Thursday March 18, 2004

Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic with Olympic Selection Trial Qualifiers Kicks Off Today

Dressage returns to the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club for the third of three dressage shows held at the 32 nd Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington , Florida . Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y will be held Thursday through Sunday, March18 through 21. The finale show to the Winter Equestrian Festival's run in Wellington features United States Equestrian Team Federation (USETF) Qualifying Competitions for the USETF Grand Prix Dressage Championship/2004 Olympic Games Selection Trials and USETF Intermediaire I Championship. The show is also the Official Region 3 United States Dressage Federation Qualifying Competition for the 2004 North American Young Rider's Championship.

The qualifying classes for the Olympic Selection Trials are the USETF Grand Prix on Thursday, March 18; the USETF Grand Prix Special on Friday, March 19; and the USETF Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday, March 21

Stars of the dressage world will be out in full force attempting to earn the scores that will qualify them for the Olympic Selection Trials including five-time Olympian Robert Dover on two horses – Rainier and FBW Kennedy; Arlene Page and Claire; Susan Dutta with Gumshoes DC; Michael Barisone and Neruda; George Williams and Marnix; Monica Sinks and Carrera; Shelly Francis with Gala; Ruth Hogan-Poulsen and Armando; and Tina Konyot aboard Anna Karenina.

The Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic is the last show that many of the riders will contest to earn scores for the Selection Trials. Based on highest average scores in the designated qualifying competitions nationwide during the qualifying period, which ends June 4, the top 12 riders will be invited to compete in the Dressage Selection Trials for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

The Trials will be held at Oaks Blenheim in San Juan Capistrano , CA , over two weekends – June 11-13 and June 17-20.

The foreign contingent in the FEI classes at the Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic is also spectacular, with Denmark 's Lars Petersen; Colombia 's Cesar Parra; and Israel 's Oded Shimoni entered to compete. Parra and Shimoni have already qualified with their respective countries to compete in the Athens Olympic Games. The Canadian riders who have dominated the Florida dressage scene this winter will also be back – Ashley Holzer, Shannon Dueck, and Julia Vysniauskas.