Lisa Goldman and Morocco

Goldman First and Fourth in the Positive Step Farm $10,000 Welcome Prix at Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival

Traverse City, MI - July 26, 2012 - Speed, risk and accuracy all came together for Lisa Goldman during the Horse Shows by the Bay's final $10,000 Welcome Prix of the 2012 Series. Goldman piloted Centurion B and Morocco to faultless first round scores, however, it was Morocco whoousted his stablemate and three other jump-off qualifiers in the Positive Step Farm and Patrice Schreiber-sponsored Welcome Prix. 

JP Godard created an initial course of 14 obstacles with mostly related lines that offered riders several options depending on the horse's length of stride. Five horse/rider combinations successfully navigated Godard's first round, advancing to the jump-off course.

Erin Haas and As Di Chupito set the pace by delivering a decisive and fast clean second-round score in a time of 37.704 seconds. Haas took chances, executed extremely tight turns and slices, and it initially appeared that As Di Chupito's effort would be hard to beat.

Then Goldman and her first jump-off qualifier, Centurion B, galloped in the ring. She flew around Godard's eight-obstacle jump-off, slipping into the lead in 37.399 seconds. As competitors had the option to either stay in the ring and jump-off as they went, or come back, nine horses later, Goldman was actually the next to qualify for the jump-off on her second horse, Morocco.

The usually feisty 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Roc USA was all business. Blazing through the timers to the first jump, the crowd knew they were in for a show as Goldman challenged her own leading time on Centurion B. Flat out, with his head tossing up and down, Morocco and Goldman attacked the track clearly aiming to close the door on the remaining contenders. Morocco rocked a few rails in their cups, but they all stayed up. The clock displayed a change at the top with a final time of 34.035 seconds.

Last to go in the first round, David Jennings and Nandy Fontaine qualified to challenge Goldman. Clean and fast, Jennings put his all into trying to catch Morocco, but with a time of 36.428 seconds, Nandy Fontaine couldn't quite catch the duo.

Last week's Welcome Prix third-placed finisher, Flaming Star and Charles Jacobs, opted to come back for the jump-off. The final contender to challenge Goldman, Jacobs calmly entered the Grand Prix Arena with a look of determination and confidence. As Jacobs cleared the next-to-last jump, it appeared he had the win in his palm, but at the last-minute he decided to navigate the last line in seven strides versus the six strides that Goldman nailed. Stopping the clock at 34.453 seconds, Jacobs and Flaming Star finished only 0.418 seconds behind Goldman, earning the pair second-placed honors.

Goldman, a 22-year-old Hawthorn Woods, Illinois native, was ecstatic about her first- and fourth-placed earnings. When asked about her strategy, Goldman said: "Hindsight is 20-20. My plan on Centurion B was to do six strides down the last line in the jump-off, but the jumps simply weren't coming up on a long and bold stride. I ended up pulling once too often down the last line, and that was ultimately the deal breaker."

"Luckily, I had one more shot at it," she continued. "If I don't fall off 'Cowboy' (Morocco) before the first jump, we're OK! He can be quite playful and explosive and has a tendency to buck me off, like he did last week here in the warm-up area. Today, we were on it!"

Final Results -- $10,000 Welcome Prix

1st: Morocco:  Lisa Goldman/Red Coat Farm

2nd: Flaming Star:  Charles Jacobs/CMJ Sport Horse, LLC

3rd: Nandy Fontaine:  David Jennings/Emily Reiney

4th: Centurion B:  Lisa Goldman/Red Coat Farm

5th: As Di Chupito:  Erin Haas/North Face Farm

6th: Namos: Lacey Gilbertson

7th: Au Grand Couer:  Melissa Hirt

8th: Imprimis:  Donald Cheska/Wind Swept Farm

Full results can be found by visiting www.horseshowing.com. For more information on the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, please visit www.horseshowsbythebay.com.