Hampton Falls, NH – September 17, 2011 – The Fidelity Investments® Jumper Classic®, presented by Porsche, continued today with three rings of competition. In the highlight class of the day, Kent Farrington of Chicago, IL, won the $12,000 Millbrook Ventures Speed Derby with Samar, owned by R.C.G. Farm.
To watch an interview with Kent Farrington talking about his speed derby win, please visit here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoXxQ4dgMME.
Samar and Kent Farrington
Located in the beautiful town of Hampton Falls, NH, The Jumper Classic is New England’s premier equestrian event. This elite level competition attracts the country’s top riders, past Olympians and local equestrians who compete for over $200,000 in prize money. The Jumper Classic runs through Sunday, September 18, with the highlight class, the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix, on Sunday.
Course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY, is designing the tracks in the Coldwell Bankers Previews Grand Prix Field this week. Riders and trainers enjoyed a catered breakfast, sponsored by PlaneSense, in the SmartPak Rider’s Tent this morning and were treated to an afternoon party sponsored by Brittany’s Bran Mash.
Speed was the name of the game in today’s final class, the $12,000 Millbrook Ventures Speed Derby. The class hosted 31 entries over a derby course that included the full Dover Saddlery Derby Bank as well as an option of the ditch or liverpool, and an open water. There were 14 obstacles on course, and the class was scored as a faults converted format, where rails down added four seconds to the rider’s final time.
Although Kent Farrington and Samar had the last jump down, their fast time still enabled them to win the class. They finished with a final time of 84.404 seconds. Second place went to Leslie Howard and 73 West Group’s Goed Zo, who were the early class leaders with a time of 85.094 seconds after a rail down. Nicholas Dello Joio and Navarre D’olueis, owned by J Adalberto Roig, were third in 85.989 seconds. They too had one rail down.
Farrington calls the 13-year-old Warmblood gelding “a speed specialist.” He went further, “He’s a super speed horse and wins everywhere, at indoors, Calgary. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s very fast and incredibly brave. You can always count on him to be competitive.”
Samar and Kent Farrington with The Jumper Classic horse show manager Mike Belisle
Of the course in today’s derby, Farrington said, “They incorporated the natural elements, which is nice because they aren’t massive jumps. For a younger horse, it’s good for them to do it. For a speed horse like him, he can really be competitive. There was an inside option to the liverpool, and he’s really brave so you can count on him to do that. The long run to the water was a good place to open the horses up. If you have a good horse for this type of class, they can be fun.”
Farrington plans to compete Samar in tomorrow’s $15,000 Equine Insurance Services Speed Stake, presented by Great American Insurance Group. He’ll also compete with other mounts in the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix.
Danielle Torano matched her husband’s win yesterday with one of her own today. She and her veteran competitor Capitano won the $5,500 SmartPak High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. Second place went to Katie Dinan on Sandro, and Dinan also picked up third place on Belle Dame D. For her win today, Torano was presented with a custom saddle from Devoucoux. Katie Dinan won a Devoucoux bridle.
Capitano and Danielle Torano
“When Katie and Lauren (Ward) went, I thought, ‘No way.’ I couldn’t come close to it,” Torano said of the jump-off. “Did I think I could beat her? I really didn’t think I could. In this venue, he has a huge stride. It felt like a 16 foot stride! I was really deep to the skinny, so he was good to not knock that down. The last jump I had to leave a little bit of room, but when you’re going that fast it’s hard. He had just enough room to get out of the way.”
Torano’s accuracy and speed was what helped her to the win. “I have been fast on him. When I go fast on him, it feels so fast because he has a big, slower-type stride. He’s just so game. I always say I can’t go that fast and then we go in and he does. This year he feels like a young horse. It’s better because he has the experience of having done so much. We’re more comfortable with each other. He used to be so hard for me to ride, now I enjoy it. This was fun.”
Danielle Torano and Capitano with representatives from SmartPak and Devocoux
Capitano and Torano have had many big wins, and although her family’s farm is known for selling top horses, Capitano will always have a place there. “He’s a horse that we know we’re never going to sell. That makes it even nicer because we do sell most everything that we have. We have an understanding with him and that makes it fun. He’s part of the family,” she expressed.
In the $3,500 Holly Hill Farm Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, 12-year-old Katherine Strauss of Southampton, NY, rode Waterloo S to victory when she went double clear with a time of 36.793 seconds. Strauss had two rides in the jump-off; she placed third with Chellando Z (38.332 seconds). Second place went to Victoria Vargas D’Agostino on Rombouts Soleil, who finished in 37.785 seconds. For her win today, Strauss was awarded a custom tack trunk from Platinum Woodworking.
Waterloo S and Katherine Strauss
“For the jump-off, I was just trying to have a real smooth round, not interrupted but still quick. I’ve been working on that a lot,” Strauss said. “I was really happy with Chellando because I was smooth, but I wasn’t quite fast enough. With Waterloo I wanted to be smooth but faster, with a more forward distance to jump one and a better turn to the white oxer in the center.”
At the beginning of the year, Strauss was riding in the pony hunters, but she has quickly moved up to the Children’s and Low Junior Jumpers, with her sights set on the High division. “Kentucky was where I really moved up. This is my first show with no ponies,” she smiled. “Jumpers are my favorite. I like how the clock is judging you. You really get to gallop, but you have to think a lot more because there are so many more tracks and technical parts about it.”
Strauss has only ridden two of her Low Junior Jumpers for a month. “Chellando has a little more experience even though they’re both eight (years old). We’ve been bringing Waterloo along and he’s been really great for us,” she described. “This course was really good for him because there were a lot of turns and he’s really good at coming in when you ask him to. We think he’s going to be a really nice horse.”
Katherine Strauss and Waterloo S with representatives from Holly Hill Farm and Platinum Woodworking
Although she’s only 12, this is not the first junior jumper classic win for Strauss. “I won in the Children’s Jumpers before, and I won the Low Junior Jumper Classic in Kentucky with Fardela. This is the first I’ve won on Waterloo. I’m really excited because all of work at home, the flatwork, has paid off,” she said.
Olivia Weeks has benefited from her daughter’s previous mounts before, and today’s $2,500 Adult New England Equine Medical & Surgical Adult Jumper Classic was no different. Weeks rode HJ El Divino to first place when they scorched through the jump-off course with no faults in 38.444 seconds. Just behind in second place was Monica Carrera on Tiffany, who stopped the timers in 38.517 seconds. Elizabeth Maloney and Irie were third in 40.089 seconds.
HJ El Divino and Olivia Weeks
HJ El Divino, or “Henry” as he is called in the barn, was originally a mount for Weeks’ daughter, also named Olivia. “She’s over six feet tall and he’s a little man. Luckily for me, I got him. I get all of my daughter’s hand me downs, which is pretty nice because they have pretty nice horses!” she remarked. “I haven’t ridden him that much, not as much as the other ones. I still feel like I’m getting used to him.”
Weeks noted that Henry is “a lot spicier” than her other mounts, which might have helped her in the jump-off. “His stride is so big,” she added. “I didn’t think I’d catch the time. I’m really happy because we’ve made a lot of progress this week. I honestly didn’t think he would win. I just wanted to end on a good note. I’m so competitive, so after the first jump we were just going!”
Olivia Weeks and HJ El Divino with representatives of the New England Equine Medical & Surgical Center
“This show is so supportive and wonderful and exhibitor friendly,” Weeks pointed out, “especially the care they take to try to make the conditions good. We love this show a lot.”
Elsa Kania and Carreras were able to post the fastest time in the jump-off for the win in the $1,500 Woodridge Farm Children’s Jumper Classic. They were double clear in 36.682 seconds. McKayla Langmeier and Denmark finished second in 37.873 seconds, while Nina Montross rode Voigtsdorfs Ohio to third with a time of 35.802 seconds with four faults.
Carreras and Elsa Kania
Kania, an 18-year-old rider from Cambridge, MA, has owned Carreras for a year and a half. “He’s a once in a lifetime horse; he’s just amazing,” Kania said. “Actually he’s my equitation horse. We just started the jumpers in the past month, so we’re still figuring things out.”
Although he usually competed in the equitation, Carreras was able to turn up the speed for the jump-off. “He’s so big and has a huge stride, but he’s not necessarily very turn-able. He was a little bit crazy today. I think we had a bit of a gallop going,” she said with a smile.
This was the pair’s first jumper classic win. “I’ve been coming here for years and this is the first time it’s gone relatively well,” she said. “This is one of my favorite shows. I have to say thank you to my trainer Kristen Bumpus. She’s really busy but she’s done a phenomenal job keeping us all in line. Thank you to Woodridge for sponsoring the class and Fidelity Investments for making this possible.”
Elsa Kania and Carreras with The Jumper Classic Chairman Jeff Papows
In the GGT Footing Ring Two, the $750 Modified Children’s/Adult Jumpers competed, and it was Randy Levesque on Lyla, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, who took home the win. Levesque, a sponsor through his company Equine Insurance Services and board member of the Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic, noted, Sometimes it goes just right and sometimes it doesn’t. I love this show, my horse loves this show. It’s terrific for the exhibitors!”
The last class of the day in Ring Two was the $900 Fox Grove Studio Children’s/Adult Farewell class. Wendy Wood of Amesbury, MA, and City Life 7, a seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding, picked up the blue ribbon. Of her horse, she said, “He’s a young horse. I just imported him this spring so we are just still trying to get to know each other and haven’t done many horse shows together. I jumped him in the adults and in some smaller classes this week and once out in the field. But I thought it would be a better experience for him to finish off with something he was more comfortable with.”
The Farewell class offered just that. “I thought it was terrific they offered this nice, friendly class to end on. He did everything I asked him to do. He’s a young horse so I didn’t want to really run him off his feet. Hopefully, next year with more experience, I could do more of the tricky inside turns. I was glad that this class was offered,” Wood said.
Other winners in the GGT Footing Ring Two included:
1.15m Jumpers: Sky’s The Limit, Kristen Bumpus, Elsa Kania
$1,000 1.20m Jumpers: Trubbels, Tonya Henning, Juan Bancalari
$2,500 1.30m Jumpers: Estepona B, Kevin Babington, Kindle Hill Affiliates
$900 Fox Grove Studio Child/Adult Farwell Class: City Life, Wendy Wood, Wendy Wood
Winners in the Wentworth Country Club by the Sea Ring Three were:
.80m Jumper: Flying Dutchman, Charles Jacobs, CMJ Sporthorse, LLC
.90m Jumpers: Armani Code, Taylor Phoenix, Taylor Phoenix
1.00m Jumpers: Iceman, Dagny Mactaggart, Dagny Mactaggart
1.10m Jumpers: Carson, Lucy Huber, Lucy Huber
Circuit championships were also awarded today. Ribbons and prizes were awarded to those who had the most points in the Fieldstone Triple Crown, the three “AA” shows at Fieldstone Equestrian and Show Facility, as well as the Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic. The winners are as follows:
Masters Jumpers:
Champion: Eurostar and Jeff Papows
Reserve Champion (tie): Clapton and Dennis Sisco/Mr. Nightime and Donald Little 


Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers:
Champion: Waterloo S and Katherine Strauss
Reserve Champion: Chellando Z and Katherine Strauss

High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers:
Champion: Sandro and Katie Dinan
Reserve Champion: Capitano and Danielle Torano

Tomorrow’s competition will feature the two highlight classes of the week, the $15,000 Equine Investment Services Speed Stake, presented by Great American Insurance Group, and the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix.
For more information, please visit The Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic website at www.jumperclassic.com or visit The Jumper Classic on Facebook!

Final Results: $12,000 Millbrook Ventures Speed Derby
1 53 Samar, Kent Farrington, R.C.G. Farm: (4)/84.404
2 327 Goed Zo, Leslie Howard, 73 West Group:(4)/85.094
3 308 Navarre D’olueis, Nicholas Dello Joio, J Adalberto Roig:(4)/85.989
4 43 Perfect de Coquerie, Victor Amaya, Georgina Bloomberg: (4)/87.595
5 323 Reflection, Peter Leone, Lionshare Farm: (4)/87.648
6 127 Merlin, Frances Land, Frances Land: (4)/87.941
7 51 Valencia, Mavis Spencer, Mavis Spencer: (4)/88.895
8 228 Ulster, Paige Sorce, Western Meadow Farm LLC: (4)/90.862
9 155 Quidam 13, Amy Millar, DK-USA: (0)/91.457
10 101 Sovereign Mystery, Timothy Hooker, Timothy Hooker: (4)/91.990
Final Results: $5,500 SmartPak High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
1 266 Capitano, Danielle Torano
2 321 Sandro, Katie Dinan
3 195 Belle Dame D, Katie Dinan
4 352 Oskar, Lauren Ward
5 123 Flipper D’or, Brittni Raflowitz
6 153 Courdia de laubry, Karina Aziz
7 128 Levade 35, Jay Land
8 70 Ami Des Gemmes, Jean Sheptoff
Final Results: $3,500 Holly Hill Farm Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic
1 402 Waterloo S, Katherine Strauss: 0/0/36.793
2 204 Rombouts Soleil, Victoria Vargas D’Agostino: 0/0/37.785
3 400 Chellando Z, Katherine Strauss: 0/0/38.332
4 370 Ambitious, Cody Parker: 0/4/38.294
5 307 Malcolm, Kira Kerkorian: 4/70.620
6 349 Fancy Brown, Rachael Ricci: 4/74.383
7 87 Nerval de la Batia, Margaret Bopp: 4/76.715
8 401 Fardela, Katherine Strauss: 8/71.156
Final Results: $2,500 New England Equine Medical & Surgical Adult Jumper Classic
1 272 H .J. El Divino, Olivia Weeks: 0/0/38.444
2 96 Tiffany, Monica Carrera: 0/0/38.517
3 139 Irie, Elizabeth Maloney: 0/0/40.089
4 117 Palermo Park, Ahmed Alali: 0/4/35.699
5 85 Turbo, Jeanine Cash: 0/4/36.632
6 421 Zia, Tattie Singer: 0/4/36.765
7 392 My Lovely Louise, Michelle L Blunda: 0/4/36.772
8 252 Heliotrop, Lee Thornton: 0/4/38.616
Final Results: $1,500 Woodridge Farm Children’s Jumper Classic
1 24 Carreras, Elsa Kania: 0/0/36.682
2 385 Denmark, McKayla Langmeier: 0/0/37.873
3 262 Voigtsdorfs Ohio, Nina Montross: 0/4/35.802
4 396 Lexi, Jassa Williams: 0/4/37.612
5 265 Charlotte Des Bruyeres, Gillian Kelley: 0/4/38.965
6 367 Omaretto, Madeline Mcdermot: 0/8/36.777
7 267 Campesino IV, Gillian Kelley: 0/8/37.389
8 263 Nerazzurro, Nina Montross: 4/65.122
The Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic presented by Porsche, now in its 22nd year, annually attracts some of the nation’s most elite equestrian athletes as well as international competitors. The show offers five days of competition and culminates in the premier event, the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix, held on one of the top grass grand prix fields on the east coast. For more information on the Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic presented by Porsche, please visit www.jumperclassic.com.
Fidelity Investments is one of the world’s largest providers of financial services, with assets under administration of $3.3 trillion, including managed assets of nearly $1.5 trillion, as of July 31, 2010. Founded in 1946, the firm is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, benefits outsourcing and many other financial products and services to more than 20 million individuals and institutions, as well as through 5,000 financial intermediary firms. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit www.fidelity.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: Kendra Cecieta, Director of Media Relations, media@jumperclassic.com
EDITORAL CONTACT: Pamela Mansfield, Editor In Chief, pmansfield@jumperclassic.com
PHOTO CREDIT: All photos © Flashpoint Photography, www.flashpointphotography.com. These photos may only be used in relation to this press release and with full photo credit.
WEBSITE: www.jumperclassic.com, Press Releases and Photos are available for download.