Culminates 38th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show
Lake Placid, NY—July 1, 2007—Todd Minkus of Loxahatchee, FL rode Pavarotti to victory in the $75,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid Presented by RV Sales of Broward for the Whitney Perpetual Challenge Trophy to close the 38th annual Lake Placid Horse Show.
Minikus was one of 10 entries from the starting field of 33 at the North Elba Showgrounds to qualify for a tiebreaking jump-off by riding without penalty over the 15-jump first-round course designed by Steve Stephens, course designer for next year’s Beijing Olympic Games.
Minikus, the 2001 U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Horseman of the Year and winner of Lake Placid’s Hérmes I Love New York Grand Prix in 2004, was sixth to try the eight-jump tiebreaker course. He finished without fault in 40.99 seconds to take over the lead from 2004 Athens Olympic team Gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, who had finished the jump-off fault-free in 42.01 seconds on Larioso.
The final four entries failed to catch the marks of either Minikus or Ward, allowing them to hold on to the top two spots. Third place went to 10-time American Grandprix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year Margie Engle of Wellington, FL who rode her 2000 Sydney Olympic mount Hidden Creek’s Perin to a clean jump-off ride in 42.17 seconds. At age 18, Hidden Creek’s Perin was the oldest horse in the competition.
“I felt that McLain’s time was going to be tough to beat and that the only way I could catch him would be by ducking inside to the last jump. My horse was able to do what I asked of him and I am very happy with his performance,” Minikus said of his 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood whose next appearance will be on the U.S. team at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil later this month.
Earlier in the day, Jessica Springsteen of Colt’s Neck, NJ won the $10,000 Pepsi Junior Jumper Classic. Springsteen rode La Movida to two fault-free rides and a jump-off time of 37.030 seconds to win the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series event. Springsteen’s win earned her and La Movida the High Junior Jumper Championship. Kimberly McCormack and Nigel S, who placed second in the class, finished as Reserve Champion.
Brianne Goutal of New York, NY followed that with a win in the $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, also part of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series. Goutal rode Mon Gamin to two fault-free rides and a jump-off time of 47.098 seconds to claim the win and also the High Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship. Charlie Jacobs and Pia, who had the Classic’s fastest jump-off time of 43.667 seconds but with one rail down, placed fourth in the class and finished as Reserve Amateur-Owner Champion.
Springsteen and Goutal were honored, along with the horse show’s other champions in the C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery Parade of Champions in the Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix Arena just prior to the Juliam Farm Lead Line Class, a fun interlude featuring riders under the age of seven being led by parents or trainers.
Following an off-day on Monday, the 30th annual I Love New York Horse Show opens at the North Elba Showgrounds with a limited schedule on Tuesday with a full slate of competition beginning on Wednesday. The I Love New York Horse Show runs through Sunday, July 8 and is highlighted by the $60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* on Saturday, July 7.
This year’s Lake Placid Horse Show feature class winners included Ezequiel Peralta on Allain Z in the 1.35m Adirondack Store Jumper Class, Todd Minikus on Romy in the 1.45m Whiteface Mountain Open Jumper Stake, Anne Kursinski on Roxana 112 in the 1.45m Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort Open Jumper Class, Amelia Rogers on Denmark, Margaret Leufest on Faldo, and Marque Cincotta on both Words of Wisdom and Chappie in Hooker Family Children’s Jumper classes, Todd Minikus on Olinda in the Turtle Lane Farm Open Jumper Classic, Laura Chapot on Sprite in the 1.40m Hilton Lake Placid Resort Open Speed Challenge, Laura Chapot on Chili Pepper in the 1.35m Chair 6 Jumper Class, Ann Heyman on Alexander in The Whiteface Lodge NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic (over 40), Kelly Adams on Primeur in The Whiteface Lodge NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic (18-40), Christy Distefano on Upper Cut in the Adirondack Life Low Junior Jumper Classic, Philip Richter on Chekhov in the Sidelines Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, Callan Solem on Warsaw in the 1.40m Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club NAL Open Speed Stake, Laura Chapot on Silver Lining in the 1.35m A.G. Edwards Jumper Class, and Marque Cincotta on Words of Wisdom in the Moss Communications NAL Children’s Jumper Classic (age 14 & Under) and Amelia Rogers on Denmark in the Moss Communications NAL Children’s Jumper Classic (age 15-17).
The 2007 Lake Placid Horse Show and I Love New York Horse Show sponsors include A. G. Edwards, A&M Beverages, A Placid Life, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Store, Animal Planet, Anonymous, Bainbridge Farms LLC, Brandy Parfums, Ltd., The Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar, Budweiser, Carr-Hughes Productions, Chair 6, Charlie’s Restaurant, Charlotte Bobcats, Chronicle of the Horse, Jane Forbes Clark, C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., The Cottage Café, The Country Saddler, Ltd., Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Deeridge Farms, Der Dau Custom Boots and Shoes, Ecogold, EquiFit, Farm and Ranch Magazine, Fox Run, Ltd., Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, Grill 211, Mr. James Harpel, Hermès, Hilton Lake Placid Resort, The Hooker Family, Horse Watch, Juliam Farm, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, Lake Placid News, The Leone Family, The Levy Family, Lonesome Landing Garden Center, The Marantz Family, Mirror Lake Inn, Moss Communications, Mountain Horse, Mr. Mike’s Pizza & Pasta, Nicola’s On Main, North Elba Park District, On a Fence Designs & Rentals, ORDA/Whiteface Mountain, The Pepsi Bottling Group, The Phillips Family, Price Chopper, Red-Kap Sales, Royal Reflections, Ruthie’s Run, RV Sales of Broward, Sand Castle Farm, Michael & Lora Schultz, Sidelines, Stretton Enterprises, Turtle Lane Farm, The Weeks Family, The Whiteface Lodge, Wild Horse Wines, Woodlea Farms, WPTZ News Channel 5, and Y106.3 – Mountain Communications LLC.
Live webcasts of all horse show competition is available on line at the horse show’s official website at http://www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com/ or at http://www.productionseast.com/.
Admission to the horse show is just $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends. Children under the age of 12 are admitted free. Tickets are available at the gate. Guided walking tours of the horse show are available each weekday (Wed-Fri) at 11:30 am for just $1.00. Further information is available by calling the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or on line at http://www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com/.
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