03/03

USA (March 9, 2003) - Today was the last day of competition for hunters and jumpers in Wellington, Florida, and overall it was a very good Winter Equestrian Festival. Competitors will now move to the fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida, for three more weeks of competition to culminate with the Budweiser American Invitational on March 29 at Raymond James Stadium.

On this final day spectators watched as Beezie Madden and the Dutch Warmblood stallion Judgement beat a field of 32 horse and rider combinations to win the $100,000 Cosequin US Open Jumper Championship. Of those entries, only 2 horses qualified to return for the jump off. First to go in the final round, Beezie Madden and Iron Spring Farm's Judgement produced a faultless round and set a good pace. Anne Kursinski and The Eros Group’s horse Eros were second to go and seemed as though they were going to beat Madden's time, but unfortunately had the last jump down scoring 4 faults. Todd Minikus and Gardenio, a black Hanoverian gelding owned by YZ Partners. had only a single time fault in the first round and finished the competition in third place.