Robert Hall presents live coverage of the third day at the Royal Dublin Society, including the FEI Nations Cup. Watch Amaretto D'Arco and Shane Sweetham have two clear rounds! Interview with Team Ireland at 2:15, first round jumping 1:14:00. Second round jumping at 2:36:14.

The FEI Nation's Cup, the seventh leg of the Super League Championship, just finished in Dublin and the Irish team was phenomenal. We don't have all the details yet but Ireland after the first round was tied with Great Britain and the two teams jumped off for the Gold!

While Great Britain came out on top, Shane Sweetnam and Amaretto D'Arco were one of ONLY three double clear rounds today! A phenomenal showing for the Sweetnam/ADA partnership. More details to follow as they come in.

Final Score Sheet click here.

It started out with thunder, lightening and downpours! But the day ended on a beautiful note.

Check out this short video - click here

Full length video (5 minutes) - click here

Spy Coast Farm has joined with several other prominent sponsors to support the Alltech National Horse Show to be held in Lexington, KY this year.

The Alltech National Horse Show will be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, site of last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, from November 2 - 6, 2011. This year's debut in Kentucky will be designated a CSI4*-W and the featured class, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix, will be a 2011/2012 FEI World Cup qualifying event.

Joining forces with show this year are two key sponsors, Spy Coast Farm and owners Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lourie and Double H Farm and Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Harrison. The two sponsorships add an addition $65,000 in prize money to the mix and bring the total prize money offered at the show to nearly $700,000. The Open Jumper division alone will now be worth $435,000.

Read the full story here.

Amaretto D'Arco and Shane Sweetnam had the only clear first round in Aachen for the Irish Team.

They continue their incredible success this year with outstanding performances in La Baule, Spruce Meadows, and Aachen. On to Dublin!

The Irish team continues to stand second on the FEI Nations Cup Leaderboard.

Read all about the Aachen performance here.

Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm's Traffic Boy won the prestigious Derby at Spruce Meadows. He is only the 14th rider to ever go clean in the history of this class. The Cenovus Classic, saw 18 horse and rider combinations tackle the historic course originally designed by Pamela Carruthers (GRB) in 1985. A crowd of 38,915 watched as Shane Sweetnam (IRL) rode to victory aboard Spy Coast Farm's 10 year old Swedish Warmblood stallion, Traffic Boy. “When I woke up this morning, I never imagined I would be here” commented Sweetnam in the winner’s circle. The Irish native made history today, posting a clear round, the 14^th in the history of the event. Read all about it click here!

Click here to check out the video of Traffic Boy

Julia Lourie and three other teammates win the Nations Cup 1.20 at Spruce Meadows!  

It was an extremely exciting class as Team C'est La Vie with Julia Lourie, Lisa Kent, Jocelyn Evans and Stephanie Osmand rose to the top beating out their US and Canadian counterparts. Four teams went in with equal faults after the first round of the Prix des Nations style class, but our riders came through in round two with three clear rounds putting them right to the top of the board.

Julia rode her horse Vivaldi Odeveld, better known as "Al". With Julia off to college they have been absent from the show ring but they are BACK in full force. They also took home the 7th place in the 1.20 Grand Prix on Friday out of a big field of 48 International riders.  

After being away at school all year at NYU, Julia is also back in the show ring with Quidam Jr. where they placed 12th out of 55 riders in the Wednesday's Welcome Class.

photo courtesty of Mancini Photo

It has been a great weekend for the Spy Coast horses at the South Florida Charity Horse Show. Coming off a long summer and fall of being on the road, the horses are finally back home in Florida and making hay of it!

Rolette wins the $25,000 Grand Prix under the lights at the Palm Beach Equestrian Center AND is 2nd in the $10,000 Halperin Foundation Welcome Stake. Shane Sweetnam and Pablo Barrios traded places in each class.  See the win here by clicking on the following links: First Round of Grand Prix and the Grand Prix jumpoff

Shane was 1st and 2nd in the 1.3m class with Traffic Boy taking the win and Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve second.  Diktator Van De Boslandhoeve, one of our newest stallions, was also 3rd in the Legacy Stables 1.3m class on Friday.

A great start to the Florida season.  Congrats to Shane on a great show.

Spy Coast Farm is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Modesty Burleson VMD as our full time vet. Trained at The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Burleson was formerly employed by Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.

Dr. Burleson will head up our reproductive program along with Broodmare Manager, Laurie Haddon. While based out of Kentucky, she will travel to our other locations as needed. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Burleson onto the Spy Coast Farm team.

Spy Coast Farm will now conduct routine young stock radiographic screening at approx. 18 months of age. These films will be available to all prospective buyers.

Is'Czis wins the 2010 United States Hunter Jumper Association Stirrup Cup Award Hunter Breeding Zone 2 Champions.

The Goal of the Stirrup Cup Awards program is to recognize the accomplishments of USHJA members competing at "B" and "C" level competitions and to promote these levels of competition.

Is'Czis SCF is also standing first in the USEF Hunter Breeding Zone 2 and third nationally in the USEF Hunter Breeding.

Shane Sweetnam and the Spy Coast Farm horses were totally consistent throughout the week at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the first of the major Indoor Horse Shows.

Spy Coast's newest addition Allisson with 1480 points was 4th in the Gambler's Choice, only a 100 points behind the winner Jonathan Miller.  She also had an excellent 3rd place win in the $5,000 Open Jumper class.

Amaretto D'Arco was 4th in the other $5,000 Open Jumper class.  Shane was in good company just behind Rodrigo Pessoa, Mario Deslauriers, and Pablo Barrios.

And Rolette was a superstar in the Power & Speed, second only to McLain Ward on Rothchild.  She was 6th in the $30,000 PA Big Jump; again, in good company in the ribbon circle with Pablo Barrios, Beezie Madden, Candice King, Todd Minikus and Jill Henselwood.  

Here are several press releases with the Open Jumper results:

Press Release Day 1 Open Jumpers

Press Release Day 2 Open Jumpers

Shane and Amaretto D'Arco named as the reserve member for the Irish Show Jumping team.

Robert Splaine, IRELAND'S Show Jumping Team Manager: "Significantly Shane produced a solid performance as anchor man for the team at Calgary last week where the team finished second. Also the combination are particularly familiar with the arena in Kentucky as they base themselves there for part of the year."

Congrats to the pair and they'll be ready if called upon! Read more here

Shane and D'Arco had an outstanding performance in the Nations' Cup at Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament finishing second behind the United States.  

Belle Bleu S and Shane are screaming fast and win the $7,500 Wölffer Estate Open Jumper (1.35m) class at the Hampton Classic out of field of 73.  Read the full story click here. 

Spy Coast Farm horses are top ten in Speed Derby, 1.45m and 1.40m Open Jumper classes, and Grand Prix Qualifier. 

Tangelo Z

5th - $15,000 Speed Derby (1.40m) out of 19 entries

7th - $20,000  Nicolock Speed Challenge (1.40m) out of 51 entries

Amaretto D'Arco

6th - $7,500 Open Jumper Class (1.45m) out of 50 entries

10th - $50,000 Spy Coast Farm Grand Prix Qualifier-CP out of  40 entries entries

What's another way to say that Shane won the 1.35m on Belle Bleu today?!

Shane Sweetnam op zijn Holsteiner merrie Belle Bleu S met een voorsprong van bijna anderhalf seconden op nummer twee.

Congrats to Shane.  A great win at the most thrilling competition of the North Netherlands.

Rolette had a fourth place finish as well, a wonderful showing out of 53 International competitors.

More to come as the show is still underway.  Click here for all results.

More press on Amaretto D'Arco's exciting 4th place win in the Netherlands. Click here to read more.

Get a glimpse of D'Arco jumping out of his skin in the Grand Prix click here to see video

Shane and Amaretto D'Arco place 4th in the four-star Grand Prix at Geesteren in the Netherlands this weekend!  Congratulations to the pair for such a great placing.

Click here to see the news article in Horse Sport Ireland.

Click here to see D'Arco jumping off a few weeks ago....worth watching!

Photo: Ray Francis and Cowboy Magic "Romo" at Milestone Farm in Pennsylvania

Spy Coast Farm under the watchful handling of Ray Francis has seen great success in the 2010 season.  Is 'Czis has had many wins up in the Pennsylvania region on the line.  As a result, she is standing 1st in the Non Thoroughbred Two Year Old Fillies Zone 2, 1st with the PHSA, and 2nd Nationally in the USEF Hunter Breeding Two Year Old Division.  In addition Is 'Czis is 4th in the American Performance Horse ranking and Spy Coast with just this one horse is standing 6th in the USEF Leading Hunter Breeders.  Is 'Czis is by Balta'Czar and out of Royal Flirt.

Ray had great success in 2009 as well ending up 1st with Viva La Salsa in the Non Thoroughbred Yearling Fillies division, 4th with Fantazia in the Non Thoroughbred Two Year Old Fillies and 5th with Pacino in the Non Thoroughbred Yearling Colts and Geldings.

Spy Coast Farm is also the home now home of Cowboy Magic ("Romo" for Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys) and Magic Cowgirl ("Dale" for the famous Cowgirl Dale Evans).  Both are by Gayfield's Ragtime Cowboy and out of First Chime.  Ragtime Cowboy is full brother to Dawn's Early Light, the superstar small pony hunter.  Under the training of Ray Francis Romo is standing 2nd in the Pennsylvania Bred Yearling Ponies and 2nd in USEF Zone 2 Pony Hunter Breeding.  Check out the photo...spitting image of Dawn's Early Light.

Click here to check out the June 2010 Issue of USEF's Equestrian magazine for the article on Spy Coast Farm

Be sure to type in page 44 

Click here to check out the results of the first inaugural Young Horse Show at Spy Coast Farm

Derly Chin de Muze (2003 by For Pleasure out of Werly Chin de Muze) has recently been purchased for Eric Lamaze.  In 2009 Derly Chin captured the bronze at the 6 year old European Championships.  Her mother, Werly Chin de Muze (owned by Spy Coast Farm) is half sister to Lamaze's former GP mount Narcotique de Muze.  Their mother, Qerly Chin was a prolific producer of Grand Prix horses.  Her best progeny were either by Nebab de Reve (Werly Chin's sire) or Darco (Narcotique de Muzes sire). 

Spy Coast Farm has bred Werly Chin to our best stallion, Amaretto D'arco in an effort to capitalize on this fantastic nick. We expect two such ET foals in summer 2010. 

Fantasia being backed the Spy Coast way!! Nothing like some nice cold Long Island water to keep her under control. Sure makes it easy for the lucky one chosen to be the human potato sack to put weight on her back. Maybe we can patent this concept!

For more pictures of Fantasia and the Spy Coast Way click here

Little Emir takes 5th in the DERBY DE LA REGION DES PAYS DE LA LOIRE

Beautiful ride by Shane on a very very long and tough Speed Derby course.  

Click here to watch

Wellington, FL - April 4, 2010 - The final Suncast 1.50m Classic was held Saturday afternoon in the International Arena. With $20,000 in prize money, a strong field came out to contest. The fastest in the jump-off for the win was Shane Sweetnam (IRL) on Little Emir, owned by Spy Coast Farms LLC. Schuyler Riley (USA) and Navalo de Poheton, owned by Wolfstone Stables, finished second, while Georgina Bloomberg and Gotham Enterprizes’ Metropolitan were third.

“I think it was a nice course, built to 1.50m and straightforward enough. I think that’s the right thing. By the end of the circuit, it’s the right thing to do to give some people a chance to step up with their horses,” Sweetnam explained. “There are some people gone now, so that people can go into a class like this, be competitive, and teach their horses something. I thought it was built just right. In the second round, you needed a good bit of rideability with the turn back to the wall and the combination. I think it was an ideal first round. Anthony is a clever guy. He’ll build it nice so you can step up.” read more here:

Shane Win's $20,000 Classic on Spy Coast Farm's Little Emir

Wellington, FL (February 26, 2010) – Irish Grand Prix rider Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm’s Dutch Warmblood mare, Rolette, won the EQUILITE 2010 Grooming and Conditioning Award during the prestigious Winter Equestrian Festival. Rolette, a Dutch mare by Lester, was awarded EQUILITE brand products from award sponsor Arenus, makers of animal health products and supplement blends including Sore No More.

While the FEI World Cup Grand Prix featured a multitude of beautiful horses, Rolette’s magnificent coat and outstanding condition drew the attention of the judges. Sweetnam was presented her EQUILITE Grooming and Conditioning Award for Rolette during the awards ceremony to the delight of 4,800 fans.

Each week during the Winter Equestrian Festival, a horse, barn or trainer is chosen for their horse’s exceptional coat and level of conditioning by a team of independent judges. The winner receives a prize of EQUILITE brand products including two time product of the year, Sore No More liniment.

“Rolette is quite striking,” said Stacey Small, creator of the EQUILITE line of products. “It was easy to tell that Sweetnam keeps Rolette is in excellent condition; her coat is well cared for.” Sweetnam was presented the award by Stacey Small, Simone Pophal, Arenus Business Manager and Peter Thompson, Arenus National Sales Manager during the Grand Prix ceremony.

Sweetnam, a Country Cork, Ireland native, began his Grand Prix career at age 16 and has shown in North American and Europe. He moved to Wellington, FL four years ago and now has students competing at every level of show jumping. Sweetnam owns Sweet Oak Farm located on the property of Spy Coast Farm, was pleased that the mare was recognized for her grooming and conditioning.

About Arenus

Arenus is a premier provider of innovative health and nutrition products for pets and horses. The EQUILITE line is part of the Arenus family of products. Arenus is a growing division within Novus Nutrition Brands, a global company dedicated to Health and Nutrition through Science. To learn more about Arenus products, or find an Arenus event near you, call (866) 791-3344 or visit www.arenus.com.

Check out what is happening Week VI at WEF. Great pictures from last week.   Click here

It will open up in a new window for easy viewing.

Shane on Little Emir was 2nd out 46 in the $50,000 CN Palm Beach Jumping Derby on the Steeplechase Course during WEF VI. Winning $11,000 Shane and Emir were right behind the winner Charlie Jacobs on Quidditch II. Brianne Goutal, Clementine Goutal, Beezie Madden, and Mclain Ward rounded out the remaining top 6.

Shane and Little Emir 2nd out of a field of 46 in the $50,000 CN Palm Beach Jumping Derby. Held out on the Steeplechase course; the pair was incredibly fast and even the 4 seconds added to their time for a single rail didn't impede their ability to be near the very top of the leader board.

Weekly Wire from FTI WEF V. See the news from the horse show during Spy Coast's Sponsorship Week.

click here

The classes just keep getting bigger and bigger eash week at WEF. The snow up north has grown weary on us Northeasterners and even though a bit chilly in Palm Beach, its better than 3 feet of snow! The Low Junior Jumper class on Friday had 50 entries Week 5 and Julia on top of Quidam Junior put a great effort. In a blazing time of 59.687 Julia and Jr. had an impressive 3rd place finish. Keep watching this pair the rest of the WEF Circuit!

Check out the video of Julia and Jr. here 

Rolette and Shane Sweetnam, one of only 6 clean rounds in the $150,000 Spy Coast Grand Prix. Only a single rail in the jump-off placed them 4th behind Pablo Barrios, Jeffrey Welles, and Darragh Kenny. Hillary Dobbs and Rodrigo Pessoa finished out the top 6 behind Rolette. Congratulations on an outstanding effort.

see video by clicking here 

 see Zamiro winning the Meter 1.5 Class at WEF V

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jennifer Wood for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL - February 16, 2010 - The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a great fifth week of competition on February 10-14. The week featured the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI 3* presented by Spy Coast Farm, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week five title sponsor was Spy Coast Farm.

Spy Coast Farm specializes in the breeding and development of top quality performance horses with bases in Setauket, NY, Lexington, KY, and Wellington, FL. Along with owning top show jumpers and a show horse operation, the Louries have created a breeding operation in Kentucky and young horse training program in Setauket. Their show horse operation, which spends summers in Kentucky and winters in Wellington, is led by trainers Ali and Shane Sweetnam of Sweet Oak Farm. Their five-star facilities feature new barns, state-of-the-art equipment, and dedicated staff. For more information, please visit www.spycoastfarm.com.

Along with their week five title sponsorship, Spy Coast Farm was the presenting sponsor of the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI 3* on Saturday, February 13, and is the overall circuit sponsor of the 1.40m Jumper division.

Pablo Barrios of Venezuela stepped into the winner's circle for the first time in a major FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) grand prix in the $150,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, CSI 3*, presented by Spy Coast Farm. He led the victory gallop in front of 4,800 show jumping fans on G&C LaGran, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal. The other double clear round for second place went to Jeffery Welles (USA) on Armani, owned by Abigail Wexner and Triton Ventures. Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Trade Winds Farm's Obelix continued their solid World Cup performances with third place.

For full wrap-up results click here: Download PDF

Lisa Lourie is trying to change that. Her Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, Ky., is quite a curiosity, breeding show jumpers and hunters in the heart of thoroughbred country.

"Everybody has come to our farm to check out what's going on. They've never seen a warmblood," says Lourie, whose farm is title sponsor for this week at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. "There is a difference. You feed them differently. There's a little difference in how they're bred."

Lourie, 51, got a late start in the equine world when daughter Julia started riding 10 years ago. With a background as an ICU and CCU nurse and a master's degree in healthcare management, she was drawn to the breeding and caretaking side of the sport.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY IN SUN SENTINEL

NEWS RELEASE

February 10, 2010 

FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Welcomes Week Five Title Sponsor Spy Coast Farm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jennifer Wood for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL - February 10, 2010 - The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is pleased to welcome their week five title sponsor, Spy Coast Farm. Along with their weekly title sponsorship, they are the title sponsor of the $150,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix, CSI 3*, presented by Spy Coast Farm, on Saturday, February 13, at 7 p.m. in the International Arena.

Spy Coast Farm, owned by Robert and Lisa Lourie, has been a sponsor at the FTI WEF for three years. "We wanted to support the sport," said Lisa Lourie. "We also wanted to be able to entertain and fun in the International Club."
The Lourie's daughter, Julia, is a top junior jumper rider. "We're looking forward to enjoying our daughter's last junior year," Lourie noted. "We're also excited to support this year's WEF, with it's high level of international show jumping, as well as the USEF World Equestrian Games Show Jumping Trials."

Spy Coast Farm specializes in the breeding and development of top quality performance horses. With three locations along the East Coast, they attempt to take advantage of the best the U.S. has to offer by way of climate, veterinary services, show facilities, training, and riding talent. Lourie also credits the visibility of her breeding operation to Spy Coast Farms' sponsorship at key shows like WEF.

Spy Coast Farm has bases in Setauket, NY, Lexington, KY, and Wellington, FL. Along with owning top show jumpers and a show horse operation, the Louries have created a breeding operation in Kentucky and young horse training program in Setauket. Their show horse operation, which spends summers in Kentucky and winters in Wellington, is led by trainers Ali and Shane Sweetnam of Sweet Oak Farm. Their five-star facilities feature new barns, state-of-the-art equipment, and dedicated staff.

For more information, visit www.spycoastfarm.com.

For Full Press Release Download PDF

Julia Lourie and Triviant WIN the High Junior/Amateur Owner class at the Kentucky National Indoor Show with a double clear round. This was and exciting win for the pair since they have only been together for a few months. The class was held in the main stadium which has been redone for the WEG 2010 games. Rachel Cline on The Real Deal was second and Adam Prudent third on Rebeka.

Julia was also double clear on Saphir in the Low Jr/AO's and finished third out of a field of 37 for an excellent showing.

Other Spy Coast results: Little Emir speed across the course in the $50,000 CSI-W "The Betsy". The night was to honor the late Betsy Fishback, a great friend to many in the horse show community. Shane and Emir blazed around in 35.88 seconds, fast enough to have beaten the ultimate winner Mac Cone, but a single knock-down placed Shane in 7th place out of 48 in the class.

Taboo place in the top 10 in all three of the Open Jumper classes with Shane aboard, Sienna was 5th and 6th in her open jumper classes and Unadonja was 2nd early in the week as well. More to come as the Classics all run tomorrow.

Spy Coast Farm horses and riders had a great showing despite the rain the last few days of the show. Nearly every horse/rider combination ribboned.

Tangelo Z finished a strong 3rd in the Eastern 6 Year Old Young Jumper championships.

Spy Coast's new horse Zamiro showed off his talent.  At his first show in the U.S. Zamiro finished 6th in the Spy Coast Farm Grand Prix qualifier.

Julia continued her consistent ways on her new horse Triviant with ribbons in three of the High Junior Jumper classes.  Tananvelle tackled the Low Junior Jumpers with success and Lismacbryan  was a multiple ribbon winner in the Older Junior Hunters.

Spy Coast sponsored the $50,000 Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday.  For full results click here Hampton Classic show results

Shane heading to Royal International Horse Show, Hickstead - 22-26 July 2009

Shane Sweetnam will be representing the Irish Team on the Nation's Cup at the Royal International Horse Show in  Hickstead and will be then going onto the Dublin Horse Show the first week in August.  Shane's incredibly consistent performance during the early shows for the Meydan Cup Series secured him another trip across the ocean.  It should be an exciting few weeks.  For those of us at home we can watch on www.feitv.org.  Read the letter from Her Majesty The Queen, a patron of the horse show: http://www.hickstead.co.uk/pdfs/Letter.pdf

The Irish Team is going into the last legs of the series with an amazing victory today in Falsterbo. "Three second-round clears secured victory for Ireland at the sixth leg of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series in Falsterbo, Sweden this afternoon where the winning side's Darragh Kerins and Night Train and French rider Olivier Guillon and Lord de Theize registered the only completely fault-free performances.  It very nearly came down to yet another two-way jump-off against the clock to decide the winner, but the home team from Sweden had to settle for runner-up spot when anchorman Rolf-Goran Bengtsson's inexperienced mare Kiara La Silla faulted in the closing stages."  Ireland now stands 6th in the overall standings.    See the full story:

FEI Full Results Falsterbo

Good Luck to Shane and Amaretto D'Arco!!

Julia Lourie on her newest mount Triviant continues to excel in the High Junior Jumpers.  For the second week in a row Julia finishes in the top three in the SJHOF $10,000 High Jr/AO Classic.  Julia continues last week's success in the equitation garnering 6th out of a class of 32 in the USEF Medal and 3rd in the the ASPCA Maclay.

Other jumpers come back strong Week II as well.  Shane wins the NAL Open Speed Class on Little Emir and takes 3rd in the same class on Unadonja. Unadonja also was 9th in the $10,000 Open Prix. SCF Culper continues to be very consistent in the 5/6 year old jumper division with top ribbons in two classes.  Taboo and Kaitlin returned to the show ring after a break from Spruce Meadows with impressive 2nd place finishes in both Low Jr/AO classes and with the fastest jump-off time, but a single rail, the pair finish 5th in the $5,000 Low Jr/AO Classic.

Lismacbryan was reserve champion in the Older Large Junior Hunters, winning two of the over fences classes.

Spy Coast Farm's Sienna Wins $5,000 NAL Low Jr/AO Classic

Horse Shows By The Bay continues to be one our favorite summer stops. Each year more improvements, more fun and more competitors make this series the place to be. The Grand Prix ring is big and inviting and the hunter courses are challenging and fun. The weather started off really cold…winter coats were in order…but by midweek the weather was beautiful and so were the results.

Julia Lourie was 2nd in the ASPCA Maclay out of more than 26 top competitors. Kaitlin Campbell won the Junior Hunter class on Spy Coast Farm’s Lismacbryan Jr. and Richard Moloney won the Young Jumpers 5/6 Year Olds on SCF Culper. Julia continues her upward success on Triviant moving into the High Jr./AO Jumper division with a very impressive 5th place win in the $10,000 SJHOF Junior/AO Jumper Prix against some very tough competition from Laura Pfeiffer, Catherine Pasmore and Victoria Birdsall.

Sienna continues her winning ways, fresh off wins from Spruce Meadows, taking home the top prize in the $5000 NAL Low Junior/AO Jumper in blazing time. Sienna was several seconds faster than the rest of the 30 horse field. Lillian Keenan on Chloe was the only one to make a good run at Sienna’s time but missed the mark by .6 seconds to take second place.

Spy Coast Farm sponsored the $30,000 Grand Prix. The 23 horse field saw 11 clear rounds for the jump-off. In the end there were four double clear rounds with Ali Wolff taking away top honors. It was certainly her lucky day as she popped a jump out of its cup in both rounds only to have it land back in the cups each time. Last year’s winner, Addison Phillips garnered 5th and Kaitlin Campbell in her Grand Prix debut on Connery 9 was 7th.

Class: 406 - $30,000 Spy Coast Farm Grand Prix of Travis City Place Horse Rider Owners

1 H & M Necoll Ali Wolff Black Lick Bend Farm

2 Impulsive Scott Lenkart MacMillan Sport Horse

3 Urnike Patricia Griffith Heritage Farm, Inc

4 Lanoo Ali Wolff Black Lick Bend Farm

5 Cernunnus Addison Phillips Addison Phillips

6 Online Kate Reuter Newstone Farm, LLC

7 Connery 9 Kaitlin Campbell Sweet Oak Farm

8 VDL Umilion H Erin Ferguson Captivate Farms LLC

9 Euro Mon Amie Maggie McAlary Maggie McAlary

10 Teirra Addison Phillips Addison Phillips

11 Hot Wheels Victoria Birdsall Miranda Fischer

12 Pablo Catherine Inch Katriina Routsalo

Double Rainbow Over Calgary Near Show Grounds in Rare Rainstorm

The Mercedez-Benz Classic 1.60 Speed Derby was extremely exciting and Little Emir wowed the crowd as he galloped around. He stood on top of the leader board halfway through the class. Many of the riders in the second group had the advantage of watching this unbelievably difficult track and in the end Emir finished 7th in this $175,000 class behind Leslie Howard, the winner, Jill Henselwood, Ian Miller, Jon Anderson and Beezie Madden. Not a single rider was clear in the class which says a great deal about the toughness of these courses.

Amaretto D’Arco had a fabulous Spruce Meadows gaining top places in many classes. At Canada One D’Arco was one of 7 in the jump-off. He was the fastest of those in the jump-off but a single rail placed him 5th in the 1.45 RSA Cup. The most exciting was the Queen Elizabeth Cup in the International Ring, the most prestigious class of the last horse show at Spruce. Only the top 12 jumped off and D’Arco with only 4 faults in this most difficult course came back for the jump-off and in with only a single rail in the jump-off he was able to move up and finish in the 10th spot with a combined total of 5 faults. D’Arco was also in the top 10 in the Enerflex 1.60 Cup at The National Tournament which included ribbon winners Eric Lamaze, Ian Miller, Jill Henselwood, and Will Simpson.

Richard Moloney came to help the second week and showed SCF Culper to a 7th place finish in the Glenow Barrage 1.30 class. And Connery 9, owned by Sweet Oak Farm, was consistently in the ribbons in the 1.4 Junior/AO division. All the horses came away with a chance to do a victory gallap. Tangelo Z in the 1.30 division was 3rd in the Welcome class and 12th in the Oxford Properties class, Rolette was 8th in the $25,000 Westlet Cup, Unadonja was in the victory gallop for the 1.40 Trimac Cup and the $20,000 ATCO Gas Cup with over 40 in the class.

Spruce Meadows exceeded all of our expectations and we held our own against what was probably the most competitive group of riders we have seen all year. The learning experience for all the horses and riders is exceptional and we can’t wait to come back next year. Special thanks to Kikay, Chelsea, and Asha for taking such great care of the horses and hanging in there for those 15 hour days.

Next stop….Horse Shows on the Bay in Michigan.

Our expectations were high since we have heard so much about it. Often that is the kiss of death but it is an amazing venue and the show is run like no other in that we have been to in the U.S. Four impeccably groomed, enormous (I mean really enormous) grass arenas that groundskeepers keep in perfect condition while the classes are going on they are putting down dirt, fixing divots, making sure the footing is as perfect as possible for each rider. The jumps were big and beautiful and unusual and the course designers put everyone to the test.

For the two weeks we were there the weather could not have been more cooperative. The competition was incredibly fierce in all divisions. Eric Lamaze, Beezie Madden, Rodrigo Pessoa, Jill Henselwood, Ian Miller, Will Simpson and Mario Deslauriers had multiple mounts in all the classes. The courses were extremely tough, technical and the time allowed in every class was tight. All classes had some combination of water, bank jumps, grobs, and liver pools. The bank in the Speed Derby was so steep that even a top notch skier might have found it daunting.

Pacino - 4th Yearling Other Than Thoroughbred Colts & Geldings

Pacino's Pedigree

7th Pennsylvania-Bred 2-Year Old Fillies

More on Fantasia

Viva La Salsa SCF 4th Yearling - Other Than Thoroughbred – Fillies

Viva Voltaire x La Rumba

More on Salsa

 Shane Sweetnam on Amaretto D'Arco in La Baule, France.

Shane has started his European FEI Nation's Cup Tour and has been a top team player for Ireland.  He has held up his end of the results with Amaretto D'Arco, Rolette and Little Emir.  The coach has had great accolades for Shane during his maiden tour.  In La Baule, France, May 14-17 the first leg of the 2009 Tour, Amaretto D'Arco and Shane had a clear round in the Grand Prix and ended up just out of the money with a 4-fault jumpoff.  An amazing showing for their first international event.  In the Nation's Cup, Shane and D'Arco had only 5 faults.  Although Ireland didn't make it into the 2nd round, Shane's individual performance was excellent.  See results Grand Prix at La Baule

They moved onto the FEI Nation's Cup in Rome, Italy and helped his team to a 6th Place finish, again riding Amaretto D'Arco.  Rolette had a top 10 win in Rome as that partnership continues to come together.

Budweiser American Invitational: Not a single clear round!

Stadium Jumping Wrap-up

It was a gorgeous night in Tampa for The Budweiser American Invitational. The stadium had a large and enthusiastic crowd and the class was both exciting and unusual. After 34 rounds not a single horse was clear; so the seven riders with 4-faults jumped off. The course was big and technical; the very wide double oxers in the triple combination were the nemesis of most. If you didn’t hit the first jump just right it was nearly impossible to get over the second element without the back rail coming down.

The other very tricky spots on the course were the double liver pool combination and the last line which was a combination to a final big oxer. By that point in this long and huge course many of the horses were showing fatigue. The time allowed was set tight for the first round so time faults were common across the board.

Rolette and Shane Sweetnam came ever so close to being in the final jump-off. The pair made it through all the combinations, with Rolette showing her Olympic form and having no trouble at all with the course. Her amazing scope was a major advantage through the combinations and she had plenty of energy at the end of the course. A single rail after the triple combination and a time fault left them with 5 faults in total. In the end this put the pair in the money and in the victory gallop with an 11th place finish.

The Invitational was a great prep for Rolette’s European trip where she will be showing in France, Rome and Switzerland during May and June. Best of luck to Shane and Rolette!

Julia Lourie on Vivaldi.  Nearly unbeatable at Tournament of Champions in Tampa.

Vivaldi and Julia Lourie had a clear round in the first High Jr./AO class at The Tournament of Champions.  Their aggressive jumpoff led to a single rail down landing her in 7^th and well in the money. 

The pair was nearly unbeatable in the High Jr/AO Classic on Saturday.  It was an extremely exciting class and a difficult course with only 5 returning for the jump-off.  Julia and Vivaldi led the class with a second round time of 33.4 seconds until Alex Parrish on Kadorijke took the lead with the only other double clear round of the Class.  Julia and Vivaldi ended up second in this $7500 Classic for a very exciting end to the Tampa Circuit.

The Low Jr. class on Thursday saw only 5 clear rounds.  Taboo and Kaitlin Campbell went first in the jump-off  and had one rail.  This held the lead in the class until the final entry – Joy Slater on Shindig, who  went slower but clear having the only double clear round of the class placing Taboo in 2^nd. 

The first round of the Low Jr./AO Classic was challenging and intense on Saturday afternoon.  Only 4 made it to the final jump-off.  Taboo went first setting the pace with a double clear round and a blazing speed.  Amber Henter on Royal Discovery was last to go and had the only other double clear round winning by less than 0.5 seconds.  Taboo, with her two seconds this week, tied for Champion with Slater’s Shindig.

Congratulations to Shane and Triviant on being Circuit Champion in Tampa in the 1.45M Jumpers.

Tournament of Champions: Shane continues as a consistent force

SCF Culper continues to be a star in the  young jumpers.  This weeks class had Todd Minikus and Primero the winner, SCF Culper 2^nd and Mario Deslauriers on Quatro 3^rd.

In the 1.35 Unadonja landed in the 5th spot…7 seconds faster than winner but with an unfortunate rail in the jumpoff.  And Amaretto D’Arco  returned to the show ring after a break at the end of WEF and was double clear in 1.40M. Triviant also continued his winning ways with a 3^rd place finsh in 1.45M

Little Emir was spectacular in the $5,000 1.40M class blazing around the course in 28.7 seconds.  His time held up until the end when Maclain with Gentleman clipped the time by .5 seconds.  Only 3 double clear rounds.

Little Emir stars at Tampa Equestrian Festival

 From Stadium Jumping Press Release Tampa Equestrian Festival:

Tampa, FL -April 2, 2009 - It was a partly cloudy day for the third day of competition of the Tournament of Champions, the third week of the Tampa Equestrian Festival. Today riders had the opportunity to compete in the Covered Arena at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center, located on the Florida State Fairgrounds, in the 1.40m class. McLain Ward garnered the top prize with Gentlemen after his speedy jump-off round.

Ten riders advanced to the jump-off in today's 1.40m class, the first of which was Shane Sweetnam and Little Emir. The pair set a tough round to beat after going clear in a very fast time of 28.468, which held the lead for seven more jump-off rounds before earning the second place ribbon.  See full story  Tampa Equestrian Festival Meter 1.40

Little Emir Top Placing in $30,000 WEF Challenge Series

Fastest of the four faulters, Little Emir takes 5th in Round X of the WEF Challenge Series. Only four were clean with  Bezzie Madden on OnLight winning the class and Rodrigo Pessoa taking second on Let's Fly. For complete results click on the link below.  From Horses in the South.com

Round X of the $30,000 Braman Motorcars WEF Challenge Cup Series

Earlier in the season Little Emir took top placings in WEF Challenge Series VII and VIII and was 4th in the $25,000 Fidelity Investments 1.5 Meter Classic.

Taboo and Kaitlin Campbell

The Spy Coast team were money winners throughout the week.  SCF Culper and Tangelo Z were 1^st and 2^nd in both Young Jumper  5-6 Year Old classes with SCF Culper double clear each time out.  Shane took top prize on Taboo in the 1.30M out of 28; he was double clear and 2 seconds faster than Jimmy Torano.  Moving to the 1.35M, Shane and Una Donja took 2^nd right behind Mclain Ward on Gentleman and right ahead of Margie Engle on Hidden Creek’s Campella.

Moving up in Meters, Triviant placed 5^th in the 1.40M Class with double clear trips and 2^nd in the $5,000 1.45M class along with Rolette who took home the 7^th.

The Juniors were equally consistent.  Julia was in the money on all her mounts in multiple classes with Vivaldi, Saphir and Werly Chin De Muze  - in the High Jr./AO Classes and the Low Jr./AO Jumpers.

Taboo was clear in the Low Jr. A/O  $3500 Classic with Kaitlin.  Although very fast in the jump-off, a heartbreaker rail ultimately landed the pair in 6^th place. 

Julia and Shane Discussing the Options

Wrapping up the WEF Circuit, Julia Lourie had earning’s in the Low, Medium and High Jumper divisions.  Her new mount Werly Chin De Muze was a consistent money winner in the Medium and the High Junior Jumper division.  Saphir was 5^th out of 67 in the $6,000 1.40M with Shane Sweetnam and Julia secured top money placings at WEF 10 and 11 in the extremely competitive Medium Junior Jumper divisions.  The team of  Vivaldi and Julia had to be contended with in the High Junior Jumper division as well.  In multiple weeks Vivaldi secured money placings in the $10,000 SJHOF High Jr. Classic and top placings in the Power and Speed Class as well. Vivaldi had top 10 placings in eight of the WEF shows showing great consistency throughout the circuit.

Julia successfully competed in the equitation divisions on Markus, with several top ribbons in the Medal and Maclay.

Spy Coast’s Farm Lismacbryan Junior took away top honors in the Large Older Juniors at WEF 10 and 11 with Kaitlin Campbell.  And Sienna earned over $5,000 in prize money in the High Jr. Jumpers and a win in the 1.45 Class at WEF 3.

Taboo (owned jointly by Krestwood and Spy Coast Farm) quickly moved from the Low Junior Jumper division to the Medium Jumpers, securing a 3^rd place win in the $10,000 Medium Junior Jumper Classic during WEF 7; she consistently placed in this division each week.

WEF Roundup - Shane Sweetnam on Rolette

The Spy Coast riders finish up the Wellington Show Circuit with top ribbons it the hunter and jumper divisions. 

Shane had two very successful young jumpers who were in the top 3 places nearly every weekend they showed in the 6-Year-Old Young Jumpers –Tangelo Z and SCF Culper.   Tangelo Z was the winner at WEF 10 and SCF Culper was a winner at WEF 2.

Among many placings, Amaretto D'Arco was a key player in the Nation’s Cup 2^nd place finish. Highlights include a 7^th place finish week 5 in the $25,000 Fidelity Investments 1.50 Meter Classic and a 10^th place finish in the $8,000 1.45M class.  This was all topped by the 7^th place finish in the $400,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5*.  Amaretto D’Arco’s winter circuit earnings exceeded $45,000.

Rolette, the newest addition to Spy Coast Farm, had top place finishes in the 1.5M Division including a 2^nd, 6^th and  8^th place finish in the $25,000 Fidelity Investments Classics.  This was great prep for the Budweiser Invitational in Tampa (see Spy Coast News April 7^th.)

Richard Moloney and Shane had a very successful circuit on Triviant, owned by the Curtis Lourie Group, earning over $15,000.  Highlights include an 8^th place finiash in the 1.45M week 2, 10^th in the $30,000 WEF Challenge Series Round III and 4^th in the $8,000 1.45M week 6,  and 11^th in the 1.5M classic week 8.  In addition, Richie rode Triviant in the Nation’s Cup helping the Irish Team to its 2^nd place win.

Success was not limited to the jumpers.  Spy on the Devil took tri-colors three times in the Thoroughbred Hunter Division.

IN THE NEWS:

Irish News

Local Palm Beach Coverage

Sun Sentinel Coverage of WEF

Louries  Join Wellington Equestrian Partners

Amaretto D'Arco and Shane Sweetnam. Other team members for the Nation's Cup included Richie Moloney with Triviant, Darragh Kerins on Night Train, and Kevin Babington on Souvenir.

Top Three Teams in The Nation's Cup

February 28, 2009: With the help of Shane Sweetnam on Spy Coast Farm's Amaretto D'Arco, Ireland took second at Nations' Cup in Wellington, Florida.  Ireland tied with Britain finishing with just one fault separating them from the Canadian winners.

Shane and Amaretto D'Arco, with a great performance, produced a clear round first time out and collected only four faults in the Cup's second round.

Ireland's Irish Team Manager Robert Splaine said afterwards: 'We did not go into this competition as favorites, and indeed I was here mainly to assess the performance of our US-based riders for later in the year, but the team produced a truly excellent result against some top opposition. At the end we tied with the British team and even the US team trailed us by four penalty points."

 Julia Lourie on Werly Chin de Muze

Julia has been having a great season. Vivaldi was double clear in the SJHOF High Junior Jumper Classic and ended up fourth in the class Week 3. And to top it off Julia and Markus placed 2nd in the Medal class the same day. Werly Chin de Muze, Julia's new jumper was double clear and placed 5th in the Low Junior Jumpers during week 2. Tanavelle, another new mount, was clear in Low Junior Jumpers speed class and placed 10th in Week 2.

The jumpers are on fire with Shane Sweetham.

- Victor III won the 1.40m speed challenge during week 2.

- Una Donja won the 1.45m jumpers, week 2 (picture above).

- Tangelo Z won the 6 Year Old jumpers jump-off class week 2.

- SCF Culper won the 6 Year Old speed class, week 2.

- Sienna won the 1.40m speed class week 3.

- Tangelo Z placed 2nd in the 6 Year Old Championship Qualifier class, week 3.

- Rolette placed 2nd in the 1.50m Classic, week 3.

- Little Emir placed 4th in the 1.50m Classic, week 3.

- SCF Culper placed 2nd in the 6 Year Old speed class, week 4

Sienna & Kaitlin Campbell placed 2nd in the High Jr. Jumper Power & Speed, week 2 (picture above) and Think Twice & Richard Maloney placed 6th in the 1.50m Classic, week 3.

WELLINGTON, Fla., Jan. 14--Robert and Lisa Lourie, the owners of Spy Coast Farm, have joined Wellington Equestrian Partners, LLC (WEP).

WEP is the holding company that owns the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) as well as Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC (ESP) that in turn owns and operates the Wellington horse shows including the world famous Winter Equestrian Festival. The Partnership owns over 500 acres of Wellington real estate that surrounds PBIEC.

The Louries have extensive equestrian interests under the umbrella of Spy Coast Farm, with farms in Wellington, Long Island and a breeding facility in Lexington, Ky.

The Louries became involved in show jumping through their daughter, Julia, who began riding at age 8. Julia is now 16 and competes in the Junior Jumpers and Equitation. Her mother, Lisa, began riding at the same time as Julia, but has focused her interest on horse breeding. Lisa, a former ICU/CCU nurse, enjoys the challenge of breeding older, proven performance mares. The first progeny, Spy on the Devil, was Champion in Thoroughbred hunters the first week of FTI WEF. Robert, a former professor of nuclear physics, has worked in quantitative finance for the last 14 years.

The Lourie family has been participating in WEF for five years.

They met Ali and Shane Sweetnam, owners of Sweet Oak Farm, during the 2006 season. They have been training with them and sponsoring Shane since that time.

Spy Coast Farm has acquired world class breeding stallions, some of which are shown by Shane.
As their involvement in the sport has grown so, too, has their commitment to the community that WEF serves.
"We are very excited about the Louries' involvement in the WEP Partnership," said Mark Bellissimo, the WEP Managing Partner and Chief Executive of Equestrian Sport Productions,
"The Louries are very committed to equestrian sport, Wellington, and to our vision to make Wellington and the PBIEC the premier equestrian destination in the world. Our ongoing goal is to broaden the partnership by bringing in new circles of equestrians that will contribute new ideas and feedback to our efforts.
"We look forward to working with the Louries. All of our partners have a family member involved in the sport which ensures a long term orientation."
"We are pleased and honored to be partners in this exciting endeavor and all it means for the future of show jumping in America," the Louries said in a statement.

The Lourie family has also become members of WEP's Operating Committee which comprises the largest shareholders and guides the entity.

The WEP Operating Committee includes Mark and Katherine Bellissimo, Dennis and Marsha Dammerman, Roger and Jennifer Smith, Craig and Frances Lindner, Bruce Duchossois, Susan and Stuart Goldstein and, now, Robert and Lisa Lourie.

Photo: Lisa and Robert Lourie at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Photo: Ken Braddick-HorseSport USA

Amaretto D'Arco takes 2nd in $100,000 Green Cove Springs CSI3*-W Qualifier in Jacksonville, Florida to Rodrigo Pessoa and Let's Fly.   See Full Story -  The Green Cove Springs CSI-W World Cup Qualifier

Final Results:

1st Rodrigo Pessoa and Let’s Fly,
2nd Shane Sweetnam aboard Amaretto D’Arco,
3rd Kent Farrington with Up Chiqui,
4th Michelle Spadone and Melisimo
5th Carolyn Kelly riding Rulanda

 Shane Sweetnam on Triviant in the International Ring at WEF

Week 1 at Wellington, Florida proved to be very successful for Spy Coast Farm.  Shane Sweetnam was Champion on Spy on the Devil in the Thoroughbred Hunter Division.  In the jumpers,  Triviant was in the top ten in the 1.40 Meter Division, Rolette in her debut was 7th and 8th in the World Cup Qualifers. 

In her debut in the High Junior Jumpers, Sienna, ridden by Kaitlin Campbell was Reserve Champion with a 2nd place showing in the Speed Class and 3rd in the $10,000 Jumper Classic.

Julia Lourie had a great showing on Vivaldi, placing 4th in the High Junior Jumper Classic and was also in the top ribbons in the Maclay class.