Tampa, Fl – March 25, 2005 – Laura Chapot and Sprite are rapidly marching towards their second Winter Equestrian Festival Circuit Championship in as many years in the Acorn Hill Farm Speed Challenge Series. The Acorn Hill was the featured event on Friday afternoon at the Winter Equestrian Festival. The festival, the nation’s largest and longest running equestrian extravaganza is being held at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida.

The Acorn Hill Speed Challenge, a North American League event, is offered every Friday during the nine week long Winter Equestrian Festival and is scored under Table II, Sec 1, Time First Round. The course was designed by Michel Vailancourt. Fifty-four competitors went to the post in the 1pm feature.

Laura Kraut, this year’s hottest rider on the tour, showed no sign of letting up as she handily gathered in the early lead with her ride aboard Joyous, owned by the Summit Partners. Kraut blazed the trail in 52.022 seconds. Bob Kraut, Laura’s husband, came next and moved into the second spot on the leader board, cruising across the finish line in 54.520 seconds. He was aboard the Summit Show Stable’s Optimum Positano.

Another one of this year’s most successful speed performers, Ellen Whitaker of Great Britain, grabbed the lead from Kraut with a seemingly unbeatable time of 50.492 seconds. Whitaker was aboard her speed specialist, AK Kanseiier, owned by Amaro/Whitaker Sporthorses. They knocked 1.53 seconds off of Kraut’s time.

Kraut had three more chances in today’s event. Returning on Antigua RG, owned by the Pasmore Stables, Kraut moved Antigua in second place, falling just 0.652 seconds short of the target set by Whitaker, breaking the beams in 51.144 seconds.

Before Kraut could appear on her final ride of the day, it was time for Laura Chapot and Sprite. There’s no horse and rider combination more successful in speed classes at the Winter Equestrian Festival than Chapot and her gray mare, Sprite. Coming into today’s Acorn Hill, the duo had recorded an amazing thirty one victories together in only two years of competition in Florida. Today was the day that they would notch number thirty-two.

Letting out all the stops, Chapot and Sprite flat out flew around Valancourt’s speed course, leaving out strides everywhere. When they flashed across the finish line the scoreboard lit up the arena with a new top time of an amazing 49.970 seconds, 0.522 seconds faster than Whitaker.

Kraut’s final ride on Eltonn, owned by Tracy Topping, was fast, but the finish time of 53.739 seconds would wind up in fifth place. Kraut would have a nice payday, finishing third, fourth and fifth in today’s Acorn Hill Speed Challenge. The first place check, however, went to a smiling Laura Chapot. “It never gets boring with her; she’s a wonderful horse.”

Chapot had a chance to check out her competition. “I saw Ellen go. She has a very, very fast horse. It doesn’t look like she’s going that fast,” conceded Chapot. “She doesn’t even have to leave out the strides to be faster than almost everybody in the class. I knew there were a few places on the course where I could leave out those strides and I did, and I think that was the key to winning it today.”

Laura’s father, Olympian Frank Chapot, said that Laura could have been even faster than she was had she left out a stride to the last fence. “She could have knocked another second or more off of that time,” Chapot said. “But, I’m glad she chose the more careful option.”

“Yeah, Dad was right, too,” agreed Laura. “I tried leaving one out with my last horse, Three Coins, and it didn’t work so well,” she laughed. “I had the time, but had the fence down.”

What’s the key to Sprite’s amazing string of successes in Florida? “There are no tricks with her. She’s just a great horse and she loves to do it. She’s very careful, she knows the game and she wants to win,” beamed Chapot. “I don’t work her before the class. My Dad rides her on Monday and Tuesday, on the days off, but she’s the kind of horse that you just have to let her do her thing. My Dad is a genius with those kinds of things, he knows exactly what to do with her and he does a wonderful job.”

Sprite and Chapot won the Acorn Hill Farm Circuit Championship Trophy as the season’s best last year and are on a pace to make it two in a row in 2005.

Official Results - #1005 – Acorn Hill Speed Challenge (NAL) 1.40m Table II Sec 1 – 03-25-05 –Covered Arena

• 1 – Sprite, Laura Chapot – 0/49.970
• 2 – AK Kanseiier, Ellen Whitaker – 0/50.492
• 3 – Antigua RG, Laura Kraut – 0/51.144
• 4 – Joyous, Laura Kraut -0/52.022
• 5 – Eltonn, Laura Kraut -0/53.739
• 6 – Canaille, Margie Engle – 0/54.291
• 7 – Optimum Positano -0/54.520
• 8 – Firefly, Lauren Bass – 0/55.017
• 9 – Mr. President, Niall Grimes – 0/55.497
• 10 – Rioletto, Christine Tribble – 0/57.829
• 11 – King Z, Cody Baird – 0/58.208
• 12 – La Supra, Markus Beerbaum – 0/59.258

The North American League (NAL) runs season-long series in six hunter and jumper divisions – Children’s Hunter, Children’s Jumper, Adult Hunter, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper, and Open Jumper Speed. Each series culminates with a championship final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, in October. Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in any qualifying classes, but only current members earn points toward year-end finals. For more information and a list of qualifying competitions for 2005, please visit the Ryegate Show Services website at www.Ryegate.com.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sprite and Laura Chapot Win Acorn Hill Speed Challenge. Photo by Randi Muster