Christine Tribble and Promised Land Win $100,000 Grand Prix at Marshall & Sterling League Finals

Worcester, MA - September 28, 2004 - Promised Land, ridden by Christine Tribble of Suffield, Connecticut, was the last horse to be pinned at the 2004 Marshall & Sterling League National Indoor Finals.The pair won the $100,000 Grand Prix - the grand finale of five days of competition at the Centrum Centre in Worcester, Massachusetts. Tribble rode two flawless rounds over course designer Dave Ballard's courses, and was the fastest in a six-horse jump-off. Jonathon Millar of Perth, Ontario, and Karat took second place in the competition, the same spot the pair held last year. Third place went to Laura Linback of Mundelein, Illinois, aboard Remember Me 9. Linback has just returned to competition after an injury, so her third place win was a nice start to her comeback.

Twenty-three horse and rider pairs competed over a challenging twelve-obstacle first-round course. The course included one double combination - fence No. 8, and one triple combination - fence No. 10. The time allowed was set at 74 seconds. "The double combination to the vertical proved to be the toughest test," said course designer Dave Ballard. "Given that this was the first indoor finals of the season, a number of the horses were just getting acclimated. Overall I was very pleased with the outcome, six clean was a good number."

David Raposa and Audi's Fanny De Latour were the first to attempt the shortened seven-fence jump-off course. Raposa blazed through the course in 35.34 seconds, the fastest time of the competition. However, an unlucky rail at the last left him in fourth place. Jonathon Millar and Karat followed up with a clear round in a careful time of 39.26 seconds, giving them second place. Darren Graziano and Kinetic had two knockdowns in a time of 39.87 seconds for sixth place. Christine Tribble and Promised Land followed up with a perfect round in the winning time of 36.84 seconds. The last two to jump could not match her performance - Ian Silitch and Brave Ally had eight faults for fifth place, and Laura Linback on Remember Me 9 rode clean but her time of 40.29 seconds left her in third place.

Competition ended on Sunday at Worcester's Centrum Centre, the venue for the 2004 Marshall & Sterling League National Indoor Finals. Spectators from Massachusetts and neighboring states enjoyed five days of top-level Hunter/Jumper competition and a variety of special entertainment including; rodeo performers, KidsDay, and Dover Saddlery Barn Night.

For a complete listing of results from the Marshall & Sterling League Finals please visit: http://hitsshows.com/marshallsterling/results04.html