Lake Placid, NY—July 2, 2006—Jeff Welles of Newtown, CT rode Armani to victory over a 34-horse field in the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* Presented by RV Sales of Broward to close the 37th annual Lake Placid Horse Show.
Welles, 44, was the first to try the 16-jump, first-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds. He guided his 11-year-old, Dutch Warmblood with whom he was named to the five-rider U.S. squad for the show jumping World Championships at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany in August to a fault-free ride.
The next 22 entries tried and failed to match Welles’s clean ride until Simon Nizri of Mexico City turned the trick on Cataro Ask, a 12-year-old Holsteiner. When the remaining entries failed to go clean over the Pierre Jolicoeur-designed course it came down to a two-horse jump-off between Welles, who won the event in 2000 on S&L Riviera, and Nizri, who was competing at Lake Placid for the first time.
Welles returned first over the nine-jump tiebreaker course and turned in another fault-free ride, finishing in 47.70 seconds. Nizri, 27, then finished in 49.49 seconds, giving Welles his first win of the year.
“Generally, the preference is to see a few horses go first and not lead off the class,” said Welles, “but it was really less of a factor today. There were very few options in striding and the horse had jumped well all week. The only concern might have been the time, but I just went as smooth and direct as I could and we finished well under.”
Prior to the Grandprix, Julie Welles of West Simsbury, CT rode Felix Des Noues to victory in the $10,000 Pepsi Bottling Company High Junior Jumper Classic and Louis Jacobs of East Aurora, NY rode Kachina to victory in the $10,000 Mirror Lake Inn High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Both classes are member events of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series, a national tour for junior and amateur-owner riders with year-end championship finals at the National Horse Show in Wellington, FL in November.
Welles topped a field of 26 entries, seven of whom reached the jump-off with clean rounds over the initial course. Welles was then one of three who rode clean in the jump-off and her time of 32.536 seconds gave her the win and also the horse show’s High Junior Jumper Championship.
Jacobs topped a field of 36, only four of whom managed clean rounds to reach the jump-off. In the jump-off, Jacobs was the only one to go clean, giving him the victory and also propelling him the horse show’s High Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship. Jacobs and Welles then joined the horse show’s other champions in the C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery Parade of Champions.
Also preceding the Grandprix was the Juliam Farm Lead Line Class, always a favorite at Lake Placid when the horse show’s youngest competitors, all under age 7, get their chance to ride in the Richard M. Feldman Grandprix Field.
Results of $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI***
1 ARMANI, JEFFERY WELLES, USA, 0, 47.70
2 CATARO ASK, SIMON NIZRI, MEX, 0, 49.29
3 ONIRA, BRIANNE GOUTAL, USA, R1 4, 74.58
4 LITTLE BIG MAN, LAURA CHAPOT, USA, R1 4, 75.35
5 MADISON, KENT FARRINGTON, USA, R1 4, 78.32
6 LARENTINO, ELIZA SHUFORD, USA, R1 4, 78.45
7 PINA COLADA, DAVID RAPOSA, USA, R1 4, 79.11
8 H C’S OSCAR, MARGIE ENGLE, USA, R1 4, 80.23
9 CHURCH ROAD, MAX AMAYA, ARG, R1 4, 81.26
10 CLAUS, ANGELA K. MOORE, USA, R1 5, 82.55
With the close of the Lake Placid Horse Show, the 29th annual I Love New York Horse Show follows at the North Elba Showgrounds, July 4-9. The highlight is the $60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* Presented by the Heidegger Family on Saturday, July 8.
The I Love New York Horse Shows also offers North American League, Washington International Horse Show, World Champion Hunter Rider, and Show Jumping Hall of Fame classes.
Highlights of the I Love New York Horse Show schedule include:
Wed., July 5 WPTZ News Channel 5 1.35m Class
1.45m Farm & Ranch Magazine Open Speed Stake
Thu., July 6 1.40m Wild Horse Winery NAL Open Speed Stake
Fri., July 7 1.40m Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau Speed Challenge
Nicola’s Restaurants 1.45m Open Jumper class
Sat., July 8 Marantz Family High Junior Jumper Classic
Charlotte Bobcats Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
Woodlea Farms Parade of Champions
$60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* presented by the Heidegger Family
Sun., July 9 Whiteface Lodge WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic
The Levy Family Low Junior Jumper Classic
Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
Price Chopper WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic
Pony Hunter Classic
Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship
After the Hermès Grandprix on July 8, the Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence will be awarded to the rider who has won the most prize money in Lake Placid’s two Grand Prix combined. The Lake Placid Horse Shows also offer the $25,000 Hidden Creek Challenge with $25,000 to be awarded to any horse-and-rider combination that wins both the Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* and the Hermès Grandprix CSI 3*.
The I Love New York Horse Show features another beloved Lake Placid tradition, the 14th annual Doggie Costume Contest, on Saturday, July 8 at noon. All people with leashed dogs in costume are admitted to the horse show free of charge. The doggie costume contest is sponsored by the Lonesome Landing Garden Center of Saranac Lake and the Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar of Lake Placid. There is no entry fee and all contestants receive prizes.
The horse show’s annual Animal Planet Kids’ Day returns on Friday, July 7 and includes activities such as a stable tour, jumper course walk, farrier visit, and question-and-answer seminar on safety in and out of the ring. There is also a raffle, giveaways, and an autograph session with a top Grand Prix rider. The day continues the Lake Placid Horse Shows’ long history of giving back to the local community.
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