Wellington, FL – March 24, 2011 – Last night, the world famous Player’s Club hosted the grand finale of Dressage under the Stars, where at the end of the evening, Jim “Batman” Kofford was crowned the series champion. During the evening, the winners from the previous weeks returned to compete for the 2011 championship including Chris Von Martels, Jim Kofford, Marcia Kulak, Dottie Morkis, and Emily Kannenstine. Judges for this week included Todd Flettrich, Ashley Holzer and Kelly Klein and the event was sponsored by Carol Cohen’s Two Swans Farm, the Dutta Corp. and Phelps Media Group.
Jim Kofford rode his Grand Prix mount, Rhett, as “Batman,” to the $2,500 cash top prize after completing two thrilling performances. This is third year of the Wednesday night weekly event, held at the Players Club during the Palm Beach winter circuit.
“I am so excited to win,” Kofford stated after his performance still wearing his Batman mask. “This is a great horse who loved this rowdy crowd and really got into it. The second round was actually really fun to do and this whole event is great. This horse is 11 years old and I think it was great practice for him, in a fun and relaxing environment. Plus, under the lights adds another element for the horses and provided a great atmosphere to compete.”
Kofford, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, a former event rider who is now solely focused on dressage, was awarded the “winner take all” prize after beating Dottie Morkis in the first ever “freestyle a freestyle” event. After one round of competition, Morkis and Kofford were tied in points, and the judges decided to test the riders with another round of competition. This time, the Players Club DJ Gabrielle played music that the riders had never performed to and asked them to “freestyle a freestyle” for three full minutes. Morkis went first, and delivered a great performance to some of the current top 40 hits. After Kofford earned a 30 out of 30, he was awarded the winning title and cash prize.
Producer Steve Williams of Dressage under the Stars commented, “I’ve been excited about the idea of freestyling a freestyle since I got involved with Dressage under the Stars. When we needed to break the tie, it seemed like the perfect solution. The riders enjoyed the challenge and apparently the audience really enjoyed the show: exactly what I would hope for Dressage under the Stars to bring to the community!”
Last night mark the final event in the Dressage under the Stars series for this season. Plan to mark your calendar for next season, as exciting things are in the works for the future of this event.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/dressageunderthestars.
Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389 fax 561.753.3386
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com