USEF Network

Kelly Prather on the Way to Poland for the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final

RELEASE: July 28, 2009
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Malina Gueorguiev

Eventer Kelly Prather (USA) is on her way to the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final at Strzegom, Poland, August 21-23, after winning the North American leg at Kalispell, MT. Riding Andrea Pfieffer’s mare Ballinakill Glory, Prather, 25, held her nerve in a nail-biting finish to score the only double-clear round to hold her overnight cross-country lead.

“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 good course for her and a great flow so you could lock into a rhythm. Coming into the last fence with my reins on the buckle was a bit nerve-racking though!”

Second-placed Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe (USA) was equally pleased with her mare, The Good Witch, owned by Daisy Tognazzini, clear but with three time penalties.

“After this performance, I feel I can go to Europe and stand my ground. I’m really excited,” she said.

The organizers of the event at Rebecca Farm, Rebecca and Jerome Broussard plus Cindy and Larry Lippon, have generously created a fund to help U.S.-based riders travel to Poland.

Competition Statistics
14 Dressage starters
Marks range from 45.6 to 72.4
13 started the Cross-Country after Kate Gillespie withdrew Renegade Reno, fourth after dressage
13 completed with nine clear rounds
No one achieved the optimum time
13 started the jumping
1 double clear, 2 clear with time penalties

Leader from Flagfall
Prather led from the start with a dressage score of 45.6, adding 9.6 cross-country time penalties. Wooten-Dafoe, who had the fastest time (5.6 penalties) rose from third to second after cross-country.

The dressage runner-up, Tiana Coudray (USA) on Ringwood Magister, incurred 20 penalties when missing the left-hand turn to the B element of the Jurassic Park combination at fence 18 and slipped to eventual eighth.

Sara Mittleider (USA) and the veteran El Primero rose from sixth after dressage to third after cross-country, but rolled the very last jumping rail to swap places with Californian Kristi Nunnink (USA) on R-Star.

Riders were complimentary about the cross-country course designed by Captain Mark Phillips and built by Californian Bert Wood, which featured intricately carved obstacles, many reflecting the Montana culture, and posed all the right questions of riders while allowing horses to fully understand what was being asked of them.

Results
1. Kelly Prather/Ballinakill Glory (USA) 45.6 + 9.6 + 0 = 55.2
2. Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe/The Good Witch (USA) 51.4 + 5.6 + 0/3 = 60
3. Kristi Nunnink/R-Star (USA) 58.8 + 12 + 0/5 = 75.8
4. Sara Mittleider/El Primero (USA) 55.2 + 14.8 + 4/4 = 78
5. Amy Tryon/Leyland (USA) 54 + 17.6 + 12/3 = 86.6
6. Karen Shull/Just My Style (USA) 58.4 + 21.2 + 8 = 87.6

Full results are available at www.rebeccafarm.org.

2009 HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing standings (after 7 of 10 qualifiers)
1. Megan Jones (AUS) 203
2. Mary King (GBR) 159
3. Alexandr Markov (RUS) 125
4. Simone Deitermann (GER) 117
5. Andreas Dibowski (GER) 104
6. Kai Rüder (GER) 92
7. Ilya Anisin (BLR) 74
8 tie. Marina Köhncke (GER) 71
8 tie. Patricia Ryan (IRL) 71
8 tie. Kelly Prather (USA) 71
11. Buck Davidson (USA) 70
12 tie. Heelan Tompkins (NZL) 67
12 tie. Georgia Clifford (AUS) 67
12 tie. Julia Mestern (GER) 67
12 tie. Peter Thomsen (GER) 67
12 tie. Michael Ryan (IRL) 67
12 tie. Aistis Vitkauskas (LTU) 67
12tie. Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe (USA) 67

Qualifying venues for the 2009 HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Series
1. Kihikihi (NZL), April 10-12, 2009
2. Sydney, (AUS), May 2-3, 2009
3. Marbach, (GER), May 8-10, 2009
4. Chatsworth, (GBR), May 16-17, 2009 (CANCELLED)
5. Malmo, (SWE), May 23-24, 2009
6. Tattersalls, (IRL)