The National Horse Show and Family Festival returns to the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club, November 30-December 4, 2005. One of the featured events is the $80,000 Young Jumper Championship Invitational, showcasing the finest rising show jumping stars in the United States.

The $80,000 Young Jumper Championships Invitational consists of three sections, one for horses five years of age, one for horses six years of age, and one for horses seven and eight years of age. Qualifying for the event took place between January 1, 2005 and October 9, 2005. Each section is restricted to 30 top entries.

The $20,000 Five-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship Invitational consists of three classes, two scored under Table II, Sec 1, Time First Round and one, the Championship, under Table II, Sec. 2a, Time First Jump-off. Only the top 15 competitors with the lowest scores from the first two classes advance to the final event to compete for the $20,000 in prize money. Top prize is $5,600.

Scoring and eligibility is the same for both the $30,000 Six-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship Invitational and the $30,000 Seven- and Eight-Year-Old Young Jumper Championship Invitational. The first place prize in each of these sections is worth $9,000.

The first two rounds of each section take place in the DeNemethy Arena, and the championships will be contested at the Internationale Arena on Sunday, December 4.

Some of the nation's best young equine stars are already entered in the five-year-old section, including Blue Danube, ridden by Darragh Kerins and owned by the Tatra Farms of Clinton Corners, NY. Another Tatra entry, Moet Walk, will be shown by Patricia Garthwaite. Rider Everado Hegewisch of San Diego, CA, brings two five-year-olds to Florida, Carletta and RMW Catalina, who are both owned by Bankers Capital. Christine McCrea will be up on the Candy Tribble entry of Turbo; and Callan Solem brings Torsinna, owned by Paard Hill Farms of Shelter Island, NY. Eduardo Salas of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, also brings two five-year-olds to Wellington. He'll ride Santa Teresita's Monique and RMW Sanfries, owned by the Rocky Mountain Warmbloods of California.

In the six-year-old division, eight of the top nine finishers from the Young Jumper Eastern League Championship will go head-to-head at the National Horse Show. They include the second place finisher Chantal, owned by Laura Barnaclo of Cincinnati, OH, and ridden by Wilhelm Genn; and Chloe, owned and ridden by Patricia Griffith of White Plains, NY, who finished third. Some of the other top six-year-olds include Distant Star, ridden by Roberto Teran for the King Ridge Stables of Canada; Sprint, owned and ridden by Amanda Flint of Lebanon, NJ; and Star wood Farm's Splitfire, ridden by Laura Kraut. Kent Farrington will be aboard Woica, owned by Olivia Weeks of Southport, CT, and Alison Firestone rides the Bert and Diana Firestone entry of Shirlaine.

In the seven and eight-year-old division, the top four finishers in the Eastern League Finals will do battle in Wellington. This section is led by Kent Farrington and Rowan, owned by Alexa Weeks of Southport, CT. They out-dueled Kraut and Nocturnal from Joyce Williams and the Pin Oak Farm for the Eastern title. Kraut will try and reverse those results at the National Horse Show. Also on the roster, is third and fourth place finishers Happy Z, owned and ridden by Wilhelm Genn of Lebanon, Ohio and Jamestown, from the King Ridge Stables and ridden by Roberto Teran.


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