Posted March 10, 2006

$25,000 CN Jumper Classic Goes to Rodrigo Pessoa and Cantate Z

Wellington, FL - March 9, 2006 - In a final attempt in Wellington to get precious dollars toward the Budweiser American Invitational, fifty-two competitors gathered at the DeNemethy Ring to jump in the $25,000 CN Jumper Classic. The 1.50m course was designed by Guilherme N. Jorge of Brazil, and ran under USEF rules, Table II, Section 2.1. Time First Round.

With a dozen of the top riders competing on the International Arena field in the $25,000 WEF Challenge, CSIO later in the same afternoon, everyone was moving at a fast pace. Besides some occasional gusts of wind, the weather cooperated, offering perfect conditions for the athletes with temperatures in the low 70s.

The course proved to be fair with ten clear rounds, ten four-fault rounds, and eight combinations withdrawing or eliminated. Guilherme’s track was won by fellow Brazilian Rodrigo Pessoa on his dark brown mare Cantate Z. She had a very fast time of 61.536 seconds.

Pessoa has been paired with the mare, owned by Orandi Vittorio, for 18 months. “She has been improving nicely with every class,” Pessoa said. “She had a confidence problem when I got her, so I have been very careful not to rush her training. She will have a nice vacation now and start back up outdoors in June or July.” Vittorio has owned many of Pessoa’s top horses, including Lianos, the 1998 winner of the World Championships in Rome.

Yann Candele came in a close second on Millcreek’s Marco Taere with a time of 61.812 seconds. He has been riding the 11year old gelding by Darco for six years. The partnership has been consistently winning a few grand prix events each year. “He is good in the sand and on grass,” Candele said. “I am very comfortable with this horse. He has won the grand prix at Bromont, Toronto and Ottawa. I took him to the World Cup Final in Milan, and he won a CSI class there. I looked at the Invitational standings and saw that I was about $2,000 short of qualifying, so I decided to show in this class.” Hopefully, the $5,500 check he took home today will secure his spot.

Results of Class 201 - CN Jumper Classic – USEF Table II Sec. 2.1 – DeNemethy Arena - Wellington Finale CSIO 5* US – 3/9/06

• 1 785 RODRIGO PESSOA CANTATE Z 0.00 61.536 $7500 ORLANDI VITTORIO
• 2 1900 YANN CANDELE MILLCREEK'S MARCO TAERE 0.00 61.812 $5500 MILLCREEK STABLES
• 3 1104 BEEZIE MADDEN JUDGEMENT 0.00 61.910 $3250 IRON SPRING FARM
• 4 1487 ALISON FIRESTONE SECRET LOVE 0.00 63.847 $2000 BERTRAM FIRESTONE
• 5 2667 DANIELLE TORANO PANDOER 0.00 64.645 $1500 JIMMY TORANO
• 6 966 IAN MILLAR REDEFIN 0.00 66.732 $1250 SUSAN GRANGE
• 7 961 JONATHON MILLAR NOBLE 1 0.00 67.198 $1000 KELLY SOLEAU
• 8 1188 ANNE KURSINSKI SAMARA 0.00 67.616 $750 LEATHERDALE FARMS
• 9 3281 EDWINA ALEXANDER TRUE ILLUSION 0.00 74.060 $750 STAL TOPS
• 10 2295 SCHUYLER RILEY NOTTINGHAM 0.00 74.965 $500 SOUTH BEACH STABLE
• 11 894 CANDICE KING CALISKAN 4.00 63.672 $500 LOUISBURG FARM
• 12 2660 JIMMY TORANO MARLO 4.00 64.932 $500 JIMMY TORANO

PHOTO CREDIT: Rodrigo Pessoa and Cantate Z Photo by Randi Muster