Thursday, May 12, 2006 - Posted 3:15

Katherine Poulin-Neff and Brilliant Too Wins Paxton Farm FEI Prix St Georges

Mother Daughter Team Earn FEI Victory

Part of an American Dressage family dynasty, Kate Poulin-Neff had been in training in Florida with her mother Sharon, and father Olympian Michael Poulin. But her other home is in Ohio where she lives with her husband Matt Neff as much as possible. While her dad and sister Gwen “held down the fort” in Florida, Sharon flew to Ohio for the Mother’s Day weekend show at Paxton Farm to work with her daughter. Competing in her fourth ever Prix St George with their own KWPN/Thoroughbred cross gelding, Brilliant Too, last year’s USDF Regional Fourth Level Champion, won the first FEI Class of the three day show.

The son of her mother Sharon Poulin’s KWPN Stallion Brilliant, Brilliant Too topped a field of 16 horses in the FEI Prix St George Class with a 67.300%. “We really came here with no big expectations,” said Kate, as she waited to go into the awards ceremony, “so this is a nice way to start the weekend.”

“It wasn’t really our goal with this horse to make it to the Intermediaire I Championships (to be held in Gladstone in June) this year.” said Sharon. “Just to bring him along at his own pace.” But throughout the season he continued show he could hold his own with more seasoned competitors, so they decided to try another CDI. At this point it is still uncertain as to whether the 67.300 score and the results still to come from the rest of the weekend will be enough to make the top 12 list, but Kate admitted with a huge smile, if they did, she was going!

Paxton Farm provides one of the few opportunities for Dressage riders in this region to compete in a CDI*** Event necessary to qualify for the National and International competitions. Centrally located near Cincinnati, the event attracts many Canadians as well. Canadian Tom Dvorak on Fortissimo held the lead for most of the class with a 66.0%. But Poulin-Neff, the second to last rider to go changed the standings, and the American national anthem played for the awards ceremony.

Paxton Farm CDI***/Y - Cincinatti, Ohio

Results May 12, 2006

FEI Prix St George Posted 5/12 12:20 PM

Judges: E: Cunningham (I) H: deQuinzanos (I) C: Yukins (I) M: Barnett (C) B: Whitham (O)

• 1 - Katherine Poulin-Neff - Brilliant Too - 67.300
• 2 - Tom Dvorak - Fortissimo - 66.600
• 3 - Nicole Bellah - Avant-Garde - 64.950
• 4 - Michael Shondel - Wallaby - 64.300
• 5 - Justin Hardin - Pik Cesar - 62.500
• 6 - Jason Canton - Navignon - 62.500
• 7 - Shelly Francis - Dominion - 62.150
• 8 - Kelly Burke Hayner - Morenzo - 61.950
• 9 - Gary Vander Ploeg - Cezanne - 61.650
• 10 - Laura Moore - Nicolet - 61.250