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By ANNE LINDBERG
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2001
TAMPA -- Riding a Dutch-bred mare, Molly Ashe prevailed Sunday over 73 other horse and rider combinations to win the $75,000 Grand Prix of Tampa.
Ashe, 30, from Wellington, had one of 11 clear rounds to make the jump-off during Sunday's event at the Tampa Fairgounds. Then she had the fastest round -- 34.21 seconds -- with no mistakes to ride 9-year-old Kroon Gravin to final victory.
The win was worth $22,500.
Ashe last year became the first American and the first woman to win the Grand Prix of Berlin. In 1999 she won the Grand Prix of Lake Placid, N.Y.
Vanessa Haas, 18, a Yale freshman and U.S. equestrian team rookie, was second, speeding around the seven-fence jump-off course in 35.72 seconds on Rainbow, a 13-year-old German-bred gelding. Her portion of the purse was $16,500.
Close behind was show jumping veteran Donald Cheska, 41, who negotiated the course in 35.93 seconds with no jumping penalties. He rode Casanova, a 12-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Bayside Farm in Cedarburg, Wis. He won $4,750.
Ashe called her win "super" and said she breathed a "big sigh of relief" when the jump-off was over and she had won.
The most difficult part of the ride was curbing Kroon Gravin's tendency to become overenthusiastic, she said. If that can be controlled, the mare is almost guaranteed a clean round because she does not like to touch the fences.
Ashe has campaigned Kroon Gravin lightly this year, giving her time off after touring in Europe last year.
Cheska has campaigned Casanova lightly, also, and had a fresher horse than many other competitors. Cheska credited his campaign decision with helping him place third.
Cheska praised course designer Leopoldo Palacios-Jugo of Venezuela. He said the course was not set at the maximum height for every fence. Instead, it had wide jumps and verticles that tested rider and horse.
"The guy is by far the best builder, in my book," Cheska said. "He doesn't kill the horses. He builds for the horses and the rider."
The finishes of Ashe, Haas and Cheska guaranteed them a place in Saturday's $200,000 American Invitational show jumping event at 7 p.m. in Raymond James Stadium.
Other competitors will include a number of previous Invitational winners: last year's champion, Schuyler Riley of Wellington; 1999 winner Margie Goldstein-Engle of Wellington; 1997 winner Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee; and 1995 winner Chris Kappler of Pittstown, N.J.
Among other high-ranked riders expected to compete are the 1999 rider of the year, McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y.; the 1998 rider of the year, Beezie Patton of Cazenovia, N.Y.; and last year's AGA national championship winner, Alison Firestone of Upperville, Va.