Press Release 3
By Kate Green

Top American riders showed exciting form at Norwood, the sixth FEI World Cup Qualifier in the 2005-06 series, which was held at Fork Farm Stables, a premier competition, breeding and tourism site at Southern Pines, North Carolina, last weekend.

As the US squad prepares to defend its title at the forthcoming FEI World Equestrian Games this summer, two combinations from that victorious 2002 team, Kim Severson (Winsome Adante) and Amy Tryon (Poggio), finished 2nd and 7th respectively at Norwood; while third place for the energetic Phillip Dutton (AUS) shot him to the top of the FEI Eventing World Cup rankings.

But the winners, who led from flagfall, were the 2003 Pan-Am Champions, Darren Chiacchia (USA) on the German stallion Windfall 2, who added no further penalties to their leading dressage score of 33.8.

However, Chiacchia could not afford the smallest mistake; he was tracked all the way by individual Olympic silver medallist Severson, who now heads to Rolex Kentucky CCI 4* to defend her awesome record of three victories there. She was less than a penalty behind Chiacchia throughout and also finished on a clean slate, scoring 34.7.

Chiacchia has a distinguished record with Windfall 2, who was originally produced in Germany by Ingrid Klimke. The pair represented the USA as individuals at the 2002 WEG and finished 12th at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. They gained some early FEI Eventing World Cup points with 13th place at Tallahassee, Florida, last month and now go into fifth place in the rankings on 109 points ahead of Temecula winner Robyn Fisher (USA) on 100.

Twenty-five of the 30 cross-country starters at Norwood finished the competition, and there was little trouble over either jumping course. There were 19 clear stadium rounds and 22 clears over Mark Phillips’s cross-country track, with eight inside the optimum time. (Full results on: www.forkstables.com)

The prolific Australian rider Phillip Dutton continued his domination of the American eventing scene; he entered Norwood four-handed, all four horses jumped a double clear and, in fact, his sole jumping penalty all weekend was a mere 0.8 of a cross-country time penalty. He finished third on his Sydney Olympic gold medallist House Doctor (39.1), 14th on Badminton ride Hannigan (59.9), 15th on Connaught (60) and 20th on Amazing Odyssey (74.1).

Dutton’s third place at Norwood earned him 40 points – he now has a total of 170 after three placings and holds a 5-point lead over Karin Donckers (BEL, 165). Andrew Hoy (AUS) is third on 114 and Rodney Powell (GBR) fourth on 112.

This weekend the FEI Eventing World Cup action moves back across the Pond, to Great Britain, at Burnham Market (April 14-15) and “down under” to New Zealand at Kihikihi (April 14-15).

Burnham Market’s 45 entries include the reigning FEI World Cup champion Clayton Fredericks (AUS) with three horses, the 2003-04 champion Linda Algotsson (SWE), the reigning European Champions Zara Phillips (GBR) and Toytown, plus leading riders Pippa Funnell (GBR), William Fox-Pitt (GBR), Matt Ryan (AUS) and Andrew Nicholson (NZL).

Andrew Nicholson’s brother John will also be busy this weekend; he runs Kihikihi, for which last month he won a special award for sports administration.

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The FEI Eventing World Cup is the sport’s only linked series. The 2006 season consists of 18 qualifiers held in ten countries worldwide. It will culminate in a Final to be held in Malmö (SWE) from 21 to 24 September. The FEI Eventing World Cup is organised at the highest level of the sport using the format without steeple chase. The series is designed in manner to encourage the participation of the world’s best riders and horses and thus promote such emblematic values of Eventing, as the constant quest for harmony between physical skills and mental balance, contact with nature, precision, stamina, agility and insightful training. The FEI Eventing World Cup is a showcase of a sport resolutely turned to the future.