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Heidi
White Overtakes Bruce Davidson For Lead At MBNA Foxhall Cup
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ATLANTA (April 20, 2002) -Heidi White of Unionville, PA rode Northern
Spy to a penalty-free cross country ride to take the lead in the
2002 MBNA Foxhall Cup, the National Championship of Eventing, at
Foxhall Farm just outside Atlanta, GA.
White
started Saturday's cross country phase in fifth place after receiving
a score of 50.00 penalties in the opening dressage phase on her
own 9-year-old English Thoroughbred. With many riders making concessions
to the unseasonable Georgia heat, there was a large number of time
penalties. Among those who did was five-time U.S. Olympic veteran
Bruce Davidson of Unionville, PA on his mount Welton Tangle who
had held the lead with a score of 47.21 after dressage. Davidson
and Welton Tangle completed cross country with no jumping penalties,
but their 3.2 time penalties gave them a score of 50.41 and left
them in second place.
"I
knew I had a good horse under me today and that it was the day to
ride well," said White who rides with Phillip Dutton, the two-time
Australian Olympic team Gold Medalist from West Grove, PA. "He's
really good in all three phases and he's the sweetest, nicest horse."
White
noted that she took all the short routes with the horse she's had
for two years. "I could tell by the third fence that he was
on today."
Davidson
pointed out that this event marks only the third time he's been
on Welton Tangle, an 11-year-old British Thoroughbred owned by Amy
Ruth DeWind of Unionville. "I was riding a horse I don't know
that well and while I wanted to be as competitive as I could be,
I also wanted to be sure of what I had. I took the long route at
the bottom of the hill and that's what cost me. Given the chance
to do it again, I'd probably do it differently."
Moving
into third place was Bonnie Moser of Coatesville, PA who had a clean
ride on Jenga, her own 9-year-old English Thoroughbred. Moser has
a score of 51.20 penalties. Amy Tryon of Redmond, WA moved into
fourth place with a penalty-free day on Woodstock, an 8-year-old
American Thoroughbred owned by the Woodstock Group. The 1999 Pan
American Games fourth-place finisher has a score of 52.01.
Established
in 2000 by Jim Richards, the MBNA Foxhall Cup is a three-star level
eventing competition designated by USA Equestrian as the National
Championship of Eventing and by the U.S. Equestrian Team (USET)
as its three-star Spring Championship. The title sponsor of this
event is the MBNA America Bank. The MBNA Foxhall Cup donates proceeds
to Shepherd Center, an Atlanta based catastrophic care hospital
that treats individuals with acquired brain and spinal cord injuries.
The
MBNA Foxhall Cup CCI*** is the first of five 2002 selection trials
for USET riders hoping to qualify to represent the United States
at the Eventing World Championships to be contested at the World
Equestrian Games in Spain in September. The World Equestrian Games
are held every four years and, other than the Olympics, is the world's
most important equestrian competition. The Foxhall Cup Championship
concludes with the stadium jumping phase on Sunday, a day that also
features the conclusion of Foxhall' s $20,000 Grand Prix Freestyle
Dressage competition.
The
inaugural Foxhall Flower Show is also being held in conjunction
with the MBNA Foxhall Cup. Based on the spirit, tradition and elegance
of outdoor European flower shows, the event is the largest open-air
flower show in the eastern United States and offers over $100,000
in prizes. Proceeds benefit botanical gardens of Georgia. For more
information on the flower show, please visit www.foxhallflowershow.com
For more information on the MBNA Foxhall Cup, including full results
and how to purchase tickets, please visit www.foxhallcup.com
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