Norman Dello Joio And Glasgow Win $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational
At WEF
TAMPA,
FL April 3, 2004 Norman Dello Joio, 47, of Wellington,
Florida, riding Glasgow for The Glasgow Group topped a field of
35 horses to win the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational presented
by Publix and The Tampa Tribune in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday night,
April 3. In a five-horse jump-off, Dello Joio was the faster of
two clear rounds and claimed $60,000 for his win. Beezie Madden,
40, of Cazenovia, New York, riding Authentic for owners Elizabeth
Busch Burke and John Madden Sales placed second, earning $44,000.
Alison Firestone, 27, of Upperville, Virginia, aboard Casanova for
Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone placed third for a $26,000 check.
The 32nd American Invitational, held on grass under lights at the
Raymond James Stadium with a crowd of 9,800 fans in attendance,
capped off the 2004 Winter Equestrian Festival.
For
Stormin Norman, the 1992 Individual Bronze Medallist
at the Barcelona Olympic Games, the win marked his second victory
in this historic class he notched his first win 26 years
ago aboard Allegro. I was star-struck and awe-struck when
I came here that first time, said Dello Joio. The second
time I showed in the Invitational, I remember my horse hung a leg
really badly over the first jump and it scared him into jumping
clean. I felt like I won by accident actually. It was nice to win
because it was a plan for Florida to try to bring the horse
up and have a good night tonight. This was Glasgows
third time competing in the American Invitational. Dello Joio is
aiming the 13-year-old Dutch gelding for the Athens Olympic Selection
Trials in May.
Steve
Stephens, who has designed the American Invitational courses for
19 years, erected a 17-effort Round One with Time Allowed set at
96 seconds a track that proved to be a stiff challenge. Four
riders did not complete the course. Rails fell at every jump except
for No. 8. Most problematic was No. 10, a liverpool with a scalloped
top element that 14 horses were unable to clear. The crowd witnessed
two dramatic falls with both riders able to walk away
Eliza Shuford, 26, of Hickory, North Carolina, aboard Gustel 11
owned by Nancy Shuford crashed the triple bar at No. 11 with both
horse and rider going down; and Laura Chapot, 30, of Neshanic Station,
New Jersey, aboard her Little Big Man toppled the third element
of 6ABC and was flung head over heels but exited with a smile on
her face. The final fence, a white wall at 14, caught four riders
but Irelands Kevin Babington, 36, of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania,
aboard Carling King owned by Kindle Hill Farm, knocked it down so
completely that the fans were brought to laughter as the jump crew
and Stephens scrambled to re-build the scattered pile of Styrofoam
blocks. Babington retired on course.
The
triple line was really, really difficult, and that was fairly early
in the course. Its as big a test as Ive seen in a non-championship
grand prix, said Dello Joio. It was a big course
hard to jump.
Indeed
it was not until the 26th rider on course, Lauren Hough, 26, of
Wellington, FL, aboard her 2000 Sydney Olympic mount Clasiko, that
the leader board flashed a clear round. Hough was the first rider
to take a different route to the liverpool, making a wide loop around
Fence 5 rather than the hairpin turn through the gap inside No.
5.
Dello
Joio, who went 27th in the order, did not follow Houghs path
to the liverpool that approach did not concern him as much
as what followed the triple bar at No. 11, which seven horses
were not able to jump clean. I was planning four strides and
then I talked to Beezies husband John [Madden] and he said
That four looks long to me. I looked at it again and
I thought he was right. You could do it either way as long as you
did it well, but you had to do what suited your horse the best,
said Dello Joio. When I first walked it I thought the triple
bar was really, really big and I didnt anticipate the liverpool
causing as much problems. I thought you could gallop the liverpool
and get there comfortably in four. It proved to be more difficult
than we all thought.
The
order of go in the American Invitational is set by money won during
the WEF, so some of the heaviest hitters were among the last to
go, which produced three more clean rounds Firestone, Chris
Kappler, 37, of Pittstown, NJ the 2003 title holder of the
American Invitational aboard Royal Kaliber, a stallion he owns with
Kathy Kamine, and Madden. Last to go, the top money-earner with
$73,825 to his name, McLain Ward, 28, of Brewster, New York, aboard
Sapphire, a mare he owns with Missy Clark and Double H Farm, incurred
eight faults and did not qualify for the Jump-Off.
For
the tiebreaker, Stephens re-set with nine fences to jump in a Time
Allowed of 53 seconds. Hough aboard Clasiko led off but had the
seventh fence down for four faults in 46.69, and finished in fourth
place. Dello Joio and Glasgow went next and raced the course clean
in 41.84, which proved to be unbeatable. Firestone and Casanova
followed, and had a rail down at the third fence, but clocked in
splits faster than Hough at 46.30, for third place. Kappler and
Royal Kaliber toppled the first and seventh fences, logging eight
faults in 48.87 for fifth place. Madden and Authentic were last
to go and broke the beam clean in 43.99, but had to settle for second
place.
After
B and C of the original triple I was slow to the last fence and
just a little bit slow in general, said Madden, who has had
the ride on the nine-year-old Dutch warmblood for four years. I
didnt see Norman go but I think he just had a faster clip
right from the beginning. His horse is a lot more experienced than
mine and I just wasnt as confident as Norman was to go all
out. Authentic is only nine. I was going fast. Its just that
nothing came up out of the turns for me. In addition to Authentic,
Madden has two other Olympic hopeful mounts. She asked for and was
granted permission to bring Authentic, DeSilvio and Judgment to
the Olympic Selection Trials.
A
disappointed Kappler has won the American Invitational twice, in
1995 with Seven Wonder and 2003 with Royal Kaliber, but he was not
able to enter the history books on this occasion as a rider able
to claim back-to-back victories on the same horse (Michelle Grubb
and Molly Ashe are the only riders to accomplish this feat). I
was trying to line up one to two for a seven and I thought he felt
like he slipped a little at the first fence, said Kappler.
I was a little bit emotionally out of it for the rest of the
jump-off after that. I was thinking too much about that fence for
the rest of the course really. But Kappler was positive about
his horses performance. The most important thing was
I wanted to have a good solid first round and he did that for me.
I took a big shot in the jump-off and that happens. He was brilliant
tonight and I was really happy with how he performed. I cant
ask for more. He had a great circuit. Kappler noted that he
now plans to ask for a bye for Royal Kaliber for Athens
so that he can rest and condition him before Devon and Europe rather
than compete in the Selection Trials.
Firestone
is also aiming Casanova, a 14-year-old Swedish gelding, for the
Selection Trials and her third place finish in the Invitational
confirmed her path. Im really excited. Its part
of my plan. Its one of my last classes before the Trials.
I couldnt be happier with how my horse jumped, she said.
Hough
intends to shoot for a second Olympics with Clasiko, a 13-year-old
Holsteiner gelding, and considered her fourth place performance
in the Invitational another step towards Athens. I came off
a win in Palm Beach and that was the last class until tonight. I
thought he jumped the first round beautifully. Im not very
fast in jump-offs with him. Im just thrilled with my results
tonight. Im thrilled that we got to jump in a venue so similar
to what well be seeing later down the road, said Hough,
referring to the Athens venue, which will also be at night on grass
under lights. This is it for me until the Trials.
The
camaraderie among the five Olympic hopefuls was evident when it
was pointed out that on the day Dello Joio won his first American
Invitational, Hough hadnt been born yet and Firestone was
only two years old. But I beat them! beamed Dello Joio,
which elicited peals of laughter from all of them.
Winning
the American Invitational proved to Dello Joio that his horse has
made progress since the Selection Trials for the 2000 Olympics and
the 2002 World Equestrian Games. Hes just had more experience.
Hes a little older and he doesnt try to fight me as
much, said Dello Joio. Hes always had a lot of
character and was hard to make focus. I had to work him very, very
hard sometimes a little bit too hard and you fatigue him
too much. Now he doesnt need as much work. Hes more
settled in himself.
Total
prize money for the 2004 WEF was three-million-dollars. Produced
by founder Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc., the Winter
Equestrian Festival is the largest and longest consecutively running
equestrian sporting event in the world.
UPCOMING
SHOW
CHARLOTTE
JUMPER CLASSIC CSI****
Charlotte
Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
April
9 -11 Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI****
April
11 $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcat Cup
.
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