ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606240170
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
Manuel Torres came to the Roanoke Valley Horse Show to prepare himself and his hooved associate Cartajena for the Olympic Games. Admittedly a long shot for a gold medal, Torres can buckle down to the rest of his training with good cheer now that he has some gold in his pocket.
The 37-year-old Colombian show jumper came out of a 12-horse jump-off with a smoking final tour through a tight Ken Krome designed layout to win the $50,000 12th running of the Roanoke Grand Prix on Saturday.
Torres was the eighth rider on the course during the jump-off and roared through a faultless tour in 32.453 seconds on his mare.
With a nearly-full Salem Civic Center gallery roaring as he cleared the final jump, Torres looked at the clock at the far end of the arena and pumped his right fist, then raised it aloft to acknowledge the cheers.
Torres and Cartajena then had to agonize through the turns of four more riders including defending champion Aaron Vale on Mafito.
Vale gave it a fearless go, hot-hoofing it through the turns, but the next to the last jump, which followed a hairpin switchback, got him.
``No luck,'' he said. ``Just couldn't get over the jump. After going over the fourth fence, I had to go slow, so I couldn't take a chance there. The only place left was at the tight turn. I didn't come close to clearing it.''
It was a difficult turn by any standard, but still there were three clean runs besides Torres: Mark Leone on Loro Piana Casino, Debi Connor on Second Honeymoon, and Flirtatious with Elizabeth Solter aboard.
Solter came closest to catching Torres once he'd gone through. She pushed it to 33.736 seconds.
"I usually like to see what I have to beat, but I was out schooling when he rode,'' she said. ""I thought I was fast enough.''
Solter claimed second place and Leone rode to third. The rest of those who placed, in order, included Connor in fourth, Vale and Mafito in fifth, Vale and Big Joe in sixth, Lynne Little and Mangrove Mattie, Big Len and Michelle Ann Harding; Showman and Robin Sweely in ninth; and Landsohn with Sweely in the saddle again for 10th.
First-place prize money was $15,000.
Some of the obstacles that Torres had to overcome were unseen by the civic center audience. The most imposing barriers were his own fears. In April in a competition in Tampa, Fla., Torres took a hideous spill and was knocked cold. The inventory of damages included one broken nose and one bruised sense of self-confidence.
``I needed some confidence and so did my horse,'' said Torres, who has ridden in two Olympic Games.
Within a week, the coach of the Colombians, Pierre Jolicoeur, had the team at a big Grand Prix in Monterey, Mexico. Torres won it.
"My confidence was restored,'' he said.
This has been a huge week here for Torres. Wednesday, he and Cartajena won the $5,000 Welcome Stake.
"That let me know that it was possible to win here,'' he said. "There were more horses tonight 1/8a show record 353/8, but most of them were here Wednesday, too. We had a speed jumpoff then and I was 2 seconds faster than anybody else. That showed me she could do it.''
A number of saddlebred stakes and championship classes were also contested Saturday. The richest of these was the $3,000 Five Gaited Grand Championship won by Claude Shiflet of Churchville atop Shamrock's Free Spirit.
In the $2,000 Three Gaited Grand Championship, Champion Cherry Red RKR took the blue ribbon with Cappy Wheeler in the saddle. On the announcement of the result, Wheeler flung his fedora into the audience.
Karen Waldron of Shawsville had a pair of first place horses, the first being in the Amateur Three-Gaited Stake with Vittadini and the second being Night Editor in the harness pony championship.
The Juvenile Three-Gaited Pleasure champion was Champion Texas Fiest with Courtnay Byrd riding. In Saddle Seat Equitation, I'm Fit to Be Tied took the prize with assistance from rider Dana Vetter.
The Fine Harness Grand Champion was Champion the Crimson Flame with Dr. Don Gibson holding the reins. The Five-Gaited Show Pleasure champion was Shamrock's Entertainer with Linda Fisher aboard.
The Roadster Horse grand champion was English Jack with Caroline Morrison wielding the buggy whip. Kathy Snyder rode Starmaker Southern Star to the title in the Amateur Three-Gaited Stake.
Marilyn Macfarlane and Twin Willow Broadway Joe won the Road Pony Open championship. Sparkling Radiance ridden by Ann S. Jones won the Adult Three-Gaited Pleasure class.
Grand Prix of Roanoke
1, Cartajena, Colombian Equestrian Team, Manuel Torres; 2, Flirtatious, Emily Epstein, Elizabeth Solter; 3, Lord Piana Casino, Ri-Arm Farm, Inc., Mark Leone; 4, Second Honeymoon, Second Honeymoon, Inc., Debi Connor; 5, Mafito, Millstream, Aaron Vale; 6, Big Joe, Millstream, Aaron Vale; 7, Mangrove Mattie, Raylyn Farms, Inc., Lynne C. Little; 8, Big Len, Michelle Ann Harding, Michelle Ann Harding; 9, Showman, Acorn Hill Farm, Robin Sweely; 10, Landsohn, Acorn Hill Farm, Robin Sweely.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY. 1. (headshot) Torres. color. 2. Grand Prixby CNBwinner Manuel Torres ride Cartajena during competition Saturday
night at the Salem Civic Center. Torres and Cartejena won the
$15,000 first prize in 32.453 seconds.