August 14, 2005 – East Dorset, Vermont – Danielle Torano of Fort Lauderdale, FL, won the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix to conclude the five-week Vermont Summer Festival show jumping tournament running July 13 to August 14 in East Dorset, VT.

Considering that Torano and her husband, Jimmy, dominated the competition at this year’s Vermont Summer Festival, it was not surprising that one of them emerged victorious in the final Grand Prix. When six members of the 27-horse starting field went clear over the deceivingly tough first round test set by course designer Conrad Homfeld, both Jimmy and Danielle were in the running.

For the jump-off, Homfeld set a twisting course that caught many of the riders, and their horses, by surprise. First to challenge, Ken Whelihan had four rails down, plus incurred two time faults to come home with a total of 18 faults riding Matti Fisher’s Intrepid.

The crowd had high expectations for the next rider into the ring, Jimmy Torano, the winner of the first two Grand Prix events of the circuit. However, it was not to be Jimmy’s day as his horse, the 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Edesa’s Caruso, refused the third fence on the shortened jump-off course, costing Jimmy his shot at victory when he picked up eight jumping and eight time faults for a total of 16.

Connecticut’s Libby McKinney took a shot with Gun du Desfi. Despite pulling down an entire fence, standards and all, then knocking down the final fence and incurring one time fault, her total score of nine faults moved her into the lead.

Bill Lowry of Rhode Island had placed second in the $30,000 Manchester and the Mountains Grand Prix during Week Four with Rio Corde, a nine-year-old bay Hessen gelding, and quickly became the crowd favorite. Together, they negotiated the course clearly, but incurred one time fault when the clock showed 43.31 seconds, signaling that he had exceeded the 43-second time allowed.

The lead changed hands yet again when Torano became the first rider to execute a faultless performance aboard Capitano.

The final challengers were Christine McCrea and Laddidor, the winners of the $30,000 Mt. Equinox Grand Prix during Week Three. Sadly, the Dutch Warmblood gelding took a disliking to the second fence, refusing to jump it twice for elimination.

With the day’s only double clear performance, Torano and Capitano claimed their first Grand Prix victory together. Her husband’s former mount, Torano took over Capitano’s reins this winter.

“This is a new horse for me, and I was a little backed off from riding him at first because he has his own way of jumping and I wasn’t sure I could stay with him,” confided Torano of the 10-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding by Cathargo. “But the more I rode him, the more I liked him. He is a sensitive horse, but he tries really hard to please me. Now it feels like we are a team.”

Fittingly, Torano received her $15,000 winner’s check from presenters Raul and Maria Teresa Torano, accompanied by VIP Pavilion hostess, Jackie Dill.

“We’d like to stay here all year!” joked Torano, referring to the great luck she and Jimmy have enjoyed. “Our uncle lives here so we really enjoy coming. The Vermont Summer Festival will definitely be on our schedule next year.”

The $50,000 Vermont Summer Festival Grand Prix was the grand finale to the five-week Vermont Summer Festival that ran July 13 to August 14 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT. In addition to being New England’s largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show, it is also the largest sporting event in the State of Vermont, awarding a total of $.6 million in prize money. For more information on the Vermont Summer Festival, please visit www.vt-summerfestival.com or call (802) 362-7548.

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Name Hometown Horse Faults Time
1. Danielle Torano Fort Lauderdale, FL Capitano 0:0 39.65
2. Bill Lowry North Scituate, RI Rio Corde 0:1 43.31
3. Libby McKinney Norwalk, CT Gun du Desfi 0:9 43.46
4. Jimmy Torano Fort Lauderdale, FL Edesa’s Caruso 0:16 50.94
5. Ken Whelihan Greenwich, CT Intrepid 0:18 44.32
6. Christine McCrea East Windsor, CT Laddidor 0:elim