Wellington, FL – June 4, 2012 – Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) hosted the first of several weeks of competition in its summer horse show series this weekend at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The June I competition was held on June 1-3 featuring “A” rated hunter and 3 jumper action. Highlights included a $10,000 Open Jumper Stake and $25,000 Equine Tack and Nutritionals June I Grand Prix. 


The competition will continue next week with the June II horse show on June 8-10. June II will also feature a $10,000 Open Jumper Stake, which will be held on Saturday, June 9. As always, the competition will have great money for the junior/amateur-owner and children’s/adult jumper divisions as well. The schedule for the second week of competition has also been revamped to accommodate the requests of those competitors that will be traveling out of state.

The ESP Summer Series will continue with five more events:
ESP Summer III: August 24-26, 2012 – “A” rated and Jumper Rated 3
ESP Labor Day: August 31 – September 2, 2012 – “A” rated and Jumper Rated 3
ESP September: September 14-16, 2012 – “A” rated and Jumper Rated 3
Florida State Fall: September 21-23, 2012 – “A” rated and Jumper Rated 3
Rita & Irish Flynn: September 29-30, 2012 – “C” rated and Jumper Rated 2

For more information and to get the ESP Summer Series prize list, please visit call 561-793-5867 or visit www.equestriansport.com.

Gemma Paternoster and Osiris Out Jump the Competition in ESP’s $25,000 Equine Tack and Nutritionals June I Grand Prix

The $25,000 Equine Tack and Nutritionals Grand Prix was held on Saturday evening under the bright lights of the International Arena at the PBIEC. Nineteen entries came out to compete over the course set by Catsy Cruz of Monterrey, Mexico. Four entries were able to clear the first round course without fault to advance to the jump-off, and it was a race to the finish as the top four ladies each went double clear. 


Candice King (USA) and Eva Castegren’s mare Valencia were first to jump-off and stopped the clock in 44.869 seconds to finish fourth. Liza Finsness (USA) and Ormsby Hill were next to compete and their time of 44.035 seconds would finish third. Russia’s Ljubov Kochetova increased the time once more riding Lapsus Du Lavoir through the timers in 40.963 seconds to earn second place honors. The time got faster with each round until Great Britain’s Gemma Paternoster and her veteran partner Osiris entered the ring, last to go. The pair earned the victory, crossing the timers in 39.736 seconds. Paternoster also finished fifth with the fastest four-fault round aboard her young mount Zonneglans.


Gemma Paternoster and Osiris

Paternoster’s winning mount Osiris is a 16-year-old gelding by Polydox x Lucky Boy. Paternoster and Osiris have been together for eleven years after she purchased the horse as a five-year-old, and she now owns him in partnership with Julia Harrison Lee.

“He is the most amazing horse,” Paternoster praised after the class. “He has done eleven Nations Cups with me. I have done more than I ever dreamed of doing when I was seventeen years old on that horse.”


“He is always a little hot head because he is a really small horse,” the rider described. “Everybody thinks that because he has jumped all of the Super Leagues that he is really big because he’s got this big stride, but he is actually not even sixteen hands. He is always a little bit hot and I always get a little over-protective of him in the jump-off because he is my baby, but tonight I actually just let him off. I was like ‘If you want to run, run.’ I had nothing to lose. I was last to go and everyone was clean. He was amazing. Everything I just pointed him at and let him loose and he just stayed careful. It was fabulous; he gave me a great ride.”


The 26-year-old Paternoster, originally from England, is now based in Wellington full-time.  “I moved here 18 months ago; I just came for the Nations Cup not meaning to stay and I ended up meeting Julia Harrison Lee, who owns half of Osiris, and we just hit it off,” she explained. “Julia has a place here and I just stayed. I didn’t go home, and it is absolutely great. This is the first season that I am down here all summer. Last year I went up north and went Calgary with the team, but I have a lot of young horses this year so we are staying in Florida.”


“I am trying to buy a little house for myself at the moment,” Paternoster added. “I am trying to make some roots here because I am a long way from home and I need to make a home here. I’m going to nip off to Atlanta for a bit and I might pop back and forth to Europe if we need to look at various horses, but I am basically going to stay here. My family is in England, so I am hoping to get a little trip in August when it’s really hot to go see them.”


“Osiris will stay here and chill. He did a lot last year, a lot of World Cups and a lot of Nations Cups. He is sixteen this year and I just want him to have fun,” Paternoster noted. “I said at the beginning of this year, ‘I just want him to be able to go in a grand prix, have fun and win it’, and that is just what he did tonight. I am so happy for him. It was a perfect class for him. A smaller grand prix, six holes smaller than he normally jumps, and he just had his ears pricked, running around having fun.”


Commenting on the course further, Paternoster stated, “I thought she built beautifully. It was not huge. I jumped a 7-year-old around and she was fifth. She didn’t frighten herself, but she learned a lot. I think it was technical and it tested the riders. You had to have control. She made an exciting jump-off. She had four clears, it was good to watch, and everybody ran and got faster and faster. It was a good class.”


Gemma Paternoster and Osiris in their winning presentation

Final Results: ESP June I $25,000 Equine Tack and Nutritionals Grand Prix
1. Osiris, Gemma Paternoster, Gemma Paternoster & Julia Harrison Lee: 0/0/39.736
2. Lapsus Du Lavoir, Ljubov Kochetova, Ljubov Kochetova: 0/0/40.963
3. Ormsby Hill, Liza Finsness, Liza Finsness: 0/0/44.035
4. Valencia, Candice King, Eva Castegren: 0/0/44.869
5. Zonneglans, Gemma Paternoster, Gemma Paternoster: 4/77.786
6. Belle Blue S, Kaely Tomeu, Spy Coast Farm & M/M Sweetnam: 4/78.644
7. Aslan, Ljubov Kochetova, Ljubov Kochetova: 4/78.760
8. Campbell VDL, Candice King, Hyperion Stud LLC: 4/81.933
9. Accordance, Juan Ortiz, Juan Ortiz: 4/82.832
10. Naomi 152, Manuel Lecuona, Quail Run Partnerships: 4/84.096
11. Zimbabwe, Diego Muyshondt, Diego Muyshondt: 6/86.098
12. Lola, Julianna Fischer, Julianna Fischer: 8/73.977

Jumper Highlights

June I competition kicked off on Friday with a $10,000 Open Jumper Stake with an exciting win for young rider Samantha Senft and her mount Early Morning, owned by Summer Seas Stable. Juan Ortiz and Wauw finished second, with Ljubov Kochetova and Lapsus Du Lavoir in third.


On Sunday, Leo Paoli won the NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic with his horse Orange Des Hayettes. Liza Finsness and Vera Z placed second, with Mireya Godoy and Tresor D in third.


The $1,500 Low Child/Adult Jumper Classic was won by Cameron Morris riding Caroline Mason’s horse Calvin. Lisa Moore and Cavalier’s Royal Diamond, owned by Moore Equines LLC, finished second. Hana Bieling and Sweet Oak Farm’s Serendipity placed third.


In the $1,500 M&S Child/Adult Jumper Classic, Sasha Perl jumped to victory aboard Roy Wilten’s San Diego. Lauren Morse and Prince Edward, owned by Clermark Equestrian LLP, finished second, and Emily Rizzo and her own Little Joey were third.


Hunter and Equitation Highlights

In 
the hunter divisions, Dana Colabella and Elite Pharmaceutical’s Vitesse began the week with a championship win in the Baby Green Hunter division. Sally Duffield’s Widget and Chrystal Knight finished in reserve.


In the Child/Adult Working Hunters, Water Castle and Lindsay Levine were the champions followed by Eric Flameng’s Pepita and Julie Fontaine in reserve. The Low Child/Adult Hunter division presented its championship to No Worries and Kelly Caldwell Sachs, with Poddium, ridden by Kelly Caldwell Sachs and Susan Tuccinardi, finishing in reserve. Poddium earned the championship tricolor in the Low Working Hunter division as well ridden by Caldwell Sachs and Tuccinardi.

The week’s Junior Hunter division was dominated by rider Liza Finsness. Finsness earned the championship aboard Camden Yards, owned by Allyson Blais. She was reserve aboard her own horse Lord Loxley.

The pony divisions also showed over the weekend to earn their championship honors and it was a clean sweep for rider Olivia Woodson, who rode all three winners. In the Small Pony Hunters, Thyme For Roses, owned by Molly Braswell and ridden by Woodson was the champion. Captain Jack Sparrow, owned by Dogwood Creek, Inc. and ridden by Hana Bieling finished in reserve.

Woodson also earned the championship in the Medium Pony Hunter division riding Cool Rock, owned by Charles Moorcroft. Stars And Stripes, owned and ridden by Anderson F. Wagner, finished in reserve. 


In the Large Pony Hunters, Woodson guided her own pony Sweet Ambition to the championship. Barn Rat LLC’s Highlands Percival and Erika Jakobson were the reserve champions.


In the equitation, Maggie Botkin rode Rolls Royce, owned by Linda Urioste, to victory in both the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal presented by Randolph College and the ASPCA Maclay classes this week. Liza Finsness and Fedelio won the WIHS Overall and also topped the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search.


The 14 & Under champion was Taleen Mencia riding Chandler, owned by Wendy Arndt. In the Equitation 15-17, the championship went to Madison Butehorn riding Missy Clark and North Run’s Shiva. Ashley Shows rode her own Black Tie Affair to the reserve championship.
     
For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

Photo Credit: Photos © ManciniPhotos, www.manciniphotos.com. This photo may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.