November 1, 2002 - The Galway Downs Three Day Event got underway today with the dressage phase. Debbie Rosen took the lead in the CCI** aboard Gringosch with total penalties of 51.6. She imported the German-bred gelding two years ago. A year ago at Galway the pair finished sixth in the CCI*. Of her dressage test today Rosen commented, "This was his best dressage test ever." Rosen is pleased with her positive start as this is Gringosch's first CCI**.

Jolie Sexton assumed the second place spot, but as a young rider, she leads for the Fritz Cup championship as well. With her Belmont Ballywagon the pair earned a very close 53.0 score behind Rosen.

In the CCI*, Barbara Crabo rode her Groovy to the lead with a score of 42.4. Although Crabo says the six year old gelding has been very solid in dressage in his three years of eventing, she did not expect him to perform such a solid test today. "This is his first three day event and he was a bit better than I expected."

Josh Barnacle took over the second spot in the CCI* with his Florestan du Serin. However, Barnacle is also competing as a junior for a Junior Olympic award. His score of 48.69 gives him a solid start for tomorrow's challenging cross country run.

In a very close third after dressage in the CCI* stands Lynd Pugh and Zillion Dana with a score of 49.35. The fourth place horse has a score of 55.02 so the pressure will be on for penalty-free cross country rounds.

Saturday will feature the cross country phase, as well as a host of fun activities for spectators to enjoy throughout the day. For more information, visit the Galway Downs website at www.galwaydowns.com.