Wellington, FL – June 14, 2012 – Peter Leone and Monica Carrera’s Lincourt Gino continue their consistent top placings at important Grand Prix events this spring. Last week, Leone and Gino were third in the $100,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix HITS on the Hudson in Saugerties, NY. They also had a good prize in the Level 7 Jumpers.
“We have been clear in the all of our last three Grand Prix first rounds,” said Leone. “In the first two, I rode aggressively in the second round, and had rails. This time I was the first of five to go in the jump-off. My plan was to be prompt and clear. I ended up with two clear rounds, and my time put me in third place.”
The week before last, Leone and Gino were fifth in both the $25,000 and the $75,000 Grand Prix at HITS-on-the Hudson. The pair won the G&C Farms 1.45m Open Jumpers in March and placed second at the $50,000 Live Oak Derby and fifth at the G&C Farms Jumper Derby at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival with the fastest time. Gino also recently won the 1.40m at Garden State and was second in the Old Salem Spring $20,000 Speed Derby.
Leone also had respectable prizes in the 1.30m Jumpers large classes with Cosmopolitan, owned by Paraizo Equestrian Partners, Palio, owned by the Palio Group and Lionshare Farm’s Wayfarer. Leone and Alison Finger’s Tuvalu ended in the top ten out of 62 in the $1,000 FarmVet 1.20m Jumpers.
The blue ribbon went Isabella Russekoff and Rose Hill Farm’s Hallelujah in the Large Pony Conformation Hunter class. The duo performed consistently smooth rounds with a third in another of the Large Pony Hunter classes and a reserve championship in the Schooling Large Pony Hunters. Russekoff was also awarded the red ribbon for her stylish riding aboard Hallelujah in the M&S Children’s Large Pony Medal.
Russekoff and her well-known small pony partner, Rico Suave, earned great prizes in the WIHS Pony Medal and the Equisport USEF Pony Medal.
Kiva Iscol and Julius tried their hand in both hunters and jumpers, garnering good prizes in the Low Amateur-Owner Hunters and in the 1.00m Jumpers. Ashley McIlwain and her own Urben earned a ribbon in the $3,500 M&S Modified Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic.
Jeanne Hobbs and Southern River are on a fire. The pair doubled the previous week’s first place win by winning two of the 1.20m classes, earning the division championship.
Michael Hughes had the successful ride, once again, on Lionshare Farm’s Cadillac Z. Hughes piloted Cadillac Z to a second place in the WIHS Medal Final and a third in the WIHS Medal Jumper Phase.
Peter Leone is an Olympic equestrian, trainer, producer of hunter/jumper instructional DVDs and author. He owns and operates Lionshare Farm in Greenwich, CT. His clients successfully compete in the pony, equitation, hunter and jumper divisions. He is one of three brothers, internationally known as Team Leone, for their success in the show ring. Leone was a member of the 1996 Silver Medal United States Olympic Show Jumping Team and winner of numerous national and international Grand-Prix show jumping competitions. Also in partnership with Kim Jaussi, he is the producer of the DVD Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone.
To purchase Peter Leone’s Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone DVD, or the book Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes, go to: http://www.lionsharefarm.com/index.html.
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