DEVON, Pa.—Despite fighting a bad cold, Mary Lisa Leffler of Brookville, Md., was one of only two riders to conquer the course set by Olaf Petersen, who was the course designer at the Athens Olympics, in the evening jumper class at the Devon Horse Show.
From a starting field of 15, only Leffler on Rolling Acres Farm’s Gerona 92 and Olympic veteran Anne Kursinski on Samara jumped clean in the first round of the $7,500 Open Jumper class to return for the timed jump-off. “Gerona has such a big stride, I knew I could make up a lot of time to the last fence,” said Leffler. “Debbie (Stephens, who helps Leffler with her jumpers) told me to use my hunter eye to the last fence.” By that, Leffler meant she was just to gallop the long distance to the final obstacle and use her eye to find a good distance from which to take off.
Leffler said she thought her speed to the last fence won the class for her, as she finished in 42.131, a little over a second faster than Kursinksi’s 43.830. Leffler said she plans to compete Gerona in the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon Thursday evening.
“I’m just going to try to keep her fresh between now and then,” said Leffler. “For her, she was a little wild tonight. She’s usually laid back. And I’m going to try to get healthy before Thursday.”
Debbie Stephens, with one time fault in the first round, was third on Callaway 4, and Laura Chapot on Little Big Man, last year’s Devon Open Jumper Champion, was fourth with the fastest time with one rail down for four faults.
During the afternoon session, Chapot, who was last year’s Devon Leading Open Jumper Rider, rode her Sprite to win the $7,500 Open Jumper, time first round. Chapot and Sprite smoked the course, finishing in 61.823, three seconds faster than second placed Alison Robitaille of Middleburg, Va., on Pourquoi.
Earlier in the day, Joe Fargis, show jumping team and individual gold medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, won the second of two classes for 7- and 8-year-old young jumpers riding Allen Richards’ Olivia. “Olivia has all good qualities,” said Fargis. “I enjoy her immensely. It’s up to the future to see if she can go on and jump the higher jumps.”
New at Devon this year are two classes each for 5-year-old, 6-year old and 7- and 8-year-old jumpers, with fences set at a height appropriate for each age. Asked how he compared riding a young jumper to competing in the upper levels of grand prix jumping, Fargis replied, “I just like riding. And I really enjoy it when a horse goes well, like Olivia did today.”
In the competition for the Leading Hunter Rider award, Scott Stewart of Flemington, N.J., who has won the title for the past four years, opened up an almost insurmountable lead after yesterday’s 10 hunter classes in four divisions.
Stewart won the First Year Green Hunter under saddle on Molly Ohrstrom’s Ovation, a Green Conformation class on his Perfectionist, both the Regular Conformation over fences and under saddle classes on Laura Lee Montross’ Highland Park and the Working Hunter Handy class on Fashion Farm’s Dynamic.
His main contender, Californian John French, after winning two classes Monday, failed to win a class yesterday. He placed second and third in two Green Conformation classes on Stephanie Danhakl’s Scout, took a second in Second Year Green Hunter and also in the Handy class on Janie Andrew’s Andiamo.
Two other Californians, Peter Lombardo and John Bragg, were also in the running for the title in the early going but dropped back yesterday.
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