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Peter Leone
Peter Leone is a veteran American showjumper who has been at the top of the sport for decades, below you can watch Peter Leone in action riding the talented Crown Royal Legato
Course Designer Linda Allen, who set the show jumping courses at the 1996 Olympic Games, said she used the $50,000 Barnmaster Grand Prix at HITS Catskills in Ellenville, New York on June 4, to help prepare riders for this year`s Trials. From a field of 35, four riders made it to the jump-off, and only Leone with Lataro had a clear short course, though they incurred one time fault, winning $15,000 for The Lataro Group.
"He`s for sure the most intelligent, clever, rubber ball horse that I`ve ever ridden. And I`ve had the good luck to have ridden quite a number of top horses during my career," said Leone, Team Silver Medallist at the Atlanta Olympics. "He handled the course easily. He`s such a nice young horse with such a bright future, I hesitate to ask him to go do the Trials so soon, but for the same reasons, he`s so spectacular, and does it so well, that he`s telling me, maybe we should. So at this point, I think we`re going to try."
Round One allowed riders 81 seconds to clear a 13-jump course that included a triple at four, a double combination at 10 and water at 12. Three riders withdrew on course, four were eliminated, and 17 riders exceeded the time allowed.
"I didn`t want to build it especially big but we had quite a lot of competitors for the Trials coming up so I was looking for something that would be a bit of preparation of some riding questions," explained Allen after the class. Allen was referring to the Order of Go that included Olympic veterans Peter Leone, Anne Kursinski, and Tim Grubb as well as Olympic hopefuls Margie Engle, Chris Kappler, Nona Garson, Peter Wylde, Mark Leone, McLain Ward, and Laura Chapot. "I pushed the time more than I would have liked. Two more seconds would have made it better. I measured in a hurry and should have done it twice. But the good riders could do it anyway. It was more the full international grand prix speed-which is 400 meters a minute. They almost had to ride that pace in order to make it. The riders with the experience did it. A lot of horses had a fault at only one place on the course. There were quite a lot of those, so it was good." Thirteen riders had just one rail down, but many of those four-faulters also had the added time fault.
Coming back first in the order for the Jump-Off was Jeffery Welles of Ridgefield, Connecticut, with S&L Farms` S&L Riviera, the pair that won the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix last week at HITS Catskills I over second place Leone and Lataro. At 34.972 seconds, Welles had the fastest time but a heartbreaking last rail down put him in second place for $11,000. Tim Grubb, of New York, New York, followed with Sandstone`s Pelota De Goma but incurred eight jumping faults in 36.900, finishing fourth for $4,000. Third to go was Marilyn Little of Fredenick, Maryland, and Traumjula, who completed the course in 36.144 but had one knockdown to take third place and $6,500 for owner Raylyn Farms, Inc. Last in the order was Leone of Greenwich, Connecticut, and Lataro who cleared the course in 38.682, exceeding the 38-second time allowed, but the clean jumping score gave them the win. In the awards ceremony, when Leone was presented with a Cosequin U.S. Grand Prix League cooler, an engraved silver tray, and a $15,000 check, he made a point of expressing his gratitude to Barnmaster for the prize money. "Thank you for sponsoring this class. This helps so much," he said.
After the victory lap, Leone recapped the Grand Prix. "The First Round course was a very, very challenging international course. It was enough in its own right in terms of the dimensions, but then when you add what was today, a very, very tight time allowed--that of the toughest Nations Cups I`ve ever ridden in--it made it a very tough course. Only top horses and riders managed to make it back for the second round. Marilyn Little is a fantastic up-an-comer. Don`t let her age fool you. She`s a top rider. And Jeffery, Tim and I all have the good fortune of a lot of experience. The class played out to my favor. I had the good luck of the draw and came back last in the jump-off and knew exactly what I had to do. My horse is an incredible superstar. He is my future in this sport."
Lataro is a nine-year old bay Holsteiner by Latouro. "He`s just starting his first year of big Grand Prix. He did his first larger Grand Prix in September of last year. He did the Intermediates in Florida and dabbled in the bigger class. Then he came out and started doing the big classes," recounted Leone who has been riding him for a little more than a year. "If I have any future at all in the sport of show jumping, it`s because of this horse."
$50,000 Barnmaster Grand Prix - June 5, 2000
Course Designer: Linda Allen
R-O Faults/ Pl# Horse Rider Owner Prize Money J-O Faults-Time
1 Lataro Peter Leone Lataro Group $15,000 0/1-38.682
2 S&L Riviera Jeffery Welles S&L Farms $11,000 0/4-34.972
3 Traumjula Marilyn Little Raylyn Farms Inc. $ 6,500 0/4-36.144
4 Pelota de Goma Tim Grubb Sandstone $ 4,000 0/8-36.900
5 Roscoe Mark Jungherr R.A. Francoeur $ 3,000 /NA
6 Hidden Creek`s Glory Margie Engle Hidden Creek Farm $ 2,500 4/NA
7 Naomi McLain Ward McLain Ward $ 2,000 4/NA
8 Hennessey Pamela Polk Pine Hollow Stables $ 1,500 4/NA9
Rhythmical Nona Garson Kamine Family/Nona Garson$ 1,500 4/NA
10 Casino Mark Leone Ri Arm Farm $ 1,000 4/NA
11 Hidden Creek`s Christo Margie EngleHidden Creek Farm $ 1,000 4- /NA
12 Hidden Creek`s Alvaretto Margie EngleHidden Creek Farm $ 1,000 4/NA
Number of horses who competed in this class: 35
Class Prize Money $50,000
Peter Leone and Lataro Show International Caliber Skill to Win the $50,000 Barnmaster Grand Prix at HITS Catskills II
RHINEBECK, NY (June 8, 2000)-It was the class that convinced Peter Leone to compete Lataro in this year`s Olympic Trials.Course Designer Linda Allen, who set the show jumping courses at the 1996 Olympic Games, said she used the $50,000 Barnmaster Grand Prix at HITS Catskills in Ellenville, New York on June 4, to help prepare riders for this year`s Trials. From a field of 35, four riders made it to the jump-off, and only Leone with Lataro had a clear short course, though they incurred one time fault, winning $15,000 for The Lataro Group.
"He`s for sure the most intelligent, clever, rubber ball horse that I`ve ever ridden. And I`ve had the good luck to have ridden quite a number of top horses during my career," said Leone, Team Silver Medallist at the Atlanta Olympics. "He handled the course easily. He`s such a nice young horse with such a bright future, I hesitate to ask him to go do the Trials so soon, but for the same reasons, he`s so spectacular, and does it so well, that he`s telling me, maybe we should. So at this point, I think we`re going to try."
Round One allowed riders 81 seconds to clear a 13-jump course that included a triple at four, a double combination at 10 and water at 12. Three riders withdrew on course, four were eliminated, and 17 riders exceeded the time allowed.
"I didn`t want to build it especially big but we had quite a lot of competitors for the Trials coming up so I was looking for something that would be a bit of preparation of some riding questions," explained Allen after the class. Allen was referring to the Order of Go that included Olympic veterans Peter Leone, Anne Kursinski, and Tim Grubb as well as Olympic hopefuls Margie Engle, Chris Kappler, Nona Garson, Peter Wylde, Mark Leone, McLain Ward, and Laura Chapot. "I pushed the time more than I would have liked. Two more seconds would have made it better. I measured in a hurry and should have done it twice. But the good riders could do it anyway. It was more the full international grand prix speed-which is 400 meters a minute. They almost had to ride that pace in order to make it. The riders with the experience did it. A lot of horses had a fault at only one place on the course. There were quite a lot of those, so it was good." Thirteen riders had just one rail down, but many of those four-faulters also had the added time fault.
Coming back first in the order for the Jump-Off was Jeffery Welles of Ridgefield, Connecticut, with S&L Farms` S&L Riviera, the pair that won the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix last week at HITS Catskills I over second place Leone and Lataro. At 34.972 seconds, Welles had the fastest time but a heartbreaking last rail down put him in second place for $11,000. Tim Grubb, of New York, New York, followed with Sandstone`s Pelota De Goma but incurred eight jumping faults in 36.900, finishing fourth for $4,000. Third to go was Marilyn Little of Fredenick, Maryland, and Traumjula, who completed the course in 36.144 but had one knockdown to take third place and $6,500 for owner Raylyn Farms, Inc. Last in the order was Leone of Greenwich, Connecticut, and Lataro who cleared the course in 38.682, exceeding the 38-second time allowed, but the clean jumping score gave them the win. In the awards ceremony, when Leone was presented with a Cosequin U.S. Grand Prix League cooler, an engraved silver tray, and a $15,000 check, he made a point of expressing his gratitude to Barnmaster for the prize money. "Thank you for sponsoring this class. This helps so much," he said.
After the victory lap, Leone recapped the Grand Prix. "The First Round course was a very, very challenging international course. It was enough in its own right in terms of the dimensions, but then when you add what was today, a very, very tight time allowed--that of the toughest Nations Cups I`ve ever ridden in--it made it a very tough course. Only top horses and riders managed to make it back for the second round. Marilyn Little is a fantastic up-an-comer. Don`t let her age fool you. She`s a top rider. And Jeffery, Tim and I all have the good fortune of a lot of experience. The class played out to my favor. I had the good luck of the draw and came back last in the jump-off and knew exactly what I had to do. My horse is an incredible superstar. He is my future in this sport."
Lataro is a nine-year old bay Holsteiner by Latouro. "He`s just starting his first year of big Grand Prix. He did his first larger Grand Prix in September of last year. He did the Intermediates in Florida and dabbled in the bigger class. Then he came out and started doing the big classes," recounted Leone who has been riding him for a little more than a year. "If I have any future at all in the sport of show jumping, it`s because of this horse."
$50,000 Barnmaster Grand Prix - June 5, 2000
Course Designer: Linda Allen
R-O Faults/ Pl# Horse Rider Owner Prize Money J-O Faults-Time
1 Lataro Peter Leone Lataro Group $15,000 0/1-38.682
2 S&L Riviera Jeffery Welles S&L Farms $11,000 0/4-34.972
3 Traumjula Marilyn Little Raylyn Farms Inc. $ 6,500 0/4-36.144
4 Pelota de Goma Tim Grubb Sandstone $ 4,000 0/8-36.900
5 Roscoe Mark Jungherr R.A. Francoeur $ 3,000 /NA
6 Hidden Creek`s Glory Margie Engle Hidden Creek Farm $ 2,500 4/NA
7 Naomi McLain Ward McLain Ward $ 2,000 4/NA
8 Hennessey Pamela Polk Pine Hollow Stables $ 1,500 4/NA9
Rhythmical Nona Garson Kamine Family/Nona Garson$ 1,500 4/NA
10 Casino Mark Leone Ri Arm Farm $ 1,000 4/NA
11 Hidden Creek`s Christo Margie EngleHidden Creek Farm $ 1,000 4- /NA
12 Hidden Creek`s Alvaretto Margie EngleHidden Creek Farm $ 1,000 4/NA
Number of horses who competed in this class: 35
Class Prize Money $50,000
