2003 Festival of Champions

Richard Jeffrey Takes the Blue

Penelope once bolted out of a show jumping ring halfway through the course with trainer Jeffrey Welles "which made me a little annoyed," said the Pound Ridge, N.Y., man.

The chestnut Dutch-bred daughter of Aldatus - F. Cathy stayed exactly where she needed to be on the Richard Jeffery's track to lay down a 36.290-second clear round that even runner up Margie Engle on her 2000 Olympic mount, Hidden Creek's Perin, couldn't match. She was one of seven contenders in the $25,000 Bayer/USET Festival of Champions Grand Prix who moved from the original 28 entries to the shortened route.

"She is so fast in the jump-off and although she is small, she is quick across the fences," Welles said of the 15.3 ½-hand mare he has trained for five years for owner Suzanne Durst. He was riding at a disadvantage Friday, overcoming the pain of a cracked right rib he broke when schooling a young horse 10 days earlier.

He and the 12-year-old warmblood mare notched their fourth victory in their last five prix outings. The Festival may yield a fifth one if the two beat their rivals Sunday in the Rolex/USET Show Jumping Championship. From there, it's off to Europe for three weeks of shows in Holland. However, he isn't priming her for next year's Olympics. "I prefer to avoid the trials system we have which would take the heart out of her."

He could congratulate himself on a good day's work, after he also won the meter 1.35 jumper class earlier in the day with High Dunes Farm's Octavius (Jumbo Jet - Upolda). He took some time out to watch the reining horses in the nearby arena. "I rode one once and it's amazing how you give them a little signal and they start spinning," said Welles.

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