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The first Section of Advanced, whose Dressage begins at 8:30 AM Friday, October 6th, is the Area Two Advanced Championships has twenty-four competitors. Among those entered are the first and fourth place finishers from the Plantation Field Advanced Section held at Unionville, PA, two weekends ago.

Stuart Black will run his Plantation Field winner Fleeceworks Starlight (see below Press Release). William Coleman brings only one of his three top five finishers at Plantation, A Second Hope.

The second and third place finishers from the American Eventing Championships held at the Carolina Horse Park two weeks ago are also entered in this section. Mara Dean brings Nicki Henley, her second place finisher, (Mara and Nicki Henley are pictured at the right in the Dressage Phase at the AEC's.) and Young Rider Loreen Kay will run her third place finisher Russian.

The second Section of Advanced, whose Dressage begins at 1:00 PM, on Friday, is the Advanced Horse Trial. Kristin Bachman's Gryffindor, the winner at the American Eventing Championships, held at the Carolina Horse Park two weeks ago is entered in this section. (Kristin and Gryffindor are pictured at the left jumping the skinny an the last water at the AEC's.)

The CCI*'s Dressage begins on Thursday, October 5th and continues on Friday, October 6th.

eventingetc will be covering both the CCI* and the Advanced Sections beginning on Friday.

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Contact: Jennifer Ward
tel: (613) 569-2423
www.startinggate.ca

Stuart Black and Fleeceworks Starlight Impress at Plantation Field

Unionville, Pennsylvania – Stuart Black and Fleeceworks Starlight proved they are back in fine form with an impressive victory at the Plantation Field Horse Trials held September 22 and 23 in Unionville, PA.

A total of 38 horse-rider combinations attempted the Advanced Division with only Black and Fleeceworks Starlight finishing on their dressage score to take the win. With a strong dressage performance that was rewarded with a score of 29.6 penalty points, Black and Fleeceworks Starlight were sitting in third position. But Black and the nine-year-old black mare then made easy work of the stadium jumping and cross-country phases, adding no further penalties to claim the victory. (Stuart and Fleeceworks Starlight are pictured at the right below jumping the fence before the water at Plantation Field.)

"I thought Starlight would have the winning score right off the bat, but I made an error and we ended up third after dressage," explained Black who owns the mare in partnership with his long-time supporter, Mr. Elkins Wetherill. "She was calm and accurate, and the changes were really good. Her trot work is brilliant, and she is a fantastic mover. It was fun to go into the ring knowing that I have a super horse. She is still only nine, but she is so talented. Last year had been a little up and down for us in dressage - sometimes she was good and sometimes she wasn't, but working with Robert Dover this spring pushed us over the edge. He knew how to get the best from Starlight, and he took our dressage from average to great in very little time."

Moving into the stadium jumping phase, only three clear rounds were posted as the tight time allowed caused its share of time penalties, and also saw riders rushing and consequently making mistakes.

"It was when we went into the ring for show jumping that I knew she was really happy to be back," said Black, explaining that losing a shoe at the CIC*** The Fork in April, which she won, resulted in a minor injury that kept Fleeceworks Starlight out of action over the summer. "Although she was jumping very well and was careful, her exuberance meant that she was not very rideable! But at the end when I needed to accelerate to make the time, she zoomed right up and was impeccable over the jumps. Her talent in show jumping has won us a lot of events, and this weekend was no exception. When it comes to show jumping, she is one of the best out there."

Fleeceworks Starlight's jumping ability can be easily traced to her sire, the well-known international show jumper, Cavalier. Her Holsteiner bloodlines, crossed with the thoroughbred on her dam's side, make Fleeceworks Starlight a great example of the modern event horse, and that breeding was put to good use on Sunday's cross-country phase.

"It was a nice track, but not everyone was getting the time," said Black, noting that only five riders managed to come home double clear. "There is a big water complex that caused a lot of trouble, it was a small house on an angle to a vertical set of rails. It was at that question that I was most proud of Starlight - for a horse just coming back, she didn't question it and was very attentive. She knows her job and is very brave, but also has that carefulness that makes her a brilliant competitor."

Black and Fleeceworks Starlight continued a winning streak that began in 2003 when they won the CCI* Young Horse division of the Virginia International Three Day Event in Lexington, VA. In 2004, after winning both the CCI** Colorado Horse Park Three Day Event and the CCI** Radnor Hunt Three Day Event, Fleeceworks Starlight was named the 2004 ‘Intermediate Horse of the Year’ and the ‘Mare of the Year’ by the United States Eventing Association. In 2005, the pair represented the United States at the CCI**** Luhmühlen Three Day Event in Germany where they enjoyed a clear cross-country performance and, in April, finished on their dressage score to win the CIC*** The Fork in North Carolina.

They will now run at Morven Park, in Leesburg, VA, in preparation for the CCI*** Fair Hill International Three Day Event taking place October 19 to 22 in Maryland.

"Plantation Field and Morven Park are both preparatory events for Fair Hill," explained Black. "A lot of riders went to Plantation Field, so we got to run against a lot of good horses that we are going to see at Fair Hill. It let us see what we need to work on in the next few weeks. We are going to take it easy at Morven Park, just canter around, polish our dressage, and keep our fingers crossed!"

In addition to Fleeceworks Starlight, Black also has another impressive partner in Fleeceworks Mystere du Val, purchased earlier this year in France from 2002 World Champion, Jean Teulere. At Plantation Field, Black moved the six-year-old chestnut selle francais gelding up to the Intermediate level, and enjoyed a fifth placed finish in very good company. With only one jump down in the stadium jumping phase, Black added just four penalties to his dressage score for a final total of 39.5 penalty points.

"I think he is going to be my next Starlight," raved Black of the horse owned by Beatrice and Gui Rey-Herme of R.H. Equine. "He is only six years old, but already he is an absolute superstar."

A two-time Canadian Olympian, Black became an American citizen in the fall of 2004 and was immediately selected by the United States Equestrian Federation’s High Performance Committee to participate in its training program. He is based in Bluemont, VA, where he operates a training and sales business with his wife, Momi, who is also an international eventing competitor.

Fleeceworks, designers and manufacturers of high quality sheepskin products for equestrian use, sponsor several of Black's horses including Fleeceworks Starlight. For more information, please visit www.fleeceworks.com.

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