Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI****

Charlie Jayne And Champion Win $5,000 Amateur/Young Rider Speed Stake

Charlotte, NC – April 10, 2004 – Launching day two of the Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** in the Charlotte Coliseum, Charlie Jayne, 18, of Elgin, IL, riding Champion owned by Alex Jayne won the $5,000 Amateur/Young Rider Speed Stake. Jayne topped a field of 14 horses in this speed class where every rail down added four seconds to the rider’s time and the fastest time, regardless of knockdowns, earned victory. Georgina Bloomberg of New York, NY, riding Action for owner Gotham Enterprizes posted the fastest ride, but a fence down added four seconds to her time, edging her into second place. Kate Levy of South Salem, NY, riding her own Matheus placed third.

Course designer Steve Stephens set a 12-effort track. Jayne was the third rider on course and jumped clean in 51.84 seconds, which proved to be the ride to beat for the rest of the field, but none could top his performance. Bloomberg was the 14th rider on course and blazed over the jumps, stopping the timers in 49.69 – more than two seconds faster than Jayne, but a rail down at Fence No. 9 added four seconds to her time, giving her a final score of 53.69 seconds for the red ribbon. Levy went just before Bloomberg and kept all the fences up, but her time of 54.89 bumped her from her second place slot down to number three.

When every stride can add another second to the rider’s time, Jayne focused on leaving out as many strides as he could all over the course. “I started galloping right to the first fence and then going to the second jump I left out one or two strides more than everyone else and I caught that good,” explained Jayne. "I was planning on doing five or six strides to the third jump, but I saw the five so I galloped right down to that one too.” Jayne performed a neat, tight rollback to the fourth fence but noted that where he really shaved seconds off was after the sixth fence going to No. 7, the Charlotte Bobcats jump. “I made a lot of time there because I kept galloping, and I kept galloping right into the in-and-out (8AB) and then at the last jump (11) I took a little chance – I galloped to it and I left the ground a little long and just hoped to get to the other side.”

Jayne explained that his mount Champion, an 11-year-old Belgian warmblood that he’s ridden for two years, has not competed in many speed classes, but instead has been his steady mount in the High Junior Jumpers. “I usually do well in the first rounds and then my speed parts are my problem, but he’s getting a little better at that,” said Jayne. “In Tampa last week, I won the High Junior Jumper Classic, so he’s been on a roll in the last couple weeks.” Jayne and Champion had no problem with the indoor arena environment. “I’ve been going to indoors every year of my life basically, so I’m used to it, “ he said. “All the jumps come up quicker, you’ve got to think faster, but he was good today.”

Evening Show

Competition starts at 7:00 pm tonight with the $5,000 Amateur/Young Riders Top Score Competition. Highlighting tonight’s entertainment roster is R & B star Jeffrey Osborne who will perform in concert from 8:30 pm to 9:15 pm. Competition in the $25,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte Round One For The Charlotte Bobcats Cup follows. The evening wraps up with awards presentations at 10:00 pm.

The Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** produced by Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. runs from April 9 -11 in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, with a total purse of $260,000. The featured event is the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcats Cup, Member Event of the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping, on Sunday, April 11.

Net proceeds from the horse show will benefit the Bobcats Charitable Fund, the organization’s philanthropic giving arm.

General Admission
To order tickets for the Charlotte Jumper Classic, visit www.ticketmaster.com or to order by phone, call 704-522-6500. Three levels of tickets are available: Level One (Season Boxes) or Level Two and Level Three (Reserved Seats). Prices range from Level Three single tickets at $15 to Level One five-show packages at $220. For more information, and a complete listing of the weekend’s events, log on to www.charlottejumperclassic.com