Gladstone, NJ – October 7, 2006 – Maggie McAlary, 16, of Amherst, NH is in the lead by the slimmest of margins following the first day of the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East.

McAlary, riding Mid-Accord, and Addison Phillips, 17, of New York, NY, aboard Icon, both received the same combined score of 227 points, but McAlary received the higher score of 144 points in the Gymnastics Phase, pushing her into the top spot. Phillips now stands in second by virtue of her Phase II score of 141 points.

McAlary has mixed emotions about finishing as the leader. The order of go on Sunday morning is in reverse order of merit making her the last to go in the Phase III Jumping Phase.

“I really hate waiting,” said McAlary. “That’s the worst part about being in the lead, but I am going to be aggressive and really try to set myself apart from the others.”

Phillips is a veteran at waiting. She has competed in the USEF Talent Search Finals-East every year since 2002, and has made it into the Phase Four Ride-Off twice. Her best finish was as Reserve Champion in 2004, but Phillips is hoping that the fifth time will be the charm.

“I am really excited about tomorrow,” said Phillips. “They always come up with really challenging courses here and it really gives people a chance to show what they can do.”

Phillips and McAlary are both trained by Andre Dignelli who won this competition in 1985.

Local rider Whitney Goulart, 18, of Mendham, NJ, won the Phase I (Flat), but slid to fifth after Phase II scoring 211.

“I had to change my plan once I rode the course,” said Goulart. “It was different than it walked and had a few surprises.”

The course seemed to surprise quite a few competitors, especially at the Liverpool that created quite a number of problems. The other problem spot was between fences 3 and 4a, consisting of a triple bar going into a vertical. “There seemed to be a lot of air between the rail and the wall beneath it at the vertical,” said McAlary. “There were also shadows that may have caused problems. This course really asked a lot of questions.”

The final phase of competition is tomorrow in Gladstone, and will determine the 2006 USEF Talent Search Champion.


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