2003 Festival of Champions

Morse and Harrison-Naness Take Day One Blue Ribbons

Leslie Morse defines the stereotype of the Beverly Hills girl since the Californian lives there but looks more like the tomboy next door. But her mount, Kingston, lived up to his nickname of "stud muffin" as the ebony hue stallion pirouetted his way down the lineup of ribbon winners after he earned the Grand Prix victory with his 67.83 percent performance.

Despite not having a warm-up day class prior to the stallion's first outing, "I was really pleased and think this was the most consistent ride I have had. He had a really good piaffe, a good passage, and his second canter pirouette was excellent," she said. Since the stallion initially appeared at Festival two years ago, he has matured to the point where she sees him as a viable Olympics candidate.

The only blotch on the test came from her error, she said with a wry grin. "I lost my concentration and did 13 tempes when I should have done 15. With five judges, they must have given me a 3 and that took the score down."

As far as her evolving kur slated for the freestyle on Saturday, "there are certain things I like about mine and others that have to be changed until I get the right recipe for the right freestyle. You could say it is a work in progress."

Fellow Californian Kristina Harrison-Naness on Kantor was in a tightly competitive situation in her first visit to the Festival. The victor with a 68.950, she faced a scenario where only two points separated the top seven in the class. Jan Ebeling and Feleciano were on her heels with their 68.400 for second. He and Liberte were third (68.250) while Olympian Carol Lavell and her Much Ado were fourth with a 68.200.

"You have some really cool customers here," said Ebeling.

A former hunter-jumper rider until she was 21, Harrison-Naness got money from her parents then to buy her first dressage horse but only on the condition it was a one-time arrangement. When her trainer spotted Kantor and told the Los Angeles woman she had to have him, it took a round of delicate negotiations with Harrison-Naness' parents to get the loan she now is repaying.

Kantor was gelded late in life, so "he is a little difficult," said the professional trainer. "I couldn't get on him alone but we have worked out an agreement now."

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