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Cilthe Z and Laura Chapot Race to Acorn Hill Section A 1.40m Speed Win at WEF Great Britain’s Robert Smith Gets by Jimmy Torano in Section B - Laura Bowery Notches Second Season Win in Section C
One hundred and thirty-eight competitors were on the starting list for today’s Acorn Hill 1.40m Speed Challenge, the regular Friday fixture at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Because of the huge numbers, today’s class was divided into three separate sections. The classes were scored under USEF Table II, Sec. 1 – Time First Round. Leopoldo Palacios of Caracas, Venezuela is designing the courses this week at WEF. In Section A, it was a dominating victory for Neshanic Station, New Jersey’s Laura Chapot. Riding Cilthe Z, Chapot put in a stunning fault-free performance, clocking in at 75.617 seconds, a full 3.2 seconds faster than second place finisher Julie Welles of West Simsbury, Connecticut, who clocked in at 78.832 seconds aboard Gael Force. Wellington’s McLain Ward finished a distant third with Ademain. Ward broke the beams in 80.057 seconds. Rounding out the top six in section A were Jaime Guerra of Mexico, finishing fourth on Santa Teresita Salamanc in 80.248 seconds, Eliza Shuford and Gustel II in 80.412 seconds, and then ten seconds further back to sixth place finisher Charlie Jayne and Urbanis. Jayne’s time was 90.550 seconds. “She’s a great horse. She’s very careful, and very, very fast,” said Chapot following today’s speed victory. “She has a little bit of a mind of her own, so once I set the pace going to the first fence; I don’t really think I could go slower, even if I wanted to.” Asked if she was walking a fine line between really fast and out of control, Chapot said with a laugh, “I think there is a fine line, but I don’t think she’s crossed it yet.” “We only got her last summer,” Chapot detailed. “She’s just eight years old, and we just moved her up from the Young Jumpers and the 1.35m to the 1.40m down here in Florida and she’s been going great.” Chapot talked about having 2008 Beijing Olympic Course Designer Leopoldo Palacios doing the courses this week at WEF. “I always love riding Leopoldo’s courses. He’s a genius,” she said. “It was a nice, flowing course today. He always sets a really good, challenging course without making it so difficult that people can’t get around.” In the B Section of the Acorn Hill Speed Challenge, Robert Smith of Great Britain, a three time winner on the Internationale Arena field last year, made his first trip down victory lane for the 2007 tour, posting a narrow win over Ft. Lauderdale’s Jimmy Torano. Smith guided Mike Dawson’s Columbia around the speed course without penalty and clocked in at 61.725 seconds. Torano fell just short of the mark on Marlo, tripping the timers a second shy of Smith’s top time, in 62.763 seconds. The balance of the top ribbon winners were a good distance behind the two frontrunners. Third place finisher Candice King crossed the finish line in 67.748 seconds on Jackalou, a full five seconds off the pace set by second place finisher Torano. Fourth place went to Romain Marteau on Formidable 18 in 69.200 seconds, while fifth place honors were awarded to Stephen Pack and Bright’s Creek Showtime in 70.993. The green ribbon for sixth went to Loreal Des Forets and Isabelle Lapierre in 71.007 seconds. The final section of the Acorn Hill 1.40m Speed Challenge, with forty starters, came to a close at 5:30pm this afternoon. Laura Bowery of Bridgehampton, N.Y. posted her second big win of the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival tour in Section C, racing to victory aboard Palona. Bowery’s finish time of 63.939 seconds was 1.8 seconds better than Great Britain’s Nick Skelton, who slotted in second with Namur 47. Skelton crossed the finish line in 65.761 seconds. Laura Kraut and Le Prestige St. Lois, were a second and half behind Skelton, taking third place honors in 67.313 seconds. Just a couple of ticks behind Kraut was fourth place finisher Alison Robitaille and Porquoi. Robitaille’s final time was 67.520 seconds. Fifth and sixth place in Section C went to Great Britain’s Louise Whitaker and Beezie Madden respectively. Whitaker tripped the timers in 67.860 seconds aboard Tom Boy and Madden was under the wire in 68.277seconds riding Heltoile Platiere. Saturday’s features include the Amateur Owner Jumpers Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classic at 10 a.m. followed by the main event, the $20,000 1.50m Classic at 1 p.m. Results of 1005 1.40M ACORN HILL CHALLENGE - SECTION A - Zada Enterprises Wellington Masters - March 2, 2007 T/A: 101.00
Results of 1005 1.40M ACORN HILL CHALLENGE - SECTION B - Zada Enterprises Wellington Masters - March 2, 2007 T/A: 82.00
Results of 1005 1.40M ACORN HILL CHALLENGE - SECTION C - Zada Enterprises Wellington Masters - March 3, 2007 T/A: 79.00
Photo Credit: Laura Chapot and Cilthe Z raced to the win in the A Section of the Acorn Hill Speed Challenge at WEF on Friday. © 2007 PMG Pictures/Peter Llewellyn |
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Wellington,
FL – The hottest day of the year so far here in South Florida
was highlighted by three smoking hot speed classes on the Internationale
Arena field at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington. Week
six of the thirty-fifth annual Winter Equestrian Festival, the Zada
Enterprises LLC Wellington Masters, has seen the largest of turnout
of show jumpers on the 2007 tour to date. 
