The Laurels at Landhope Combined Driving Event, Sept. 7-9, 2007

Sunday - September 9, 2007

CHESTER WEBER COASTS TO HIS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE USEF TITLE

 WEST GROVE, Pa.–There have been other drivers who have won five USEF National Four-in-Hand titles including Tucker Johnson and Jimmy Fairclough who both challenged Chester Weber for that award at The Laurels at Landhope today, but Weber is the only one to ever win it in five consecutive years. Leading by a comfortable margin, 23.49 points going into cones, Weber attacked the course and in the end, two balls down and six points in penalties did no damage.

   The general impression of today’s course was that it was wide open and flowing, deceptively so, as only one of 20 drivers in the advanced division made it through clean and clear, Jennifer Matheson of Aiken, SC and her pony Dannyloo.

   Scott Monroe, winner of the Advanced Single Horse class had two balls down in the final phase and agreed that the course was trickier that it looked. “It’s always harder when a course is wide open,” he said. “You tend to not stay focused.”

   Weber, who felt that both the marathon course and the cones might have been a bit more challenging had they been more technical, was still delighted with his win. “There are only two shows in the United States capable of hosting this championship and that’s here and Live Oak. I’m very happy to have won the title,” said Weber. “To win was my goal for the year and I achieved my goal.”

   Fairclough finished as the Reserve, a spot he said he’s had maybe 18 times but who’s counting. He was pleased with how well his horses did in the cones with only one ball down and 2.77 time penalties. “I got the team around in a way I wanted to test them a little bit, and it was good.”

   Johnson had one ball down and no time penalties and was pleased with how well his leader, the 5-year-old Oldenburg, Frisky, handled the big arena. “He was a little unsure going through the third facing the cones pushers in front of the sixth hazard,” said Johnson. “That was one of the places he spooked yesterday. But he did very well.”

   Other winners include Stacie Hoffman of Patchogue, NY, in Preliminary Pony A; Kylie MacGillivray of Ontario, Canada, Preliminary Pony B; Wendy O’Brien of Wassaic, NY, Preliminary Pair Pony; Katherine Prestero of Andover, MA, Preliminary Single Horse A; Ellen Epstein, Ocala, FL, Preliminary Single Horse B; Peter Harding, Ontario, Canada, Preliminary Pair Horse; Andrea Friedman, Ontario, Canada, Intermediate Single Pony; Paul Martin, New Holland, PA, Intermediate Pair Pony; Kim Stover of Smyrna, DE, Intermediate Single Horse and Newt Brosius, West Grove, PA, Intermediate Pair Horse.

Saturday - September 8, 2007

CHESTER WEBER EXTENDS HIS LEAD AFTER FLAWLESS CROSS COUNTRY TRIP TO ZERO IN ON USEF TITLE

 WEST GROVE, Pa.–All Chester Weber needs to do on Sunday, the final day in the USEF National four-in-Hand Championship class at the Laurels at Landhope, is drive a conservative cones course to wrap up his fifth National title in a row, a feat that has never been done before. Weber’s horses ticked off one hazard after another on the course, exhibiting precision and speed. “I felt really good about the way my horses went today,” said Weber.

   According to Weber, one of the reasons that he did so well is that he had some serious help from Koos De Ronde, a member of the Dutch team. “He’s a marathon specialist and he’s been able to help me on some routes and things like that. We’ve been working together since November of last year.”

   Unless Weber makes a monumental mistake in the cones, he’s got a virtual lock on first place. Weber’s score, 116.59 is 23 points ahead of Jimmy Fairclough’s second place score of 140.06.

   Fairclough, who underwent shoulder replacement surgery in October of 2006, is less than a year into a recovery that his surgeon said would take a full 18 months. “I had to get grafted and have seven anchors put it,” said Fairclough. “I drove at the World Games with a four and one half centimeter tear. I knew it was torn. It was my second time in that shoulder.”

   Even so, Fairclough said his marathon went well. “I did have problems in number two and again in number three. And there was the heat. My horses came in physically well but they were hot. ”

   To minimize stress to the horses, Laurels organizers modified the course by adding two minutes to the walk section, five minutes to the vet check and by eliminating the fifth hazard that was on a slight hill.

   The real contest in the Championship is for reserve with Tucker Johnson trailing Fairclough by only 3.16 points. Johnson’s new leader, Frisky, had some issues that needed to be addressed during the marathon. “It was difficult to get the bit adjusted just right,” said Johnson. “If I adjusted it sharply he sort of wanted to buck around a little bit. And if I had it too loose he wanted to take me for a ride. So we were negotiating.” Johnson said he stopped seven or eight time to make changes. “That’s normal when you don’t know the horse. He’s a five year old and this is the first marathon he’s done in the lead of a team.”

   In the preliminary divisions, Stacie Hoffman is leading in Preliminary Pony A, Kylie McGilliray, is heading up Preliminary Pony B. Wendy O’Brien is ahead in the Preliminary Pair Pony class and Katharine Prestero is up in Preliminary Single Horse A. Preliminary Single Horse B, Ellen Epstein and Preliminary Pair Horse, Peter Harding.

   In the Intermediate classes, Andrea Friedman is leading in Single Pony, Paul Martin in Pair Pony, Kim Stover in Single Horse, and Newt Brosius, Pair Horse.

   Leaders in Advanced are Jennifer Matheson, Single Pony, Allison Stroud, Pony fours, Scott Monroe, Single Horse and Alan Aulson, Pair Horse.

 For more information, call Mary O’Rourke, 610-486-6484, 610-268-8230