Danielle Torano and Capitano won the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, Presented by Devoucoux, on Sunday, July 24, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, Vermont. Photo by David Mullinix Photography

July 25, 2011 – East Dorset, Vermont – Danielle Torano of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Capitano won the $30,000 Otter Creek Grand Prix, Presented by Devoucoux, on Sunday, July 24, to conclude the third week of competition at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT.  The six-week equestrian competition is running at Harold Beebe Farm from July 6 through August 14, 2011.
 
Torano and Capitano were the first pair to post a clear round and were quickly followed by Friday’s $10,000 Betsey Johnson Welcome Stake winners, Megan Young and Calvados.  A few horses later, Amanda Flint and Superbad added their names to the jump-off list while the final horse and rider combination on course, Caitlin Venezia riding Okapi De Ste Hermelle, brought the total number of jump-off challengers to four.
 
First back for the jump-off, Torano sped around the shortened eight-effort course, which looped through the middle of the ring, with Capitano jumping flawlessly before crossing the finish line in a time of 34.78 seconds.
 
The next pair back, Young and Calvados tried to catch the leader, but were unable to leave all the fences intact.  A score of four faults in a time of 39.18 would ultimately place them fourth.
 
Flint and Superbad appeared to be on track to challenge for the win but although the bay gelding left all the rails in place, their time of 38.80 seconds did not put Torano’s lead in jeopardy.  They would eventually finish in second place.
 
Last to go, Venezia and Okapi De Ste Hermelle turned in a conservative performance.  Keeping the 13-year-old chestnut gelding well under wraps, they jumped clear and crossed the timers in 41.10 seconds to take third place.
 
“Capitano is such a good boy,” praised Torano, giving all the credit to her longtime partner, a bay Holsteiner gelding owned by Sir Ruly, Inc.  “He is 16 now and he was great here last year, and then he had a little injury at indoors in the fall.  I didn’t know if he was going to come back because of his age, but here he is!  He wants to do this.  He has so much heart and that is what makes the difference when you come right down to it; it is the heart.”
 
While she might have changed horses from last week, the result was the same for Susannah Wise, as she piloted her mount Grace to victory in the $2,500 NAL/WIHS Adult Jumper Classic, on Saturday, July 23.  Wise took top honors in the same class last week with Tanzanite. 
 
Wise and Grace, a 10 year old Dutch mare, were the first in the ring and the first to go clear.  Four other horse and rider combinations managed to navigate designer Kenny Krome’s tract to vie for the awards and prize money.
 
Wise entered the ring for the jump off with instructions from husband and trainer Andrew Philbrick resonating in her ears.
 
“He told me to go fast,” she said with a laugh.  “I do what he tells me or I don’t get dinner.”
 
Wise followed his instructions to the letter and in a short 36.196 seconds, emerged from the arena with a beaming smile and a fault free performance which earned her the win.
 
“A lot of husband’s can’t train their wives, but this works out well for us,” said Wise, a full time surgeon.  “I won last week on my other horse, Tanzanite.  They are really different horses, so it has been really fun.  Grace seeks out the jump and will take you there, where as Tanzanite is a very light and bouncy horse, never looks at the jumps, where Grace looks at the jumps.  She jumped a couple really nice slices, oblique angles where she still sighted on it today.  It was a great class.  The fun part of riding is the strategy, planning the course out.  I’ve ridden enough that that is the exciting part.”
 
It was a great weekend for the Leone clan as Jane Leone, wife of well known jumper rider and trainer Mark Leone, piloted Fandango to victory in the 1.0 meter Jumper class and Alison Leone, wife of Armand Leone, won the $10,000 Junior/Amateur High Jumper Classic aboard Annie 66.  The Leone dynasty is continuing with Mark and Jane’s sons David and James Leone, who shared top honors in the leadline class while Mark Jr. showed his winning form in the Short Stirrup Equitation and Short Stirrup Hunter classes.
 
McKayla Langmeier, at 11 years old, is turning out to be one of the most prolific riders on the Vermont show grounds.  Victories in all three divisions of pony hunters, as well as equitation and children’s jumpers, set her up for an impressive win in the $1,500 NAL/WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic.
 
Langmeier guided Denmark, a 16-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Missy Clark, to victory in the Classic with two penalty free rounds and a jump off time of 36.178 seconds.  Langmeier has only been riding Denmark since June, but the pair have clicked.
 
“I love riding the jumpers because I get to go fast, but it also teaches me body control, and after being on the hunters it really is fun to go fast,” said Langmeier with a huge smile and a mischievous glint in her eye.
 
“I’ve been doing the lows with him and I just moved up to the highs and I am just getting it together.  I was fourth last week in the Classic, so we are getting better, except I had a brain fart in the first round and went left instead of right.  But we were fast enough that I was within the time.”
 
Chase Boggio continued his winning ways as he guided Massimo around the complicated course on his way to victory in the Platinum Performance USEF Talent Search.  He also rode Massimo to a second place finish in the WIHS Equitation, winning the Hunter Phase and placing third in the Jumper Phase.  Boggio brought home ribbons in equitation, hunters and jumpers during the week, as he flew between rings and mounts.
 
Keri Kampsen and Two Goals Farm’s On Top wowed the crowd by turning in a score of 94 to win the $2,500 WCHR Handy HunterChallenge.  Kampsen, a professional rider with many wins to her credit, navigated the handy hunter course with aplomb, not letting the windy conditions or the imposing natural fences deter her or On Top in the slightest.  The wind, while bothersome to some of the competitors, kept the day from being the true scorcher that the weathermen all promised.  On Top showed the form and style over the fences that has garnered many awards, and Kampsen could not have been prouder of her horse.
 
“We just moved back here from California,” said Kampsen.  “I started working with Valerie Renihan after Florida.  I just started showing again three weeks ago because I broke my sternum in August at Menlo, so this is a really nice, friendly way to get going again.”
 
During week two, Kampsen finished second to 11-year-old McKayla Langmeier riding Czar Z in the popular $5,000 Hunter Derby.
 
“Last week was really spooky as well, but I think they did a great job with obstacles,” said Kampsen.  “The last time I was in Vermont was 1998, I think.  A long time ago, and everything has changed so much.  I have really had a good time.”
 
Offering more than $750,000 in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival is the richest sporting event based on purse in the state of Vermont.  The first five Sundays of the Vermont Summer Festival feature a $30,000 Grand Prix at 1 p.m., culminating with the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix on Sunday, August 14.  In addition to the $10,000 Open Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, held each Friday, the weekly $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur-Owner Classics are hotly contested. New for 2011, the Vermont Summer Festival will host a $5,000 Hunter Derby each Thursday five of the six weeks.
 
Competition begins at 8 a.m. daily, Wednesday through Sunday.  Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children, Wednesday through Saturday.  On Grand Prix Sunday, admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children.  As always, 100 percent of the gate proceeds benefit the Friends Foundation for MEMS, (Manchester Elementary and Middle School).
 
For over 20 years, the Vermont Summer Festival has attracted exhibitors and their families to the Manchester region each summer.  For more information about the Vermont Summer Festival, please e-mail: info@vt-summerfestival.com or visit www.vt-summerfestival.com.