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OCALA,
FL (February 1, 2011)— Reuben Goetzl and Melinda Cohen's
Cruisineety Z cruised their way to the overall win in the
four-leg, $20,500 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Championship,
after winning the First and Third Legs, and finishing sixth in
the Second Leg, for a total of 130 points.
"It feels great!" exclaimed Goetzl, who doubles as a Staff Assistant
for the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. when he's
not showing horses. "It's been such a great event to compete in
over the past two weeks and I'm really happy."
The First and Second Legs of this popular Jumper Championship
were held during the Ocala January Classic, which saw Goetzl and
Cruisineety Z lead the way in the overall standings with
75 points coming into the final two legs. If that wasn't enough,
Goetzl also captured the blue in the Second Leg of the competition
aboard his other mount Papillion Peanut, owned by Melinda
Cohen, which put him in the number five spot of the overall standings
with 66 points after the first half of the competition.
The Third and Fourth legs took place on Friday and Sunday of the
Ocala January Festival, over courses designed by Ocala's own Doug
Russell
$4,000 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult
Jumper Championship - Third Leg
Goetzl and eight-year-old Cruisineety Z saved the best
for last when, as the final entry of the class, they out rode
35 horse-and-rider combinations in the $4,000 Marshall & Sterling
Child/Adult Jumper Championship - Third Leg on Friday. Similar
to last week's Second Leg, Friday's class was offered as a II.2.A/B
option, with all 13 of the riders who advanced choosing the B
option in the jump-off.
Goetzl and Cruisineety Z posted an exceptional double-clear
effort with a jump-off time of 33.093 seconds to take home the
win, while an unlucky rail early on in the first round kept Goetzl
and Papillion Peanut from advancing to the jump-off. Still,
Goetzl and his second mount managed to hold on to their fifth-place
ranking with 88 points heading into the Final Leg.
"Cruisineety is very spooky, so I have to try hard to get
her to go clean," he explained. "She can spook at a lot of jumps.
There were some very tight lines and the jump-off time was also
tight, so I had a lot of galloping to do."
Goetzl, unlike the other 12 horse-and-rider teams who went to
the jump-off, chose a different route on the field to try to beat
the leading time of 33.159 seconds, held by Grace Christerson
and Lance Williamson's Fastbreak.
"Basically I had to cut through the in-and-out instead of going
around it," he explained. "These were difficult courses and with
the tight time, I had to take that chance. Luckily, I was able
to square up to the last fence with the liver pool enough to go
clean."
The victory gave Goetzl and Cruisineety Z a huge cushion
heading into the Final Leg with 111 points, which ultimately helped
secure the overall Championship.
$5,000 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult
Jumper Championship - Final Leg
The $5,000 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Championship
- Final Leg on Sunday saw 32 riders take the field as Ashley Reed
and Lance Williamson's Madonna secured the blue ribbon
and prevented Goetzl from a clean sweep. Reed and Madonna
had an eighth-place finish in the Third Leg, which gave them a
total of 61 points for the four phases and placed the team 21st
overall.
Course Designer Doug Russell challenged 32 pairs for the last
time with a well-built, first-round track that featured 12 efforts
and included a double and triple combination. Nine clear pairs
advanced to jump-off to determine the winner, including Goetzl
and Papillion Peanut. Goetzl and his Championship mount,
Cruisineety Z, suffered the very last rail down in the
first round which prevented them from advancing to the jump-off,
this time.
Jayme Taylor and Navina Jaensh's Lordes got things started
in the jump-off with a rail down and a time of 40.230 seconds,
which earned the team fifth place.
Goetzl and Papillion Peanut went next and suffered two
dropped rails, putting an end to his attempt to sweep all four
phases of the competition. Reed and Madonna followed and
set the time to beat at 31.046 seconds, which would go untouched
by the next six challengers. The only other double-clear effort
came at the reins of Susan Banta Lowery on her own Nike,
in a time of 36.588 seconds, which was good enough for second
place. Third place was awarded to Kaleigh Barkaszi and Mary Jo
Barkaszi's Windy V, while fourth place went to Mary Tanner
and Galway Farms' Audi's Classic Pleasure.
$5,000 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult
Jumper Championship Bonus
Thanks to four solid outings, Goetzl and Cruisineety Z
won the $5,000 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Championship
Bonus after accumulating 130 points from their two blue ribbons
and a sixth-place finish in three out of the four legs. The prize
money was distributed amongst the top eight competitors in the
overall standings with Goetzl taking home the lion's share at
$1,500.
"Reuben has had this horse [Cruisineety Z] since she was
three and they've worked very hard together to get to where they
are today," said trainer and mother, Melinda Cohen. "It's very
exciting for us all, and I couldn't be any more proud of him."
The second overall winner was David Richards and his own La
Chunga with 117 points; and third place was a tie between
Goetzl and his winning mount in the Second Leg, Melinda Cohen's
Papillion Peanut, and Mary Tanner aboard Galway Farm's
Audi's Classic Pleasure with 114 points. Susan Banta Lowery
on her own Nike came in a close fifth, with 113 points.
"We're off to a great start," added Goetzl, who is headed back
to Washington, D.C. for the off-week. "I'd really like to thank
Jennifer Davis for everything she's done for us so far. She really
made it possible for us to show here these past two weeks and
we're looking forward to coming back for the rated circuit."
For complete results from the second half of the $20,500 Marshall
& Sterling Child/Adult Jumper Championship, please click
here.
The HITS Ocala Pre-Circuit has wrapped up two fantastic weeks
of competition. After a week off, the AA-rated HITS Ocala Winter
Circuit will begin Tuesday, February 8, for six consecutive weeks.
If their performance in the $20,500 Marshall & Sterling Child/Adult
Jumper Championship is any indication, Goetzl and Cruisineety
Z will be one combination to watch for in the remaining six
weeks of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit.
As always, the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit will feature a full complement
of Marshall & Sterling classes, including the big-money $25,000
Marshall & Sterling/Team Barber Child/Adult Jumper Classic on
Sunday, March 20. Also, the newest Marshall & Sterling League
Division, the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Low, will be offered
each week, providing an excellent opportunity for Junior and Amateur
riders to earn points toward the National Finals, which takes
place September 14-18 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New
York.
The Marshall & Sterling League was designed to enhance the level
of competition for children and adult riders, with an opportunity
to qualify for a prestigious National Finals competition. Now
celebrating over 20 years of competition, the Marshall & Sterling
League features 14 divisions. Riders who are members of the League
earn points throughout the year by competing in Marshall & Sterling
classes in order to qualify for the Marshall & Sterling League
Finals, which will be held this year from September 14-18 at HITS-on-the-Hudson
in Saugerties, New York.
Marshall & Sterling
Insurance, Inc., founded in 1864, is among the largest privately
owned insurance agencies in the United States. For more than a
quarter century, Marshall & Sterling has protected precious equine
assets with unparalleled service and support, whether the family
hunter, a champion racehorse or a commercial farm. An employee-owned
company, Marshall & Sterling is recognized throughout the nation
as a leader in providing exceptional service and support. The
company maintains a national presence and is licensed in all 50
states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information contact
Margaret Barese at 800-836-3046, extension 288.
For more information on the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, or to request
a prize
list, please visit HitsShows.com
or call 845.246.8833.
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