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LAURA CHAPOT AND LITTLE BIG MAN WIN $50,000
RIO VISTA GRAND PRIX |
Ellenville, NY (July 21,
2003)-Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, New Jersey, rode her own Little Big
Man to victory in Sunday's $50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix at HITS Catskills
III. Chapot rode three mounts in the competition, also placing sixth on
Copper Twist and twelfth on Green Card. All three of her mounts were trained
by her parents, Olympic veterans Frank & Mary Chapot of Chado Farms. Mark
Jungherr of Amesbury, Massachusetts, rode Enterprise, owned by R A Francoeur
to second place. Third place went to Christine Tribble of Suffield,
Connecticut, aboard Vegas, owned by her family's Windsor Show Stable.
Eighteen horse and rider combinations competed over the first round course.
Course designer, Kenny Krome, set a challenging 13-obstacle course that
included a triple bar oxer at fence No. 7, a Liverpool at fence No. 10, and
a triple combination at fence No. 12. The time allowed was set at 98
seconds. Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, Florida, was the first to deliver a
clear round. Minikus and Gardenio, a black Hanoverian gelding owned by YZ
Partners, cruised the course giving a faultless performance well within the
time allowed. The next six horses failed to go clear, and it was the
eleventh in the order, Mark Jungherr aboard Enterprise, that gave the crowd
the assurance of a jump-off. The fifteenth and sixteenth horses in the order
also went clear-Christine Tribble aboard After Eight and Laura Chapot aboard
Little Big Man.
These four horses advanced to the shortened seven-fence jump-off course.
Todd Minikus and Gardenio were the first to attempt the course. Gardenio,
who displayed fine form earlier, gave a surprise refusal at the first fence,
unseating his rider and subsequently being eliminated from the jump-off.
Mark Jungherr and Enterprise followed up with a clear round, setting the
Great American Time to Beat of 43.59 seconds. Christine Tribble and Vegas
also left all the rails up but incurred one time fault for going fractions
over the time allowed of 48 seconds. Laura Chapot and Little Big Man were
last to enter the ring. Chapot guided Little Big Man clear and emerged the
victor by shaving almost two seconds off Jungherr's time. Her final time was
41.90 seconds.
Other major award winners at HITS Catskills III included:
Bayer Legend Leading Hunter Rider - Becky Adler, Holmes, NY
Bayer Legend Leading Jumper Rider - Todd Minikus, Loxahatchee, FL
HBO Junior Medal Winner - Brianne Goutal, NY, NY
Charles Owen Children's Medal Winner - Catherine Pugliese, Darien, CT
Charles Owen Adult Medal Winner - Dyanna Rucco, Rehoboth, MA
The $50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix was the grande finale to a week of
top-class show jumping competition held under beautiful sunny skies. During
the Grand Prix, the Kingston Hospital hosted a reception in the VIP tent at
ringside for its dedicated group of donors. On Saturday, exhibitors and
spectators enjoyed "A Taste of the Hudson Valley"-a sampling of delicious
local foods from the many fine restaurants in the region. Rio Vista kindly
sponsored the Hudson Valley's White Cliff Vineyards wine tasting which was a
wonderful complement to the food provided by such restaurants as, The Dutch
Tavern, Saugerties, The Blue Stone Country Inn, Saugerties, Shanghai Red,
Ellenville and Ricke Len's Country Restaurant, Ellenville.
The horse show resumes on Wednesday, July 23rd, with a regular schedule of
hunter and jumper classes. This year marks the last year that the circuit
will take place at the Kelly Farm property. In 2004, the HITS Catskills
circuit will move to its new home in Saugerties, New York. HITS is investing
in a beautiful new site to include an amphitheatre containing a Grand Prix
Ring and a feature Hunter Ring encompassed by a 10-foot earthen berm, plus 8
additional competition rings. Initially the site will have six permanent
barn facilities with 500 stalls. A natural three-board fence will encircle
the site, finishing at each entrance with a wrought-iron gate flanked by
native stone pillars. The site will be further enhanced by a beautiful
riding/walking trail that will meander around the circumference. Other
features include permanent offices, permanent restrooms, and a food court
positioned around a landscaped courtyard. The new facility will be designed
to meet the highest standards of equestrian competition and it is expected
that it will attract equestrians of all levels and abilities, from the grass
roots to the sport's Olympic caliber riders.
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$50,000 Rio Vista Grand Prix - Sunday, July 20, 2003
HITS Catskills III - Ellenville, NY
Kenny Krome, Westminster, MD: Course Designer
| Place |
Horse |
Rider |
Owner |
Prize Money |
Rd 1
Faults
|
Rd 2
Faults |
JO Time |
| 1st |
Little Big Man |
Laura Chapot |
Laura Chapot |
$15,000 |
0 |
0 |
41.90 |
| 2nd |
Enterprise |
Mark Jungherr |
R A Francoeur |
$11,000 |
0 |
0 |
43.59 |
| 3rd |
Vegas |
Christine Tribble |
Candy Tribble/Windsor Show Stable |
$6,500 |
0 |
0 |
48.19 |
| 4th |
Gardenio |
Todd Minikus |
Y Z Partners LLC |
$4,000 |
0 |
Elim |
|
| 5th |
Crazy You |
Kent Farrington |
Lynda Farrington |
$3,000 |
2 |
|
|
| 6th |
Copper Twist |
Laura Chapot |
Frank/Mary Chapot |
$2,500 |
4 |
|
|
| 7th |
Who's That Girl |
Michael Kirby |
Michele Hunt / Redfield Farm |
$2,000 |
4 |
|
|
| 8th |
River |
Kimberly Frey |
Overlook Farm |
$1,500 |
4 |
|
|
| 9th |
Costello |
Katie Sykes |
Annie Hazelhurst |
$1,500 |
4 |
|
|
| 10th |
Luciano |
Michael Kirby |
Michael Kirby |
$1,000 |
4 |
|
|
| 11th |
Big Sir |
Mario Deslauriers |
Mario Deslauriers Inc. |
$1,000 |
4 |
|
|
| 12th |
Green Card |
Laura Chapot |
Dellwood |
$1,000 |
8 |
|
|
|
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