Beezie
Madden And Judgement Win $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte
Judgement, ridden by Beezie Madden, owned by Iron Spring Farm
Photo Credit: Randi Muster
CHARLOTTE,
NC April 11, 2004 Wrapping up the inaugural Charlotte
Jumper Classic CSI**** on Easter Sunday, Beezie Madden, 40, of Cazenovia,
NY, riding the Dutch-bred stallion Judgement owned by Iron Spring
Farm, claimed 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 in Charlotte, NC. 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 Sundays 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.
Going
in reverse order of their placements from Saturdays Round
One, 21 riders started off Round Two with four faults or less carried
forward one carried 12, one had eight, 12 carried four, one
had a time fault, and eight came in with a clean slate. Steve Stephens
designed a 10-fence course that none of the first 17 riders could
clear and they accumulated additional penalties. Two riders were
eliminated and two riders retired on course. A triple bar at Fence
No. 6 and a triple combination at Fence No. 7 took their toll. They
were just plain old big tonight, Madden explained about the
jumps. The triple bar walked like you could do it in four
strides, and outdoors you probably would have, but indoors and off
the short turn you had to do the five so you needed a horse
that was adjustable enough to fit the five in and then reactive
enough to go forward and cover the distance over the triple bar.
The triple combination was a little the same it was basically
oxer-oxer, which always is a scope test. The blue panels underneath
are spooky for the horses, so it makes it even harder. Four
horses went clean for the tiebreaker.
In
the jump-off, 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
Maddens 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 didnt 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 Judgements 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 mans land when
I came around that island and then I thought, I just have to go
forward.
Madden
also rode Judgement to a double-clear performance and victory in
the $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake on Friday. Their overall performance
at the show clinched the Best Open Horse Award for Judgement and
the Leading Jumper Rider Award for Madden. 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 couldnt have been any
better.
In
addition to her success with Judgement, Madden aboard Conquest II
owned by her parents Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Patton won the $10,000
International Jumpers Top Score, giving her a win on every day of
the three day-show. She was enthusiastic about the inaugural event.
It was great. It was very exhibitor-friendly. The hospitality
was fantastic. The arena itself was really good.
The
Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** was Maddens last competition
before the Athens Olympic Games Selection Trials which take place
in California in May. She will take three horses, Judgement, Authentic,
and DeSilvio to the Trials. Madden acknowledged that she is in an
athletic groove. When things are going good you
just go out there and ride like youre not going to knock a
fence down. When things are going bad, youre wondering which
fence youre going to knock down. Its really a momentum
sport. When things are going well, youre not trying to fix
things. When youre trying to fix things sometimes you make
mistakes the wrong way.
Produced
by Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. the Charlotte Jumper
Classic CSI**** held in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC,
awarded a total purse of $260,000. Net proceeds from the horse show
will benefit the Bobcats Charitable Fund, the organizations
philanthropic giving arm.
For
complete results, log on to www.charlottejumperclassic.com
PHELPS
MEDIA GROUP, INC. UPCOMING 2004 SCHEDULE
April
18 - Stanford Financial Group-US Open Championship, International
Polo Club Palm Beach, Wellington, FL
May
29-30 Opening festivities for the new facility HITS On The
Hudson, Saugerties, NY
June
15-20 Debbie McDonald Training Package Auction and Celebrate
The Champions at the Dressage Olympic Selection Trials, San
Juan Capistrano, CA
August
7-8 North Channel Yacht Club of Desbarats CL-16 White Sail
Regatta, Hilton Beach, Ontario, Canada
November
3-7 Metropolitan Horse Show, New York, NY
December
1-5 121st National Horse Show, Wellington, FL
4th
Annual Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon (date TBA), Wellington, FL
.
|