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Not a single competitor of the 19 who show jumped in the Advanced Section made the time. The one who came closest was Melissa Hunsberger on Expedience (aptly named!) with 1 time fault and a rail down for 5 faults.

Three competitors jumped clean - Megan Moore with Never Stop Dreaming, who picked up 10 time faults for a final score of 70.6 and third place; Dorothy Crowell with Radio Flyer, who picked up 14 time faults for a final score of 78.7 and fifth place; and Cathy Wieschoff with Ocotillo, who picked up 6 time faults for a final score of 47.4 and first place. Is this telling us something? (Cathy and Ocotillo are pictured at the right during their Victory Gallop.)

Karen O'Connor, who did not have a dog in the fight commented, "It's not meant to be a race!"

Cathy remarked that she had realized that she would have time faults. "I decided to ride to my plan. My plan was to jump clear. Hannah (Sue Burnett with Keep the Faith, who had 8 time and 28 jumping faults to drop from third to sixth) and Mark (Krause with Prospectors Claim who had 7 time and 27 jumping faults to drop from second to fourth) did not have good trips. I did go the long way at the vertical option - I might have picked up three seconds there." Cathy and Ocotillo did jump clean to win the Advanced by 16.5 faults from Ursula Brush and Bru Maguire.

Significantly the time allowed was lengthened from 112 seconds for the Advanced to 117 seconds for the CIC** and the two star course was shorter.

Cathy also noted that she had first competed at Wayne in 1979 at a National Pony Club Rally and several times in the intervening 26 years with Spelga Dam and Stolypin amongst others.

Perhaps the happiest competitor was Melissa Roddy, who rode Never Summer to seventh place on a score of 84.8. Melissa travelled 16 hours from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to ride in and to complete her first Advanced. "I have a day job and a horse who was a freebee!" (Melissa and Never Summer are pictured at the left.)

The Final Results:

1. Cathy Wieschhoff, Ocotillo - 47.4 (0 jumping, 6 time)
2. Ursula Brush, Bru Maguire - 63.9 (4 jumping, 10 time)
3. Megan Moore, Never Stop Dreaming - 70.6 (0 jumping, 3 time)
4. Mark Krause, Prospectors Claim - 72.7 (24 jumping, 7 time)
5. Dorothy Crowell, Radio Flyer - 78.7 (0 jumping, 14 time)
6. Hannah Sue Burnett, Keep The Faith - 83.2 (28 jumping, 8 time)
7. Melissa Roddy, Never Summer - 84.8 (12 jumping, 5 time)
8. Melissa Hunsberger, Expedience - 88.8 (4 jumping, 1 time)

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The CIC**

Karen O'Connor riding O'Connor Syndicate's Mr. Ripley had one rail down in the Show Jumping and no time faults to finish on a final score of 69.2. Karen said, "He just didn't fire today. He was tired from the long trip (from Virginia) and the heat (94 degrees) today. He was still good!) (Karen and Mr. Ripley are pictured at the right.)

Lucia Strini, the overnight leader with Addis Abba, had two rails and three time faults in hand as she entered the Show Jumping arena. Addis Abba put on the brakes at the vertical option for one refusal. Lucia's lead was dwindling. Sadly, Addis Abba refused again a the red and white vertical, the last fence before the final triple combination, and was eliminated. Two refusals are cause for elimination under FEI Rules.

The Top Four :

1. Karen O'Connor, Mr. Ripley - 65.2 4 jumping, no time)
2. Megan Montague, It's Otto - 73.2 (8 jumping, no time)
3. Mike Huber, Kittengala - 76.0 (4 jumping , 2 time)
4. Anne Kaufman, Jamaican Blue - 77.4 (4 jumping, no time)

Karen pulled off a Triple Crown! Not only did she win the CIC** with Mr. Ripley, but also she won the OI/YOI with Mrs. Jacqueline Mars' A Phar Cry as well as the OP Section "A" with Ringmoylan. Quite a feat at any Horse Trial!

Karen graciously met with members of the Wayne Du Page Pony Club after her final ride Cross Country on Saturday afternoon. She and Max Corcoran, Karen's head groom, introduced the kids to all Karen's horses. Karen talked to them about working hard at the craft of riding and signed caps and photos for everyone. One Pony Club member and her parent related on how gracious and helpful Karen had been as she sat in the barn aisle and chatted with the kids. Karen commented that once you can establish a rapport with Pony Clubbers (Karen had been an "A" Pony Clubber herself) that they just open up with floods of questions and comments.

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CIC*

Heather Morris, who is Mike Huber's Assistant Trainer at Mike's new barn in Bartonville, Texas, won the CIC* with Team Express Syndicate's 6 year old Spot Me One.This horse came from England a year ago and did Training level last year. This pair travelled 17 hours to compete at Wayne and had one rail in the stadium for a final score of 49.0 and the win. (Heather and Spot Me One are pictured at the left.)

Heather also finished 4th with Mike Huber's own Double Up. Heather explained, "He's just a Thoroughbred from Oklahoma."

Mike added, "He belonged to a student of mine, Kim Gunter, who was transferred to Japan, so I bought him." Double Up had two rails down for a final score of 53.0 and fourth place. "He struggles a little bit when the Show Jumping is in the third day. He's been better at the one days when you Show Jump first. This is one of the bigger tracks he has jumped."

The top four:

1. Heather Morris, Spot Me One - 49.0 (4 jumping)
2. Jill Gill, Glorious Joy - 49.6 (0 jumping)
3. Coren Morgan, Early Achiever - 50.4 (4 jumping)
4. Heather Morris, Double Up - 53.0 (8 jumping)

Katie Lindsay is to be congratulated on a very successful set of CIC's and an Advanced Horse Trial. The Advanced and the CIC** were also part of the USEF Gold Cup Series. Katie is recovering from a two week stay at Central Baptist Hospital, in Lexington Kentucky, (beginning on the Friday of Rolex) where a week was spent in the ICU with double pneumonia. Wayne has been approved to hold a CIC***, in 2006. GO KATIE!

Complete results are available at www.waynehorsetrials.com