Posted March 10, 2006

Another Overwhelming Performance for Authentic and Beezie Madden in $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup CSIO at Winter Equestrian Festival

Wellington, FL - March 9, 2006 – Chalk up another win for the United States at the CN Wellington Finale, CSIO-5* at the 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival. Olympic Team Gold Medalist Beezie Madden and her 2004 Athens Olympic partner Authentic set a feverish pace early on that had the rest of the starting field chasing her without success for the entire afternoon. It was another gorgeous, albeit windy day for the crowd that gathered for Round Seven of the WEF Challenge Cup series, the final leg in Wellington.

Today’s class saw forty-eight starters go to the post for the 2 p.m. start. Scoring was under FEI Table A, One Round Against the Clock, Art. 238.2.1. Steve Stephens of the United States is this week’s Internationale Arena Course Designer. Today’s course, a pleasant, galloping track, accounted for eighteen fault free rides, one rider with two time faults, and twelve riders with a single knockdown. Eleven riders had eight faults and only four had more than eight.

The early leader, Jean Claude Van Geenberghe of the Ukraine on Osta Rugs Quintus, owned by Arnold De Brabandre, clocked in with a clean round time of 71.67 seconds. Shortly afterwards, Laura Chapot and Samantha appeared to register a very fast time that might not be beaten, when she tripped the timers in 67.32 seconds. Unfortunately for Chapot, she did it at the expense of a single knockdown.

Immediately following Chapot, Beezie Madden and Authentic laid down a speed round that would not be caught the rest of the afternoon. Madden’s impressive ride had the crowd on their feet as she breezed through the timers in an amazing 63.67 seconds, a whopping 3.65 seconds faster than Chapot’s previous ride.

The thirty competitors that remained chased Madden, but to no avail. Coming closest was Germany’s Tim Hoster who finished second on Maddock, owned by Ger Poeis Horses. Hoster finished in 64.59 seconds, still 9/10ths of a second off the pace.

“He’s a naturally fast horse,” said Madden following her second WEF win with Authentic. “I think covering the ground between the fences is where he makes up so much time with a lot of speed. He was very fast from two to three, and I was able to leave a stride out to the CN jump. Some people tried that, but for most it was difficult because the distance after that was so short. He’s so adjustable that I don’t have to worry about that,” she said. “And then there was the final sweep around the water jump to the triple bar, and he was very quick across the ground there.”

“He has a lot of blood. He’s more like a thoroughbred than he is like a warmblood,” Madden said. “I like that about him. While he has a lot of blood, he’s also very adjustable and easy to rate. For me, he’s very easy to ride. He’s careful, he’s fast, he’s smart, he’s scopey, he’s everything you’re looking for.”

Madden detailed how her Olympic partner is maturing. “Last year he came out a little too anxious in the beginning of the year. He had a big year the year before with the Olympic Games, and I think that showed at the beginning,” she said. “But this year, he really came out like a veteran horse, fresh and ready to go. He’s got great concentration.”

Madden will be part of the United States’ Nations Cup team on Friday night and talked about the chances. “I think on paper we have a great chance with a great team, with McLain and Margie and with Kent Farrington coming off a great year,” she said. “I think it’s a super opportunity for Kent to be on the team. It all comes down to the day, though. Anything can happen.”

And she added, “The Canadians have a very good team and then the British team is also strong, and you can never count out the team from Ireland.”

The $75,000 Nations Cup, presented by CN, CSIO-5*, a competition that pits teams of show jumpers from multiple countries against each other in two rounds of competition, will be held on Friday night under the lights in the Internationale Arena. The 2006 Nations Cup, presented by CN marks the fifth time that the Winter Equestrian Festival will host this prestigious international event.

The richest show jumping event of the seven weeks in Wellington will take center stage on Sunday, March 12th. The $150,000 US Open Jumper Championship, presented by CN, CSIO-5* brings the WEF Wellington series to a close.

Today’s WEF Challenge Cup, Round VII and the CN Jumper Classic were both qualifying events for the FTI Rider Challenge, a rider bonus pool for $200,000 in which the riders receive points based on the number of riders in the seven Thursday and seven Sunday Grand Prix events that are part of the WEF Wellington series.

Results of Class 101 $25,000 WEF Challenge Round VII-Table A 238.2.1 – Internationale Arena - CN Wellington Finale CSIO 5* US – 3/9/06

• 1 1099 BEEZIE MADDEN USA AUTHENTIC 0.00 63.67 $7500 ABIGAIL S. WEXNER
• 2 3373 TIM HOSTER GER MADDOCK 0.00 64.59 $5500 GER POEIS HORSES
• 3 3124 GREGORY WATHELET UKR HYADES 0.00 65.04 $3250 ALEXANDER ONYSHCHENKO
• 4 2808 MARGIE ENGLE USA HIDDEN CREEK'S WAPINO 0.00 65.61 $2000 HIDDEN CREEK FARM
• 5 3140 PHILIPPE ROZIER FRA SENNA 0.00 66.55 $1500 MR. BAILLETT
• 6 3136 JEAN-CLAUDE VAN GEEN UKR OSTA RUGS TRESOR 0.00 66.57 $1250 ARNOLD DE BRABANDERE
• 7 2460 LESLIE HOWARD USA JEANS GLOVE DE VARNEL 0.00 66.77 $1000 BLENHEIM FARMS
• 8 3181 FRANCOIS MATHY BEL IVOIRE DU ROUET 0.00 67.08 $750 INGRID NORMAN
• 9 2579 GEORGINA BLOOMBERG USA CIM CHRISTO 0.00 69.00 $750 GOTHAM ENTERPRIZES
• 10 3299 TINA LUND DEN CAROLA 0.00 69.07 $500 TINA LUND
• 11 641 ROBIN SWEELY USA DISCOVERY 0.00 69.62 $500 ACORN HILL FARM
• 12 704 PABLO BARRIOS VEN WILDCAT 0.00 70.81 $500 JUAN MANUEL CARMONA
• 13 893 CANDICE KING USA COCO CABANA 0.00 70.94 LOUISBURG FARM
• 14 3135 JEAN-CLAUDE VAN GEEN UKR OSTA RUGS QUINTUS 0.00 71.67 ARNOLD DE BRABANDERE
• 15 3300 TINA LUND DEN ZAMIRA 0.00 72.60 TINA LUND