Charlotte, NC - April11, 2004 - The highlight and featured event of the inaugural Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI****, April 9-11, in Charlotte, North Carolina, was held on Easter Sunday with Beezie Madden, 40, of Cazenovia, NY, riding the Dutch-bred stallion Judgement owned by Iron Spring Farm, to victory in the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcats Cup, a Member Event of the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Series of Show Jumping.

The grand prix was held over two days, April 10-11, in two rounds of competition at the Charlotte Coliseum. Judgement was one of eight horses in a field of 26 that produced a clear trip in Round One on Saturday, carrying no faults forward into Sunday’s Round Two, where only four of the 24 horses were able to go clear again and move on to the Jump-Off. Judgement and Madden went fault-free in the tiebreaker, claiming the win and $45,000 in prize money. The duo posted a time just 1/10th of a second faster than Chris Kappler of Pittstown, NJ, aboard Primeur 58, a horse he owns with Kathy Kamine. Kappler was the only other rider to produce a double-clear performance, which placed him second and he earned $33,000. Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI, riding Anthem placed third, taking home $19,500 for the owners, Summit Syndicate.

In the jump-off, course designer Steve Stephens created a seven-effort track with Time Allowed set at 42 seconds. Eliza Shuford of Hickory, NC, riding her own Gustel II led off, but had a rail down in 41.31 seconds, and finished in fourth place. Madden was next to go and zipped around the course in 35.33 fault-free. Kappler went third in the order and matched Madden’s time at the Charlotte Bobcats vertical, the next-to-last jump, but going around the island to the final fence, he fell short of beating her by just a split second, clocking in at 35.42. Kraut had the advantage of going last, but she had one knockdown for four faults in 36.01, which placed her third.

“My plan was to go as fast as I could go because the worst I could be was fourth,” said Madden. “I thought I was pretty good from one to two. Around the turn to that next line I actually planned to do four [strides] in the jump-off but I just didn’t catch the fence that I wanted off the turn so I opted for five. From there on was quite fast – fast to the Bobcat and real fast to the last.” It was Judgement’s ability that enabled Madden to go clean over the last fence as she made a turn that did not put the big stallion in an optimum jumping spot. “I was glad I had a lot of scope. I felt like I was in no man’s land when I came around that island and then I thought, I just have to go forward.”

For their overall performance at the three-day show, Judgement earned the Best Open Horse Award Madden was presented with the Leading Jumper Rider Award. “It shows that he had a great week,” Madden said of the 13-year-old black stallion who jumped five clear rounds over the weekend. “The horse really deserved it,” she said. “He couldn’t have been any better.”

Produced by Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. the Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** held in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, April 9-11, awarded a total purse of $260,000. Net proceeds from the horse show will benefit the Bobcats Charitable Fund, the organization’s philanthropic giving arm.

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