really want to say what a fantastic venue it is to have a WC qualifier at this place. We don’t have a lot of Indoor events and I really commend the management for stepping up to the plate and holding an FEI class. I think the course was set up fantastic and it was really good sport and good competition tonight. I was thrilled with my finish.”

The Capital Challenge Horse Show concludes on Sunday, October 10. On the final day of the show children’s hunters will compete in the outdoor and annex rings while the junior hunters conclude their division indoors. The final World Champion Hunter Rider classes will run for the junior and children’s hunters. Admission to the show is free and classes run in three rings throughout the day. Results, photos and the time schedule can be found on the Capital Challenge website: www.capitalchallenge.org . For more information on the Capital Challenge Horse Show call (301) 260-2467 prior to the show or (301) 952-7944 during the show.