July 15, 2006 – East Dorset, Vermont – Sarah Flink, 17, of Charlestown, Massachusetts, topped a field of 25 riders on Saturday to win the Show Circuit Magazine Children’s Medal for Week 1, the ‘Manchester Summer Festival’ (July 12-16), of the five-week Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, Vermont.

Flink’s mount for the three-foot equitation class was Aracona Z, a five-year-old bay German Warmblood mare that she purchased only last week. Flink trains with Phyllis Cervelli at Holly Hill Show Stables in Hanover, Massachusetts.

Brendan Weiss riding Invisible Ink placed second. Grace Smith of Rumson, New Jersey, aboard Grand de la Coeur was third while Olivia Hendricks of West Granby, Connecticut, on Collector’s Item earned the fourth place slot.

All 25 riders in the Show Circuit Magazine Children’s Medal class were required to jump a course of nine fences and were scored numerically. The top four riders’ scores were very close in the first round. Flink achieved the highest score with 80 points, Weiss scored 79, Hendricks earned 78, and Smith notched up 75. The top four riders were called back for the test in which they jumped a shortened course of four fences, which determined the final placings. Flink and Smith maintained their first and second position slots while Hendricks and Smith reversed positions to finish fourth and third respectively. Kip Rosenthal judged the class.

Flink complimented the design of the round one course created by course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio. “It was good, it rode nicely,” she assessed. Flink is just getting to know her new mare and found that round one brought out the best in Aracona Z. “There were a lot of rollbacks on the course, so I had to make sure that I got all my lead changes. I’m new on her getting the changes so I was a little nervous about that, but she was awesome.”

Flink noted that her mare’s way of going also helped her to win this equitation class. “My old horse was a big horse that you had to push around, but she moves on her own and makes the rider look good, so I feel like the picture is much better and I feel good going into the ring. She is amazing. She is the best jumper I’ve ever had. No matter where you put her, she usually makes it look pretty nice.”

Prior to the test that determined the winner, Flint said she practiced trotting a few jumps and made sure she knew the jump numbers for the test. “I went in prepared to decide what I had to do because there’s no trainer there. You’re in the ring with the other three riders and your trainer can’t talk to you. You have to decide what to do by yourself.”

The test required riders to jump two jumps, make a hard turn to the third jump, and then hand-gallop to the last jump. Flink credited Aracona Z for the winning performance, noting that the hand-gallop was the clincher for the victory. “The first three riders didn’t go as forward, and in the past I’ve gotten yelled at for not really going forward enough,” analyzed Flint. “But she’s a forward horse so I was excited to do that. I think that really helped me.”

The class was a qualifier for the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Finals, which will be held in October at the 2006 Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Flink is currently ranked in the top 30 in the nation for the Finals. “The win today helped me to stay in the top 30,” Flink said. She was excited about her victory, noting, “It felt good, especially because the bigger the class, the more points you get – so that was really helpful!”

Flink has been riding for seven years and has been in training with Phyllis Cervelli for the past year. Next year, she plans to move up to adult competition and compete Aracona Z in the jumpers.

The Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal features a yearlong national and regional series of three-foot equitation classes in which riders accumulate points. National and Regional standings are maintained. Riders earn points in every show in which they compete (National points <http://www.ryegate.com/NCM/stand/ncm_rank.htm>). They also earn points in each USEF Zone (Regional points <http://www.ryegate.com/NCM/ncm_reg.htm>). Regional points are based on the location of the show, and therefore a rider may earn points in different zones. The total of all points are National Points. Each USEF Zone has its own totals. Approximately 30 riders will be invited to compete in the Show Circuit Magazine National Children’s Medal Finals at Capital Challenge and will be chosen based on the high point rider in each of the regional series along with additional riders working from the top down on the National Standings list for the qualifying period.

Featuring more than $600,000 in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival includes a $10,000 Mini Prix each Friday, and, for the first four weeks of competition, a $30,000 Sunday Grand Prix. The 2006 Vermont Summer Festival closes with the grand finale, the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 13. The Vermont Summer Festival is also a proud member event of the Show Jumping Hall Of Fame, the Marshall & Sterling League, and the North American League (NAL).

For more information about the 2006 Vermont Summer Festival, including full results, please visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.