Day 3: Kelly Prather and Ballinakill Glory Jump Clear to Claim the HSBC FEI World CupTM Qualifier at Rebecca Farm

$40,000 in Prize Money Awarded To Top Six Competitors

KALISPELL, MONT. -- In a nail biting finish, Kelly Prather and Andrea Pfieffer's Ballinakill Glory secured the win in the HSBC FEI World CupTM Qualifier today with the only double clear round. Jennier Wooten-Dafoe and The Good Witch put on the pressure by jumping a clear round, but notched up three time penalties in the process to keep her in second place.

Out of the thirteen riders that came through to the Show Jumping, only the top three jumped clear rounds. In this $40,000-class, every rail and every second had the potential to cost the riders dearly. Sara Mittleiter and El Primero who held third place overnight were clear until rolling a rail at the very last fence, dropping them to fourth and moving Kristi Nunnink and R-Star up to third, thanks to a clear round.

"I just wanted to have a good round," said Prather. "She is a wonderful show jumper so it was exciting to ride her and she deserved to jump clear. This was a great course for her, and had a great flow to it, if you could lock into a rhythm. Coming into the last fence with my reins on the buckle was a bit nerve wracking, but she is such a tidy jumper and she didn't want to touch a rail."

Second place Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe was particularly pleased with The Good Witch, who is owned by Daisy Tognazzini of California. "After this performance, I really feel like I can go to Europe and stand my ground," said Wooten-Dafoe. "The Witch is ready, so I am excited." When asked about The Event at Rebecca Farm, Wooten-Dafoe was very complimentary. "I will do this event every year if I can. It is the best in the US."

"I am very happy with this young mare," said third place Kristi Nunnink, who owns R-Star. "My goal is always to stay calm, so she can do her job. I want to give her the best experience possible so she will keep improving every time."

Nunnink, from California, raised an issue at the press conference that has long been a concern for West Coast riders, namely the huge distances that western riders have had to travel in the past in order to prepare their horses for world class competition. "It is so nice to have an event in the West that makes you feel prepared for other events. You can compete here and feel comfortable and well-prepared for what you will face at the big international competitions on the east coast."

This was a sentiment also expressed by Jim Wolf, executive director of sports programs for the USEF and HSBC representative at the competition. "The Event at Rebecca Farm is truly a world class event. The facilities, the footing, and outstanding organization, combine to create a premier World Cup qualifier. The USEF appreciates the efforts of the Broussards and their team."

At the beginning of the final Show Jumping, Wolf announced that today's competition was to be dedicated to the late Jack Le Goff who was the mastermind behind the Eventing World CupTM concept ten years ago. Wolf also stated that Rebecca and Jerome Broussard and Cindy and Larry Lippon have generously created and seeded a fund to help the riders meet the financial challenges of traveling to the final in Poland.

"This is a tremendous initiative that the Lippons and Broussards started," said Wolf. "The highest game is being played in Europe and our US riders always have a financial challenge. The more riders we can get over there, the better."

Upon hearing the news that she would receive a grant to travel to Poland, Prather was moved to tears. And when asked if she would be going, she replied, "You bet-Pippa and I will be there."

Commenting on the three days of competition, Capt. Mark Phillips said, "The weekend was very quiet, which made me very happy. The course here will have given the horses good preparation for Poland and I'll be working with the riders to hone their skills and hopefully give them the tools they will need to be competitive on the world stage."

The HSBC FEI World CupTM Eventing boasts nine qualifiers in nine different countries from which the top-ranked riders will be selected to take part in the HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing Final in Strzegom, which lies in south-western Poland, Aug. 21-23. Sponsored by HSBC, the prestigious series which unites all corners of the international Eventing community, kicked off in April in the southern Hemisphere with the first qualifier held at Kihikihi in New Zealand. The series includes competitions in Australia, Europe, United States and Canada.

Final Results:

1. Kelly Prather, Ballinakill Glory, 55.2
2. Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe, The Good Witch, 60.0.
3. Kristi Nunnink, R-Star, 75.8
4. Sara Mittleider, El Primero, 78.0.
5. Amy Tryon, Leyland, 86.6.
6. Karen Shull, Just My Style, 87.6
7. Debbie Rosen, The Alchemyst, 88.2
8. Tiana Coudray, Ringwood Magister, 88.2
9. Frances Thieriot, Fric Frac Berence, 89.2
10. Jil Walton, My Sedona, 94.8
11. Barbara Crabo, Eveready II, 103.8
12. Chelan Kozak, Tasman Sea, 143.2
13. Christian Eagles, The Gingerbread Man, 167.2

Kate Gillespie, Renegade Reno, Withdrawn after Dressage
Hawley Bennett-Awad, Gin N' Juice, Withdrawn before Dressage

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