Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI****

Katrina Woods And Susdal Win $5,000 Amateur/Young Rider Competition

Charlotte, NC – April 9, 2004 – Kicking off the first show today of the Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, Katrina Woods, 18, of Bronxville, NY, riding her own Susdal claimed victory in the $5,000 Amateur/Young Rider Competition, topping a class of 25 horses. Steve Stephens designed the 12-effort speed course in which the fastest clear first round won. Woods was the speediest of six clear performances, clocking in fault-free in 49.33 seconds, well under the Time Allowed of 65 seconds and almost three full seconds faster than her closest competitor. Cara Cheska of Waukesha, WI, placed second riding her own Njordoctro, clocking in clean in 52.31. Georgina Bloomberg of New York, NY, riding Action for Gotham Enterprizes placed third, breaking the beam in 53.08.

Katrina Woods, an English major at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, has been riding since she was six years old and currently trains with Nona Garson and George D’Ambrosio. She has owned Susdal, a 12-year-old chestnut Russian warmblood gelding, for 18 months. Woods took the advice of her coaches when she tackled the course. “They just told me to go in there and give it my best shot. I did, but I don’t know how I was so much faster than everybody else,” said Woods. “He’s a really fast horse.” Her course walk plan was to make good turns and be efficient. Her flat-out style and hairpin turns resembled a barrel-racer and Woods said that is exactly what her ride felt like. “I felt like I was flying,” she said. Woods admitted to being nervous when she entered the indoor arena. “It’s a little overwhelming walking in,” she noted. “I was most nervous about just remembering which way to turn after each jump because there’s so many jumps crammed into such a small arena. You can get distracted and forget where you’re going. I was lucky because I got to watch a few other people go.”

Woods went ninth in the order when the class had already seen three clear trips – each one ousting the previous leader. The rest of the field chased Wood’s time, with two more riders going clean though slower, finishing in the top six, and one rider caught her – Charlie Jayne of Elgin, IL, riding Champion for owner Alex Jayne clocked in at 49.10, but with four fences down he had to settle for 19th place.

Woods and Susdal recently completed 10 weeks of competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and returned to the ring today for the first time in three weeks. “It feels great because I haven’t ridden in a while,” said Woods of her victory. “It’s a nice way to come back.”

The second show at the Charlotte Coliseum starts at 7:00 pm tonight with the $25,000 Charlotte Welcome Stake.

The Charlotte Jumper Classic CSI**** produced by Eugene R. Mische and Stadium Jumping, Inc. runs from April 9 -11 in the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, NC, with a total purse of $260,000. The featured event is the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte For the Charlotte Bobcats Cup, Member Event of the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping, on Sunday, April 11.

Net proceeds from the horse show will benefit the Bobcats Charitable Fund, the organization’s philanthropic giving arm.

General Admission
To order tickets for the Charlotte Jumper Classic, visit www.ticketmaster.com or to order by phone, call 704-522-6500.

Three levels of tickets are available: Level One (Season Boxes) or Level Two and Level Three (Reserved Seats). Prices range from Level Three single tickets at $15 to Level One five-show packages at $220.

For more information, and a complete listing of the weekend’s events, log on to www.charlottejumperclassic.com