Bonnie Mosser Wins National Championship of Eventing At MBNA Foxhall Cup

Atlanta (April 21, 2002) - Bonnie Mosser of Coatesville, PA won the 2002 MBNA Foxhall Cup CCI***, the National Championship of Eventing, at Foxhall Farm just outside Atlanta, GA.

Mosser, riding Jenga, her own 9-year-old English Thoroughbred, entered Sunday’s concluding stadium jumping phase in third place with a two-phase score of 51.20 penalties. She completed Richard Lamb’s stadium jumping course penalty-free to finish on her dressage score and gain her first three-day event win.

“I just can’t believe this,” she said. “I knew I had a great horse and he was just flying over the jumps today. Heidi is my stablemate and a good friend and I would have been just as happy to have her go clean and me finish second to her. But this is great!”

Five-time U.S. Olympic veteran Bruce Davidson of Unionville, PA and his mount Welton Tangle entered Sunday’s finale in second place with a score of 50.41. Davidson received four jumping penalties on his 11-year-old British Thoroughbred owned by Amy Ruth DeWind of Unionville, PA, for lowering one rail and he dropped behind Mosser with a score of 54.41 and an ultimate third place finish.

That left it all up to Heidi White of Unionville, PA who had taken the lead with a penalty-free cross country ride on Saturday on Northern Spy, her own 9-year-old English Thoroughbred. She lowered two rails for eight penalties and a seventh place finish with a score of 58.00.

Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA moved up from fourth place to the Reserve Championship after riding penalty-free on Woodstock, an 8-year-old American Thoroughbred owned by the Woodstock Group. She finished with a score of 52.01.

Established in 2000 by Jim Richards, the MBNA Foxhall Cup is a three-star level eventing competition designated by USA Equestrian as the National Championship of Eventing and by the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET) as its three-star Spring Championship. The title sponsor of this event is the MBNA America Bank. The MBNA Foxhall Cup donates proceeds to Shepherd Center, an Atlanta based catastrophic care hospital that treats individuals with acquired brain and spinal cord injuries.

The MBNA Foxhall Cup CCI*** was the first of five 2002 selection trials for USET riders hoping to qualify to represent the United States at the Eventing World Championships to be contested at the World Equestrian Games in Spain in September. The World Equestrian Games are held every four years and, other than the Olympics, is the world’s most important equestrian competition.