Beezie Madden and Simon (Sportfot)
$75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm
The United States fields a strong team for Friday’s competition as they look to claim their fifth FEI Nations Cup victory at CSIO Wellington. The team of Kent Farrington, Reed Kessler, Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut aim to showcase the form that has propelled them to hold the four top spots on the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List.
Farrington (Wellington, FL) lines up with his 2011 Pan American Games Team Gold medalist and Longines King George V Gold Cup winner R.C.G. Farm’s Uceko. Madden, who was Farrington’s Pan Am teammate, will ride her partner from the 2012 CSIO Wellington FEI Nations Cup, Abigail Wexner’s Simon. The Cazenovia, New York native enters CSIO week on a roll after having won the $125,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix presented by Spy Coast Farm two weeks earlier with Cortes ‘C’.
Rounding out the U.S. team are Madden’s Olympic teammates Kessler and Kraut, who both bring their partners from London and Hong Kong respectively. Kessler (Lexington, KY) and her own Cylana enjoyed a spectacular 2012 that included a National Title, an Olympic debut in London and a win at the $100,000 Presidents Cup Grand Prix. Riding her Team Gold medal-winning partner from the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, Cherry Knoll Farm’s Cedric, Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, FL) will utilize the experience that she has gained jumping on dozens of U.S. Nations Cup teams.
The $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm is doubly important for the U.S. as not only will they be looking to secure victory in the only Nations Cup held in America, but also a strong result will be vital in qualifying for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Season Series Final at the end of September.
To learn more about the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Season visit: http://www.fei.org/events/series-and-finals/fei-nations-cup-jumping/introduction-and-rules
A total of eight teams from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Venezuela and the U.S. will take part in the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm. Action gets underway at in the International Ring at 7pm ET Friday evening.
Spectators and fans in attendance Friday are invited to a Team USA Nations Cup Pep Rally Reception hosted by the USET Foundation and the USEF from 6-7pm. To learn more about this event visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/news/9607/2013/2/21/team_usa_nations_cup_pep_rally_rece.aspx
$10,000 FEI Young Riders Nation Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm
In Young Rider competition, the United States will square off against four other nations including Brazil, Canada, Colombia and Venezuela. The four members of the U.S. team bring a great depth of experience to the International Arena on Saturday, as all have earned top finishes at some of the world’s most prestigious competitions.
Liza Finsness (Wellington, FL) has been turning heads this winter with solid performances with her own Ormsby Hill, including a sixth-place finish among a world-class field in the $100,000 Fidelity Investments CSI 2* Grand Prix. This pair also won the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix during Week 10 of the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Like Finsness, Catherine Pasmore (Wellington, FL) is no stranger to the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, having jumped in some of the biggest classes this winter. She will ride Pasmore Stables’ Z Canta, who was her partner on the winning U.S. team at the CSIO-W Buenos Aires in November 2012.
Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20 (Sportfot)
The Individual Gold and Team Silver medalist from the Junior Championship at the 2012 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC), Abigail McArdle, will also jump on the U.S. team. McArdle (Barrington, IL) will ride her winning partner from the Championships in Kentucky, David McArdle’s Cosma 20. Mattias Tromp has also enjoyed success at the NAJYRC and was a member of the Zone 2 Team that captured Gold in the Young Rider Championship in 2012. Tromp (North Salem, NY) has two options for Saturday’s Nation Cup in Baeyaert Farm, Inc.’s Casey or Vosquinus.
The first round of the $10,000 FEI Young Riders Nation Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm begins Saturday afternoon and teams will return under lights later in the evening to determine the winning country.
$2,500 FEI Junior Riders Nations Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm
The U.S. has fielded another strong team to contest the $2,500 FEI Junior Riders Nations Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm. The United States will be represented by Lillie Keenan, Lucas Porter, Chloe Reid and Sydney Shulman.
Keenan (New York, NY) is among the most decorated Junior riders on the scene today, having won numerous hunter, equitation and jumper titles. In addition to winning the 2011 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, she was also a member of the Gold medal-winning Zone 2 Junior Team at the 2012 NAJYRC. She will choose between Chansonette Farm, LLC’s Londinium or Pumped Up Kicks. Shulman (Greenwich, CT) also brings an immense amount of experience to the International Arena on Saturday where she will ride Back County Farm’s Little Lady D’Elle. In 2012, she was part of the USEF Show Jumping European Young Rider Tour where she won classes at both CSIOJY Bonheiden and CSIOJY Hagen.
Reid (Washington, DC) joined Shulman on the USEF Show Jumping Young Rider Tour and gained valuable experience last summer. During Weeks Five and Six of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, Reid finished second and fourth with Damascus in the$15,000 Artisan Farms Grand Prix. Reid has two options for Saturday’s class- she will choose between Damascus or King of Hearts, both owned by Chloe D. Reid, LLC. Rounding out the Junior Team is Porter (Bartonville, TX) who has already been jumping successfully this winter in Wellington. With his Nations Cup ride, Sleepy P Ranch, LLC’s Phineas, he was second in Week Four’s $10,000 Griffis Residential High Junior Jumper class.
Seven countries including Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela and the U.S. will vie for top honors in the Junior competition. The first round gets underway Saturday afternoon and competition concludes with the second and final round during the evening session.
FEI Children’s Nations Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm
In the FEI Children’s Nations Cup presented by Hollow Creek Farm, four teams including Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela will go head-to-head with the U.S. Just as with the Young Riders and Juniors, the Children’s Nations Cup will jump their first round Saturday afternoon and return to the International Arena for a second round under the lights.
The U.S. will be represented by Brett Burlington, Jordyn Freedman, McKenzie Kasper and McKayla Langmeier.
Burlington (Coral Gables, FL) will ride her own ‘T Is Picobello Z on Saturday. Together the pair was third in the $10,000 Maria Mendelsohn Low Junior Classic during Week Four of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Freedman (Longmeadow, MA) is also no stranger to successful outings in Wellington having earned top finishes in both 2012 and 2013. She will ride her Week One $1,500 EnTrust Children’s Jumper 14 & Under class winner, Swag, in Nations Cup competition.
Traveling from her base in Alpharetta, Georgia, Kasper brings her own Tum Tum, the 2012 winner of the both the Tryon Summer Classic $2500 Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic and the Atlanta Summerfest I & II $1500 Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic. Langmeier (East Granby, CT) also enjoyed a successful season in 2012 and looks to showcase that form Saturday in the International Ring with Missy Clark’s Looping Star.
George H. Morris Retirement Ceremony
The United States Equestrian Federation will honor legendary trainer and Chef d’Equipe, George Morris with a retirement ceremony on Saturday evening. Former students, team members and U.S. team officials will gather Saturday evening at the International Arena to celebrate the storied career of one of the greatest icons of the sport.
For more information about CSIO Wellington visit; http://www.equestriansport.com/
Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.