Brianne Goutal Wins the ASPCA Maclay

Leslie Howard Takes the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup

Syracuse, NY, November 6 2005: In an afternoon that showcased both the present and the future of the sport, Brianne Goutal and Leslie Howard were the shining stars. New York City’s Goutal won the prestigious ASPCA Maclay in front of a War Memorial Crowd there to appreciate the best under-eighteens and the riders who rose to the top of the pack at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, the “Final Seven” in the Animal Planet Sport Horse Cup.

The afternoon started off with the first round of the Maclay finals. The field was whittled down and judged in the flat phase. Next came phase one and two of the Sporthorse Cup, a speed phase and a four-bar phase respectively. Howard was quick in the speed phase and didn’t stop from there. Her 43.65 second ride on Youp set her up for the rest of the competition. In the four-bar phase, Howard, Lauren Hough, Margie Engle and Beezie Madden all held on through the third round which was set at 5’10”, but none were able to make it through the final round which was sent at a lofty 6’4”. With her close competition penalized two points for a knockdown in round 4 as well, Howard, who road Mivendo, remained on top.

Action switched to the high-pressure, high-stakes equitation championship before the final round of the Sporthorse Cup. Seventeen riders were invited to compete again in front of judges George Morris and Susan Humes. Riders, trainers, parents and spectators were kept on the edge of their seat as the results were not announced until the end of the final phase of the Sporthorse Cup.

In that final phase, Aaron Vale on Luigi was the only clear, but even with four faults on Youp, Howard’s quick time in the first phase kept her just ahead of him. In the end, it was Howard’s Sporthorse Cup with 49.65 penalty points to Vale’s even 50.

Finally, the results of the ASPCA Maclay were announced in reverse order. When Kacey McCann was announced as reserve, the crowd knew that Brianne Goutal had won. Goutal’s trainer, Frank Madden, said that he felt that Brianne took the risks she needed to in order to win this major championship. After Kacey McCann of Palmyra, New York was Jessica Speiser of Wellington, Florida in third.

In the Bates Year-End awards, a cumulative title, it Julie Welles of West Simsbury, Connecticut was first, Maria Schaub or Holmdel, New Jersey was second and Sloane Coles of The Plains, Virginia was third.

The Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament wrapped up today, but organizers plan to bring top-quality equestrian competition back to Syracuse again next year.