New York City’s Georgina Bloomberg and Lumina 2 Win Opener in Amateur Owner Jumpers at the Washington International Horse Show

Washington, D.C. – October 26, 2005 – Gotham’s Georgina Bloomberg outdistanced a field of fifteen top Amateur Owner Jumpers to win the opening competition at the 2005 Washington International Horse Show at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.

Bloomberg came into Washington on a roll. She won the Amateur Owner Championship and the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classic last Friday night at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg and the week before that took the top prize in the $50,000 Knockout at the Las Vegas Invitational in Nevada.

The courses at the Washington International Horse Show are being designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, Florida.

Fifteen horses went to the post in the late afternoon feature for Amateur Owner riders. The scoring was Table II, Sec. 2a. Time First Jump-Off.

Five horse and rider combinations mastered Stephens’ first round challenge and advanced to the tiebreaker. In the jump-off, in case of a tie, time was the deciding factor.

Tracy Weinberg of Lovettsville, Virginia and Larone set the early pace with four faults and a finish time of 31.630 seconds. Bloomberg, with two horses qualified for the speed phase, returned first with Action. A tough inside cut and a problem coming home cost Bloomberg eight faults and her finish time was 29.344 seconds. Then, Reggae and Cayce Harrison of Wellington, Florida, took over the lead with the first fault free journey over the jump-off course, tripping the timers in 29.879 seconds.

That set the stage for Bloomberg and her second mount, Lumina 2. Knocking almost two full seconds off of Harrison’s time, Bloomberg and Lumina raced across the finish line with no faults and a blistering time of 27.949 seconds.

“It was nice to have Lumina step up today and kick Action’s butt,” laughed Bloomberg. “I thought the horses were a little tired coming out of Harrisburg, but it felt like they both woke up once they walked into the ring today.”

Bloomberg talked about the challenge of a Steve Stephens designed course. “Steve usually gives you a funky turn or an option that you’re not sure if you want to take or not,” she said. “I think that inside cut is where Action and I got hung up a little today. It’s such a change coming here after Harrisburg. There you have that huge ring, but in Washington, you really have to know how to make full use of a much smaller ring,” explained Bloomberg.

She talked about the luxury of qualifying both of her mounts for the jump-off. “It’s obviously a huge advantage. That’s why I felt comfortable trying the inside turn with Action, knowing that if it didn’t work out, I still had Lumina standing by,” she said. “And of course, the closer to the end of the class you go, the more you know what you need to do to win.”

Second place finisher Harrison was happy with today’s ride. “Knowing Georgina’s coming up behind you in the jump-off you always have to go for it. Since it was the first class here, I just wanted to have a confident, medium fast round and jump double clean.”

Official Results – Class 206 – $2500 Amateur Owner Jumpers – Table II Sec 2a-Time First Jump-Off – 10-26-05

• 1 – Lumina 2, Georgina Bloomberg – 0-0/29.949
• 2 - Reggae, Cayce Harrison – 0-0/29.879
• 3 - Larone, Tracy Weinberg – 0-4/31.630
• 4 – Action, Georgina Bloomberg – 0-8/29.344
• 5 – Salsa, Gabby Slome – 0-8/32.686
• 6 – Shindig, Joy Slater – 4-57.170
• 7 – R Mable KZ, Michelle Spadone – 4-58.682
• 8 – Reddy Teddy, Paige Johnson – 4-59.852