CHARLOTTE, NC – April 10, 2004 – Kicking off the first show today of the Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, Katrina Woods, 18, of Bronxville, NY, riding her own Susdal claimed victory in the $5,000 Amateur/Young Rider Competition, topping a class of 25 horses. Steve Stephens designed the 12-effort speed course in which the fastest clear first round won. Woods was the speediest of six clear performances, clocking in fault-free in 49.33 seconds, well under the Time Allowed of 65 seconds and almost three full seconds faster than her closest competitor. Cara Cheska of Waukesha, WI, placed second riding her own Njordoctro, clocking in clean in 52.31. Georgina Bloomberg of New York, NY, riding Action for Gotham Enterprizes placed third, breaking the beam in 53.08.

Katrina Woods, an English major at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, has been riding since she was six years old and currently trains with Nona Garson and George D’Ambrosio. She has owned Susdal, a 12-year-old chestnut Russian warmblood gelding, for 18 months. Woods took the advice of her coaches when she tackled the course. “They just told me to go in there and give it my best shot. I did, but I don’t know how I was so much faster than everybody else,” said Woods. “He’s a really fast horse.” Her course walk plan was to make good turns and be efficient. Her flat-out style and hairpin turns resembled a barrel-racer and Woods said that is exactly what her ride felt like. “I felt like I was flying,” she said. Woods admitted to being nervous when she entered the indoor arena. “It’s a little overwhelming walking in,” she noted. “I was most nervous about just remembering which way to turn after each jump because there’s so many jumps crammed into such a small arena. You can get distracted and forget where you’re going. I was lucky because I got to watch a few other people go.”

Woods went ninth in the order when the class had already seen three clear trips – each one ousting the previous leader. The rest of the field chased Wood’s time, with two more riders going clean though slower, finishing in the top six, and one rider caught her – Charlie Jayne of Elgin, IL, riding Champion for owner Alex Jayne clocked in at 49.10, but with four fences down he had to settle for 19th place.

Woods and Susdal recently completed 10 weeks of competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and returned to the ring today for the first time in three weeks. “It feels great because I haven’t ridden in a while,” said Woods of her victory. “It’s a nice way to come back.”

Laura Kraut And Joyous Win $5,000 International Riders Competition

Laure Kraut, riding Joyous, owned by Summit Partners
Photo Credit: Randi Muster

Wrapping up the afternoon’s competition, Laura Kraut, 39, of Oconomowoc, WI, riding Joyous for owner Summit Partners won the $5,000 International Riders Competition. Kraut topped a field of 31 horses, clocking in the fastest of seven clear trips over the one-round speed course. Kraut went fourth in the order, was the first to go clean, and set the unbeatable pace of 52.04 seconds. Candice King of Wellington, FL, riding Coco Cabana for Louiseberg Farm placed second, going clear in 55.20. Michael Morrissey of Palmetto, FL, aboard Dame for owner Simonetta Meisels placed third with his fault-free trip in 55.25.

Kraut called her win, “Very surprising. I was hoping I would stay in the top six. I didn’t anticipate that I would keep the lead.” While the rest of the field attempted to best Kraut’s time, with six more riders going clean, and three jumping clear but incurring time faults, none could catch Kraut’s time without fault. Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, NY, went as the 30th rider and beat Kraut’s time with her ride in 50.970 by almost two seconds, but she had the first element of the final jump down and ended up 12th.

Kraut noted that Madden’s ride could have easily bumped her out of the winner’s circle. “I had a very hard time getting from fence two to three, in fact I thought I would get beat because of that. She was reluctant to go through the gap – I think that’s why Beezie really had my time. I didn’t see her go but I knew I was beatable in that spot. But it seemed like once my mare got into the course, she stopped looking around at everything and focused on her job.”

Kraut noted that the most difficult factor of the course was not the time or the fences, but rather adjusting to the indoor space after competing in the large outdoor arenas of the Winter Equestrian Festival. She complimented course designer Steve Stephens on his use of the space – he set 11 fences with one double combination 11AB – and her mare’s ability to handle it. “He did a great job,” said Kraut. “It was a lot of turning. We’re used to being in fields to rely on the gallop and your momentum. In here you couldn’t really gather any momentum – it was just jump, turn, jump, turn. My mare is really good at kind of springing. She doesn’t need speed really to help her.” Joyous is a 10-year-old, bay Holsteiner mare that Kraut has had the ride on for two years.

The win was especially gratifying for Kraut, who felt like a hometown girl. “What’s most exciting for me is my whole family is here – my mother grew up here. Her sister and all my cousins live here. My cousin Marsha Teal got to see me today. I don’t know that she’s ever seen me ride in person, so I’m really excited to be here,” said Kraut, who was a member of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Team. “When I found out they were having a show in Charlotte I just couldn’t have been more excited to come.”

The second show at the Charlotte Coliseum starts at 7:00 pm tonight with the $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake.

The Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** produced by Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. runs from April 9 -11 in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, with a total purse of $260,000. The featured event is the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcats Cup, Member Event of the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping, on Sunday, April 11.

Net proceeds from the horse show will benefit the Bobcats Charitable Fund, the organization’s philanthropic giving arm.

General Admission

To order tickets for the Charlotte Jumper Classic, visit www.ticketmaster.com or to order by phone, call 704-522-6500.

Three levels of tickets are available: Level One (Season Boxes) or Level Two and Level Three (Reserved Seats). Prices range from Level Three single tickets at $15 to Level One five-show packages at $220.

For more information, and a complete listing of the weekend’s events, log on to www.charlottejumperclassic.com

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