Charlotte Jumper Classic

Charlie Jayne And Thomas Edison Stay Fast And Clear For Opening Win In $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake

April 10,2009

The Charlotte Jumper Classic, CSI 5* opened up competition this evening with two classes for the top jumpers in the nation. This week's show is held at the Time Warner Cable Arena, home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, in Uptown Charlotte, NC. Charlie Jayne of Elgin, IL, rode Thomas Edison to victory in the $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake, while Sean Crooks of Snohomish, WA, piloted Cincinatti La Silla through a speedy course for the win in the $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner class.

The highlight classes for this year's Charlotte Jumper Classic are the $25,000 Puissance class on Saturday evening and the $450,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte on Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m.

The $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake drew 23 competitors, who rode over a course designed by 2008 Olympic Games course designer Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. Nine of those 23 were clear in the first round to advance to the jump-off. There were five riders with just four faults in the first round.

Opening up the jump-off was fan favorite and double gold medalist Beezie Madden on Crème Brule. A rail down at jump 9 left them with four faults in a time of 30.14 seconds. They finished in fifth place.

Next in was Jayne on Thomas Edison, a 10-year-old American Thoroughbred gelding. Jayne was careful through the beginning of the jump-off as Thomas Edison cleared everything with cat-like precision. Heading to the last two jumps, he picked up the pace, made an inside turn, and galloped to the final jump. They stopped the clock in 28.64 seconds with a clear round to set the lead that would not be broken.

"In the jump off, I wanted to be smooth in the beginning. Then for the second half of the course after I cleared the double and if I still felt like he was jumping well, (I wanted to) take a little bit of a shot at the liverpool and then just hold him straight to the last jump."

Jayne admitted, "I did not expect my time to hold up. Henri Kovac's horse has been jumping so well all circuit and Goldika barely ever has a rail over this height, so I thought I would be in the top three and I was happy with that."

Karen Cudmore (CAN) and Southern Pride had trouble at two jumps and Cudmore opted to circle. Those two circles counted as refusals, and she was eliminated.

Brianne Goutal and Ralvesther noted a clear round in the jump-off, but their time of 32.34 seconds was not quite fast enough to catch Jayne's time. They would eventually finish in third place. The next scheduled to return was Chris Kappler on VDL Oranta. He opted to not compete in the jump-off and save his horse.

Canada's Jenna Thompson and Zeke had trouble with the careful plank vertical at jump 4 and pulled the top rail down. Their time of 31.17 seconds with four faults gave them sixth place in the class.

North Carolinian Katherine Miracle had trouble on the jump-off course, accumulating 12 faults and a time of 30.19 seconds. They finished in seventh place.

Next in was 18-year-old Henri Kovacs of Hungary. The young rider and Sassicaia 11 were very quick throughout the course, but an added stride in the line to the double combination may have accounted for their slightly slower time. They just missed beating Jayne with a clear round in 29.65 seconds.

The final duo in the ring was the highly competitive McLain Ward on Goldika 559. The little bay mare was very fast, but they caught the back rail at jump 9 for four faults. They finished in 29.62 seconds for fourth place.

This was only Thomas Edison's second time competing indoors, so Jayne was very pleased with his victory tonight. Jayne feels that his horse's natural adjustability made it easy for him to compete in the arena. He added, "I think that he is crafty enough, and he is very light on his feet."

Jayne has competed at the Charlotte Jumper Classic three times- once as a junior rider, and twice in the International Open Jumper division. He has won a class every time in Charlotte, and he was very happy to continue his success this year.

The first class of the opening session was the $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper speed class. The first pair into the ring was Cincinatti La Silla and Sean Crooks. Their deceptively fast pace and carefulness gave them the early lead, and they held onto it throughout the 15 other competitors in the class. Finishing second was Francis Tres Roig of Puerto Rico on Lady in Blue, who was also clear in 51.94 seconds.

Crooks, a 21-year-old rider from Washington State, has been training with Olympic medalist Norman Dello Joio for three years. He and his seven-year-old Holsteiner mare, Cincinatti La Silla, have only been together for five months. He said of her, "She goes like a hunter, (but) she has a lot of blood. She is fast, careful, scopey, and she has a big stride; she is everything that you could want in a horse. I am lucky to have her."

This was Crooks first win with this horse, and he said, "I am happy that I have started doing well on her." This is Crooks' first time showing in Charlotte and he smiled, "I love it so far."

Competition continues tomorrow, April 11, with the opening class at 1:30 p.m. the International Open Jumpers will start things out with their speed class, immediately followed by the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers' accumulator class. The evening session will begin when doors re-open at 6 p.m. The first class, the International Open Jumper accumulator class, starts at 7 p.m. It is followed by the $25,000 Puissance class, sure to be one of the most exciting classes of the weekend. It is a high jump competition over a wall and is one of only two Puissance classes held in North America.

Final Results: $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake

1 109 CHARLIE JAYNE THOMAS EDISON ALEX R. JAYNE USA 0.00 54.88 0.00 28.64
2 136 HENRI KOVACS SASSICAIA 11 PLAIN BAY FARM HUN 0.00 57.84 0.00 29.65
3 54 BRIANNE GOUTAL RALVESTHER CLOVERLEAF FARM USA 0.00 53.81 0.00 32.34
4 63 MCLAIN WARD GOLDIKA 559 MCLAIN WARD USA 0.00 54.34 4.00 29.62
5 131 BEEZIE MADDEN CREME BRULE ABIGAIL S. WEXNER USA 0.00 59.11 4.00 30.14
6 47 JENNA THOMPSON ZEKE JENNA THOMPSON CAN 0.00 57.23 4.00 31.17
7 69 KATHERINE MIRACLE COULETTO K. JAMES KATHERINE MIRACLE USA 0.00 56.86 12.00 30.19
8 137 KAREN CUDMORE SOUTHERN PRIDE BLAIR CUDMORE CAN 0.00 57.77 8.00 Elim
9 CHRIS KAPPLER VDL ORANTA M&K ORANTA LLC USA 0.00 57.80 DNS
10 128 JEANNE HOBBS NIGHT AND DAY JEANNE HOBBES USA 4.00 57.36
11 76 TODD MINIKUS ALASKA CALLIE SEAMAN USA 4.00 58.04
12 65 MARLEY GOODMAN ATHOS MARLEY GOODMAN USA 4.00 58.58

Final Results: $10,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Speed Class

1 119 SEAN CROOKS CINCINATTI LA SILLA GLEN YOUELL 0.00 51.25
2 116 FRANCIS TRES ROIG LADY IN BLUE J ADALBERTO ROIG JR 0.00 51.94
3 43 PAIGE JOHNSON LA MARTINEE SALAMANDER FARM 0.00 54.08
4 107 TAYLOR LAND CANAILLE TAYLOR LAND 0.00 54.10
5 67 MARLEY GOODMAN U-2 MARLEY GOODMAN 0.00 56.90
6 46 LISA SILVERMAN ARDECHE VAN DEZELM LISA SILVERMAN 1.00 57.87
7 37 ALEXA WEEKS MADISON ALEXA WEEKS 4.00 53.22
8 38 WHITNEY WEEKS SUBLIEM WHITNEY WEEKS 4.00 53.61
9 40 MICHAEL MURPHY KATINA 12 MICHAEL MURPHY 4.00 56.01
10 68 KATHERINE MIRACLE MISS LIBERTY 7 KATHERINE MIRACLE 4.00 1.00 59.05
11 135 REED KESSLER ICE D'ANCOEUR REED KESSLER 4.00 2.00 64.09
12 49 JENNA THOMPSON ZARETTI JENNA THOMPSON 8.00 1.00 58.04