WELLINGTON, Fla., Jan. 18 - Laura Bowery of Bridgehampton, N.Y., dominated the competition in Friday’s $10,000 Spy Coast 1.40m Speed Challenge at the Suncast Opener, the first of 12 weeks comprising the CN Winter Equestrian Festival, presented by Zimmerman Advertising, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
Bowery claimed three of the top five spots, including the victory with Palona. Of the 42 horses that contested the $10,000 Spy Coast 1.40m Speed Challenge, Palona was the fastest, stopping the clock at 71.42 seconds to give Bowery the win. It was the pair’s second victory of the week as they also won Wednesday’s $8,000 1.45m competition.
“I planned to do two classes this week, then she will be off until next Sunday when she’ll do the Grand Prix,” said Bowery of her strategy with Palona, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare purchased three years ago from Canadian show jumper Eric Lamaze. “It was a challenging, long course. I didn’t try to win with my other two horses, but with Palona, she does better with pace. She gets her confidence by going fast, so it is easy to go fast because she loves it.”
In addition to claiming the win with Palona, Bowery finished fourth with Campeon 007, a German-bred gelding she has been riding for the past six months, and fifth with Indy Star II, an 11-year-old French-bred horse. Both horses jumped fault-free with the times determining the final placings.
Breaking up Bowery’s domination were Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and Yann Candele of France. Sweetnam guided Oferro home clear in a time of 73.13 seconds to take second place while Candele and his new mount, Pitareusa, a Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Susan Grange of Canada, stopped the clock at 73.53 to place third.
Friday’s 10,000 Spy Coast 1.40m Speed Challenge is a member event of the North American League. The NAL offers a year-long Series in six divisions -Children’s Jumper, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper, Open Jumper, Children’s Hunter, and Adult Hunter presented by Practical Horseman. The Series includes classes held at hundreds of horse shows across the United States and Canada. Finals for all divisions are held at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, Penn., in October.
Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in the qualifying classes, but only members earn points toward the year-end finals. With the annual membership fee only $30, most riders join in hopes of earning points that may qualify them for a trip to Harrisburg. For more information regarding the NAL series, including series specifications, current standings and a list of upcoming events, please call (717) 867-5643, email to [email protected] or visit www.ryegate.com.
$10,000 Spy Coast 1.40m Speed Challenge (NAL)
1 478 PALONA LAURA BOWERY 0.00 71.420
2 3132 OFERRO SHANE SWEETNAM 0.00 73.135
3 3366 PITAREUSA YANN CANDELE 0.00 73.537
4 476 CAMPEON 007 LAURA BOWERY 0.00 75.952
5 477 INDY STAR II LAURA BOWERY 0.00 79.016
6 5252 LIPTON DE L'’OTHAIN PETER WYLDE 0.00 79.657
7 760 CREDIT CRUISE ANDREW BOURNS 0.00 80.303
8 3483 CERNUNNUS VON HOF KIRSTEN COE 1.00 84.386
9 5251 LET'’S FLY PETER WYLDE 3.00 86.980
10 5088 PRESIDENTE IVAN ZAMORA 4.00 75.243
Competition in the Suncast Opener runs daily through Sunday. A $25,000 Six-Bar competition and a $25,000 Speed Derby will be Sunday’s highlights, beginning at 1 p.m. As a special feature, Olympic medalist Ashley Holzer will perform her Grand Prix Freestyle. Often referred to ‘ballet on horseback’, the freestyle sees horse and rider perform a series of intricate movements set to selected music.
The 2008 CN Winter Equestrian Festival, presented by Zimmerman Advertising, attracts the best horses and riders from around the world to Wellington, Florida, and offers more than $5 million in prize money. For more information, please visit www.equestriansport.com.
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