2 oktober 2013
Dit weekend: US enkel-en vierspan kampioenschappen
Tijdens de Kentucky Classic nationale menwedstrijd in het Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Verenigde Staten, wordt komend weekend gestreden om het Amerikaans enkelspan-en vierspan kampioenschap. Zeven enkelspanrijders en drie vierspanrijders strijden om de hoogste eer in hun klasse.
With only one returning Single Horse Champion in the field, the USEF National Single Horse Championship is as likely as ever to end up in new hands. 1999 Champion Kimberly Stover (Smyrna, Delaware) will look to earn a second National Championship over a field of established and rising talent with international experience. The field includes three drivers that represented the U.S. at the 2012 FEI Singles Driving World Championship. Leslie Berndl (Newcastle, California), Donna Crookston (Saltsburg, Pennsylvania), and two time USEF Single Pony National Champion Sara Schmitt (Flemington, New Jersey) all made the trip to Leziras, Portugal last year and will be looking to add a USEF Single Horse National Championship to their trophy cases.
Chester Weber (Ocala, Florida) enters the Kentucky Classic following a very successful season in Europe that included a win at the 2014 WEG test event at CAI-Caen and a win at CAIO Saumur, as well as top three finishes at Beekbergen and Aachen. For nine years of the past decade this championship has gone to Weber, and he'll look to push that tally into double digits this weekend. However, during the year that broke Weber's streak of dominance it was stalwart U.S. driving veteran Jimmy Fairclough (Newtown, New Jersey) that took the championship from him. Fairclough will challenge Weber again this year, and the two will face stiff competition from 2012 Reserve National Champion Casey Zubek (Manhattan, Illinois) in a small but talented chase for the USEF Four-in-Hand National Championship.
Dressage at the Kentucky Classic CDE begins on Thursday.
For a list of competitors click here.
Follow the U.S. Driving Team on USEF Network.
Bij de enkelspannen is de kans groot dat de kampioenstitel in nieuwe handen komt. Alleen de kampioen van 1999 Kimberley Stover stond al eerder op de hoogste trede van het erepodium. Onder de deelnemers bevinden zich onder meer drie menners die in 2012 deelnamen aan het WK in Portugal: Leslie Berndl, Donna Crookston en tweevoudig USEF enkelspan pony kampioen Sara Schmitt.
Donna Crookston
Chester Weber komt in Kentucky aan de start na een succesvol seizoen in Europea met overwinningen in Caen en Saumur en top drie plaatsen in Beekbergen en Aken. Weber won de titel al negen keer eerder en hoopt er dit jaar een rond getal van te kunnen maken. Weber neemt het op tegen de ervaren Jimmy Fairclough, die in 2012 de tiel op zijn naam schreef, en Casey Zubek.
Chester Weber
Dressage at the Kentucky Classic CDE begins on Thursday.
