FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

Kerins and Chapot Win Thursday Features at 29^th Annual I Love New York Horse Show

Lake Placid, NY—July 6, 2006—Darragh Kerins won the Wild Horse Winery North American League (NAL) Speed Stake and Laura Chapot won the $25,000 Leone Family Open Jumper Classic CSI 3* to highlight Thursday competition at the 29^th Annual I Love New York Horse Show.

Kerins, of Ireland, scored a narrow victory in the NAL class on Far West.  Chapot, of Neshanic Station, NJ, the NAL series leader, had taken a lead midway through the class when she rode Sprite to a clean ride in 58.744 seconds over the 13-jump, one-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds.  Her lead held until 2000 Sydney Olympian Margie Engle of Wellington, FL finished clean in 56.371 seconds on Calippo 12.

Engle’s lead held until Kerins, the last of the 54 in the class, blazed over the course fault-free and just nipped Engle’s time, claiming the win by four tenths of a second with a time of 56.336 seconds.  Engle finished second and Chapot 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.

Chapot then claimed her win on Samantha, topping a field of 49 horses, 13 of whom reached the jump-off.  Chapot rode first over the eight-jump tiebreaker course and she finished clean in 41.58 seconds to set the mark to beat.  None of the remaining entries could catch her with the closest being Molly Ashe of Wellington, FL who finished clean in 42.88 seconds on Cocu.  Third place went to Mark Leone of Franklin Lakes, NJ who was clean in 43.07 seconds on Great American.  The next two places went to a pair of Gold Medalists from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games—team Gold Medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY who had four faults in 41.50 seconds on Halbi D’Ariane and individual Gold Medalist Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil who had four faults in 42.61 seconds on Capitano.

The I Love New York Horse Show continues through Sunday.  It is highlighted by the $60,000 Hermès Grandprix CSI 3* Presented by the Heidegger Family on Saturday, July 8.  The I Love New York Horse Show also offers North American League, Washington International Horse Show, World Champion Hunter Rider, and Show Jumping Hall of Fame classes.

Upcoming highlights of the I Love New York Horse Show schedule include:

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 I Love New York Horse Show features another beloved Lake Placid tradition, the 14^th annual Doggie Costume Contest, on Saturday, July 8 at noon.  All people with leashed dogs in costume are admitted to the horse show free of charge.   The doggie costume contest is sponsored by the Lonesome Landing Garden Center of Saranac Lake and the Brown Dog Café and Wine Bar of Lake Placid.  There is no entry fee and all contestants receive prizes.

The horse show’s annual Animal Planet Kids’ Day for horse club members returns on Friday, July 7 and includes activities such as a stable tour, jumper course walk, farrier visit, and question-and-answer seminar on safety in and out of the ring.  There is also a raffle, giveaways, and an autograph session with a top Grand Prix rider.  The day continues the Lake Placid Horse Shows’ long history of giving back to the local community.

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.  Results of the 2006 I Love New York Horse Show are available at:  www.stadiumjumping.com/sj/cfm/result.cfm?show_id=204.

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