Bloomberg Reigns At Opening Day of Equestrian Summer Showcase at Fieldstone Show Park.

Aug. 16, 2012 - PRLog -- Halifax, MA - August 16, 2012 - Georgina Bloomberg, professional equestrian, author, and younger daughter of New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg, claimed top honors during opening day of the 2012 Equestrian Summer Showcase held at Fieldstone Show Park. The accomplished rider surpassed a field of 21 competitors to top yesterday's featured event, the $7,500 Welcome Stake presented by UBS Financial. Yesterday's win is among Bloomberg's first victories after undergoing back surgery a year ago in July.

After a brief thunderstorm delayed competition by a few hours, Fieldstone Show Park opened four of its five arenas to Summer Showcase competitors. Conveniently located just outside of America's Hometown, Plymouth, MA, the premier equestrian facility hosts several of the largest show jumping competitions in Massachusetts.

Over the next two weeks, the country's top competitors will come to Fieldstone to vie for over $250,000 in prize money. The Summer Showcase events run Wednesday, 8/15 through Sunday, 8/19 and Tuesday, 8/21 through Saturday, 8/25. Featured classes include the $35,000 Show Jumping Grand Prix on Saturday, August 18, and the $25,000 SmartPak Equine Grand Prix on Saturday, August 25.

Yesterday's winning combination, Bloomberg and Perfect De Coquerie, captured victory by completing two fault-free jumping courses in a time of 35.528 seconds in the $7,500 UBS Financial Welcome Stake. Perfect De Coquerie is an eleven-year-old Belgian Warmblood co-owned by Bloomberg and Stephex Stables of Belgium. Second and third place honors were awarded to Mattias Tromp of North Salem, NY, who also completed two clear rounds on his entries, Vosqinus and Casey. Tromp finished in 37.836 seconds and 38.295 seconds respectively.

Course designer Phillip De Vita, Jr. of Apopka, FL, skillfully designed the track around several damp patches in the field brought on by morning showers. Following her victory, Bloomberg commented on De Vita's work. "I've been jumping Phil's courses for a long time," she said, "so I know them well and I like them. He did the best he could considering all of the rain this morning and the ground wasn't great, but the ring held up pretty well."

According to Bloomberg, Perfect De Conquerie needed a couple of shows under his belt and Fieldstone was a convenient stop on their busy summer schedule. "This is actually my first time at this horse show," Bloomberg added, "it's really nice to be able to try somewhere new because we don't get to show at new places very often."

In the weeks to come, Bloomberg will attend the Hampton Classic horse show in Bridgehampton, NY, followed by a rigorous show schedule this fall. "It's a little too late to qualify for anything at this point, so I'm building toward next year," Bloomberg said, "It was a year ago July since my surgery and I took recovery really slowly. Even though I was back riding and enjoying it a few months early, I wanted to let this heal one-hundred percent, so I gave it all of the time that it needed, and I'm really glad I did because I feel great."

Francesca Bolfo of New York, NY, was similarly successful in opening day competition, claiming top honors in the $1,500 Meter 1.25 class presented by Saranac Brewery. Bolfo and her mount, U2, finished with zero faults in 63.406 seconds, while a close second went to Margaret Bopp and her mount, Contego 2, who finished fault-free in 65.323 seconds.

Bolfo's winning mount, U2, is an eleven-year-old KWPN affectionately known as "Toots" in the barn. Following their win, Bolfo commented on her strategy with the bay Gelding. "I was maybe a little cautious of the footing," she explained, "I didn't try to run too much and just let his natural pace carry him, which seemed to work out in the end. The course rode really well and was kind of a low build into the first day, obviously there were difficulties with the grass field being slippery, but it was lovely."
 
Like Bloomberg, Bolfo is new to Fieldstone Show Park events, but regularly competes in equestrian competitions across the country. The New York native recently competed at an event held last week in Hampton Falls, NH, and commented on the differences often found between various horse shows. "We just came off of a really good week in New Hampshire," Bolfo explained, "the ring here is smaller and less hilly, and the ambiance is much more relaxed and less stressful. This place is beautiful and it was nice to just chill after an intense week."

Both Bloomberg and Bolfo have their eye on the $35,000 Show Jumping Grand Prix held at Fieldstone Show Park this Saturday at 3pm. Summer Showcase competition continues every day this week starting at 8am with Hunter, Jumper and Equitation divisions held all day. To find out how you can watch Boomberg, Bolfo and many other equestrians compete for top prizes at the Show Park this weekend, go to www.showfieldstone.com or contactinfo@showfieldstone.com.

Final Results: Saranac Brewery 1.25m Jumpers
1 U2, Francesca Bolfo, Francesca Bolfo
2 Contego 2, Margaret Bopp, Margaret Bopp LLC
3 Zico T, Samantha Ramsay, American Equestrian Associates
4 Sacramento N, Katie Cox, Kim Cox
5 South Street, Georgina Bloomberg, LLC Gotham Enterprizes
6 Zalicia, Mattias Tromp, Tara Corr
7 Ladonna, Sarah Segal, Kathleen Kamine
8 Philosopher, Mattias Tromp, Lindsey Burns

Final Results: $7,500 Harvest Group at UBS Financial Welcome Stake
1 Perfect De Coquerie, Georgina Bloomberg, Georgina Bloomberg/Stephex Stables
2 Vosqinus, Mattias Tromp, Beyaert Farm Inc
3 Casey, Mattias Tromp, Beyaert Farm Inc
4 Top Limit, Francesca Bolfo, Francesca Bolfo
5 Wednesday Mornin, Wendy L. Smith, Diane Denby
6 Maestro De Shalimar, Stephanie Mccomiskey
7 Winston, Maria Costa, Maria Costa
8 Tilgham, Sarah Segal, Horatio St Ventures LLC