Gladstone, NJ – Once again, George Williams of Delaware, Ohio, and Rocher (1991 Westfalen mare), are drawing a clear line and setting themselves apart from the rest in the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. Already, the two are clear favorites for the title, earning a 70.333% in the USEF Grand Prix on Thursday, and a 73.84% in the USEF Grand Prix Special on Friday, two of three equally weighted classes that determine the National Champion. Friday’s score set the pair a full six points ahead of the competition, Pierre St. Jacque, who earned a 67.84% on Lucky Tiger.

Following an 18-month recovery from tendonitis, Rocher is finally back in the arena with Williams; he admits things have been a bit rusty as they’ve learned to readjust to each other, but on Friday, they were finally on top of their game. “Rocher’s been back for a month and today, I finally came back,” Williams smiled. “With Rocher, you have to have the confidence and if the confidence is there, the riding is really pretty easy. Today, I felt in sync with her.”

Pierre St. Jacques of Boscawen, New Hampshire, rode Lucky Tiger (1995 Danish gelding) to a second place finish with 67.84%. He said after a less than perfect ride yesterday, he got a lot of encouragement from coach Klaus Balkenhol and fellow riders, and realized “you have to go out there and ride.”

Arlene Page of Wellington, Florida finished in third with a 67.00% riding Wild One (1996 Hanoverian gelding). “I love the way my horse felt today,” Page said. “He made a few more mistakes…but I liked what I felt.”

The competitors will continue the quest for the National Championship on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.., where the USEF Grand Prix Freestyle will decide the final third of the overall scores.

Results for USEF Grand Prix Special, June 17, 2005
Second of three classes in the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, Presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc.

1. George Williams of Delaware, OH, riding Rocher (1991 Westfalen mare), 73.84%
2. Pierre St. Jacques of Boscawen, NH, riding Lucky Tiger (1995 Danish gelding), 67.84%
3. Arlene Page of Wellington, FL, riding Wild One (1996 Hanoverian gelding), 67.00%
4. Susanne Dansby Phelps of Atlanta, GA, with Cooper (1992 Holsteiner gelding), 66.40%
5. Karen Lipp of Ball Ground, GA, riding Caribi (1993 Danish Warmblood gelding), 65.68%
6. Michael Barisone of Califon, NJ, riding Neruda (1995 Dutch Warmblood gelding), 65.24%
7. Katherine Bateson of Wellington, FL, riding Rainier (1991 Oldenburg gelding), 64.84%
8. George Williams of Delaware, OH, riding Marnix (1994 Dutch Warmblood gelding), 63.36%
9. Jennifer Schrader of Roy, WA, riding Phirst Solo (1988 Oldenburg mare), 62.96%
10. Susan Jaccoma of Arundel, ME, with Jellowa (1991 Dutch Warmblood gelding), 62.52%
11. Melissa Taylor Yee or Wellington, FL, riding Success (1995 Dutch Warmblood gelding), 62.00%
12. Hans Dressler of Princeton, NJ, with Friedel (1989 Hanoverian gelding), 61.68%
13. Anne Gribbons of Brentwood, NY, with Aureate (1993 Swedish Warmblood gelding), retired
~~~For more information, please contact Sarah Lane by phone at (859) 225-6974 or via email at [email protected]. USEF press releases are available on our web site – www.usef.org.