Charlotte, NC – Laura Kraut of Wellington, FL, and Anthem stayed clear through three rounds to win the $500,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte, CSI 5* for the Charlotte Bobcats Cup. Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus finished second, while Chris Kappler of New Jersey was third on VDL Oranta. Ben Maher of Great Britain with Rolette rounded out the group that competed in the jump-off and finished in fourth place.

It took 15 trips in the first round before the crowd at the Tim Warner Cable Arena saw a clear performance over the course set by Steve Stephems of Palmetto, FL. Earlier, Eric Lamaze and Hickstead were clear, but they accrued one time fault. Pessoa and Rufus, owned by Double H Farm, were the first completely clear round. Nine other riders would join Pessoa to come back for the second round. In the first round, there were nine riders with just four faults.

Afterward, Kraut pointed out, “I’m just lucky because he’s fast. He has so much experience that he’s helpful in the jump-off.”

This was a new experience for Rufus, who has only been showing at the grand prix level for a year. It was old hat for Pessoa, who was the 2004 Olympic individual gold medalist. “It’s always difficult to go first. You try to put (in) a good time,” he said. “Laura was really good today, and her horse jumped amazing. She deserved to win. I’m really happy with the performance of my horse. I’m really pleased with how he jumped today with three rounds, and our team is really happy with second place today.”

About her win, Kraut remarked, “I’m a bit in shock right now. I was just happy to make the top ten. I figured I’d come away with a little bit of money and a nice weekend here. I’m quite surprised and happy.”

Kraut was elated to have done well in tonight’s $500,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte and noted that this event sets an incredible precedent in the sport of show jumping. “It’s tremendous for us anywhere in the world to have this kind of prize money,” Kraut said. “This very weekend, they were jumping in Doha, Qatar for 300,000 euros. It’s really showing how the sport is growing when there are two events like this in one weekend. Hopefully, that trend will continue. I think what Bob Johnson is doing and what others around the world are doing is really hopefully going to put the sport on the worldwide map.”

Final Results: $500,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte, CSI 5*

1. Anthem, Laura Kraut: 0/0/0/34.83

2. Rufus, Rodrigo Pessoa: 0/0/0/36.74

3. VDL Oranta, Chris Kappler: 0/0/0/36.84

4. Rolette, Ben Maher: 0/0/4/35.48

5. RMW Estina, Eduardo Salas Herrera: 0/4, Total 4 faults in 2 rounds

5. In Style, Ian Millar: 0/4, Total 4 in 2 rounds

5. Cristallo, Richard Spooner: 0/4, Total 4 in 2 rounds

5. Authentic, Beezie Madden: 0/4, Total 4 in 2 rounds

5. Vegas, Christine McCrea: 0/4, Total 4 in 2 rounds

10. Curius, Georgina Bloomberg: 0/5, Total 5 in 2 rounds

11. Hickstead, Eric Lamaze: Total 1 in 1 round

12. Up Chiqui, Kent Farrington: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Sapphire, McLain Ward: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Ublesco Cara Raether: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Onira, Brianne Goutal: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Sassicaia 11, Katie Prudent: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Crelido Michael Morrissey: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Carlsson Vom Dach, Will Simpson: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Rayana Chiara, Jonathan Asselin: Total 4 in 1 round

12. Hidden Creek’s Quervo Gold, Margie Engle: Total 4 in 1 round

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