FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Marty Bauman (518) 523-9625, classic.pr@verizon.net

Laura Chapot Wins Crowne Plaza Resort NAL Speed Stake at 37th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show

Lake Placid, NY—June 30, 2006—Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, NJ rode Sprite to victory in the Crowne Plaza Resort North American League (NAL) Speed Stake Friday at the 37th annual Lake Placid Horse Show.

Todd Minikus of Wellington, FL had taken an early lead in the class when he completed the 12-jump, one-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds fault-free in 53.266 seconds on Eltonn.  His time held up for much of the class until Caitlin Shiels of Somers, NY, the individual Gold Medalist at the 2004 CN North American Young Riders Championships, beat his score by finishing in 52.729 seconds on Houston.

Chapot, who will seek her third championship in the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid this Sunday, was the fourth-to-last of the 48 entries and she claimed the win by riding Sprite fault-free in 52.179 seconds.  Shiels finished second and Minikus held on for third.

The North American League (NAL) runs season-long series in six hunter and jumper divisions – Open Jumper Speed, Children’s Jumper, Adult Jumper, Pony Jumper, Children’s Hunter and Adult Hunter Presented by Practical Horseman.  Each series culminates with a championship final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, in October.  Riders need not be members of the NAL to compete in any qualifying classes, but only current members earn points toward year-end finals.  For more information and a list of qualifying competitions for 2006, please visit the Ryegate Show Services website at www.Ryegate.com.

The first of Lake Placid’s back-to-back horse shows, the Lake Placid Horse Show, continues through Sunday when it culminates with the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* Presented by RV Sales of Broward, a member event of the American Grandprix Association (AGA) national show jumping series.  It is followed by the I Love New York Horse Show, July 4-9, which features the $60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* Presented by the Heidegger Family, also an AGA Series event, on Saturday, July 8.

In addition to the two AGA Grandprix Series events, the 2006 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows also offer North American League, Washington International Horse Show, World Champion Hunter Rider, and Show Jumping Hall of Fame classes.

 Weekend highlights of the Lake Placid Horse Show schedule include:

Sat., July 1 Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic

                                    The Whiteface Lodge NAL Adult Amateur Jumper Classic

Adirondack Life Low Junior Jumper Classic

1.45m Golden Arrow Open Jumper Class

Hilton Lake Placid Resort 1.40m Speed Challenge

Sun., July 2                 Bainbridge Farms LLC NAL Adult Amateur Hunter Classic

                                    Bainbridge Farms LLC Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic

                                    NAL Children’s Hunter Classic

                                    Pepsi Bottling Co. High Junior Jumper Classic

                                    Mirror Lake Inn High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic

                                    Juliam Farm Lead Line

                                    C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery Parade of Champions

                                    $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* presented by RV Sales of Broward

Highlights of the I Love New York Horse Show schedule include:

Wed., July 5                WPTZ News Channel 5 1.35m Class

                                    1.45m Farm & Ranch Magazine Open Speed Stake

Thu., July 6                 1.40m Wild Horse Winery NAL Open Speed Stake

Fri., July 7             1.40m Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau Speed Challenge

                                    Nicola’s Restaurants 1.45m Open Jumper class

Sat., July 8 Marantz Family High Junior Jumper Classic

Charlotte Bobcats Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic

                        Woodlea Farms Parade of Champions

$60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* presented by the Heidegger Family

Sun., July 9                 Whiteface Lodge WIHS Adult Amateur Jumper Classic

                                    The Levy Family Low Junior Jumper Classic

Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic

                                    Price Chopper WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic

Pony Hunter Classic

                                    Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship

After the Hermès Grandprix on July 8, the Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence will be awarded to the rider who has won the most prize money in Lake Placid’s two Grand Prix combined.  The Lake Placid Horse Shows also offer the $25,000 Hidden Creek Challenge with $25,000 to be awarded to any horse-and-rider combination that wins both the Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* and the Hermès Grandprix CSI 3*.

The $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI 3* Presented by RV Sales of Broward will be televised on Outdoor Life Network (OLN) and both Grand Prix events are FEI sanctioned, offering riders the opportunity to earn valuable points on the international rider rankings.

The 2006 Lake Placid Horse Show and I Love New York Horse Show sponsors include A&M Beverages, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Adirondack Life, Adirondack Store, American Grandprix Association, Animal Planet, Anonymous, Bainbridge Farms LLC, Barbara & Michael Bitterman, Brandy Parfums, Ltd., The Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar, Budweiser, Carr-Hughes Productions, The Charlotte Bobcats, Chronicle of the Horse, Jane Forbes Clark, C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., Clothes Line Laundry, The Cottage Café, The Country Saddler, Ltd., Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Deeridge Farms, Der Dau Custom Boots and Shoes, Ecogold, Equifit, Farm and Ranch Magazine, Fox Run, Ltd., Golden Arrow Hotel, Grill 211,  Mr. James Harpel, The Heidegger Family, Hermès, Hilton Lake Placid Resort, The Hooker Family, Horse Watch, James Leslie Parker Photography, Juliam Farm, The Kessler Family, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau,  Lake Placid News, The Leone Family, The Levy Family, Lonesome Landing Garden Center, The Marantz Family, McDonald’s, Mirror Lake Inn, Moss Communications, Mountain Horse, Mr. Mike’s Pizza & Pasta, Muirfield Insurance, Nicola’s On Main, North Elba Park District, On a Fence Designs & Rentals, ORDA/Whiteface Mountain, The Pepsi Bottling Group, The Phillips Family, Price Chopper, Mr. Jeffrey Prosser, Red-Kap Sales,  Royal Reflections, Ruthie’s Run, RV Sales of Broward, Sand Castle Farm, Michael & Lora Schultz, Sidelines, SLVR by Aerogear, Stretton Enterprises, Turtle Lane Farm, The Weeks Family, The Whiteface Lodge, Wild Horse Wines, Woodlea Farms, WPTZ News Channel 5, and Y106.3 – Mountain Communications LLC.

Admission to the Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows is $2.00 on weekdays and $5.00 on weekends.  Children under the age of 12 are admitted free.  Tickets are available at the gate.  For more information, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.

###