Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – August 13, 2003 - With four riders holding down the top 10 positions, the United States has moved into the early led in the Show Jumping Events at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In Wednesday’s Opening Speed Competition, which counts towards both the team and individual standings, the United States Team took a commanding lead in the Team competition. Anchor rider Margie Goldstein-Engle of Wellington, FL, currently holds down second position individually with Perin, Lauren Hough of Wellington, FL, is in third riding Windy City, Beezie Madden of Casenovia, NY, and Conquest are in fifth and Chris Kappler of Pittstown, NJ, is in ninth with Royal Kaliber. Adding together the top three scores and dropping the lowest, the total score for the United States is currently 1.66 penalties. They will carry that score forward to the Final Team competition on Thursday.

Mexico is in second position with a seasoned team of competitors. Federico Fernandez and Santiago Lambre are currently both in the top ten as individuals, while Gerardo Tazzer is twelfth riding Chanel. Antonio Chedraui’s score with long-time partner Xallapam was not counted, but was still good enough to put him in 15th position overall individually.

With horsepower of an international calibre, Argentina has jumped into the third position in the team standings. Led by Martin Dopazo and Furka du Village, Argentina as a team score of 13.57 following the opening day.

Brazil, Chile, Guatemala and Canada are all within ten points of the bronze medal position, leaving the field wide open heading into the Final Team Competition.

Peru Leads Individual Standings

Individually, Michelle Navarro of Lima, Peru, holds down top spot with her Argentinean-bred Holsteiner stallion, Osho. With a clear round in a time of 78.12 seconds, Navarro has a total score of zero points.

“Let’s finish first and then we can talk about it!” laughed Navarro, 42, when asked what she thought her chances were earning an individual berth to the 2004 Olympic Games through a placing at the Pan American Games. “If things keep happening the way they have been, it would be a great opportunity.”

Goldstein-Engle is in second with .22 points while Hough is third with .28. Representing Puerto Rico as an individual, Mark Watring is currently in fourth position with .83 riding Sapphire. Madden rounds out the top five with a one-day score of 1.16.

Held at the newly constructed Palmarejo Equestrian Center in Santo Domingo, a total of nine nations - Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States, will be fighting for the Team medals in addition to berths to the 2004 Olympic Games. The teams who earn the gold and silver medal will automatically earn their ticket to Athens while a third country will qualify by having the lowest team score tabulating all four riders scores. Individuals representing the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, and Peru will be hoping to advance to the Individual Final.

The Final Team Competition, the Nations Cup, is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday with the first round of competition while Round 2 will be held at 2 p.m. Following a day of rest, the Individual Final will take place on Saturday, August 16, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

For further information on the equestrian events at the Pan American Games, please visit the Dominican Republic Equestrian Federation’s website at: www.ecuestrerd.com and the official 2003 Pan American Games website at www.santodomingo2003.com.