Gladstone, NJ.  It was déjà vu as the husband and wife team of Tom and Mandy McCutcheon repeated their 2002 Festival of Champions’ accomplishments and left their mark on the 2003 Bayer USET Festival of Champions Presented by State Line Tack.  Tom McCutcheon, riding Terry Owens’ Smartest Chic Olena, earned the Gold Medal in the Open Championship while his wife, Mandy, earned Gold in the Futures class riding ARC Sparkle Surprise, owned by Susan Hawley. 

In the prestigious Open Championship, Smartest Chic Olena carried Tom McCutcheon through mud and rain to a composite score of 442.5.  This was a repeat performance for McCutcheon who won Open Championship Gold in 2002 on George Shifrin’s Conquistador Whiz.  Smartest Chic Olena, a seven-year-old stallion and the 2002 Saddlesmith Champion, didn’t let a little mud stand in the way of another well-deserved title.  The Silver Medallists, Dell Hendricks and Sally Broten’s Starlights Wrangler, made up ground in the second go round with a score of 224.5, but fell short of the championship title by a mere half-point.  Todd Sommers placed Lucy Van Swearingen’s Remin Whiz third with Todd Crawford placing fourth on Commandalena owned by Christina Bergquist-Knox.

Mandy McCutcheon guided ARC Sparkle Surprise to the Gold in the Futures class. There’s a lot to be said for consistency.  At the 2002 Festival of Champions, Mandy won the Futures on Haidachino Cherry and was the Bronze Medal earner on Tim and Colleen McQuay’s Dont Miss This.  Mandy and Dont Miss This repeated their Bronze Medal win at this year’s competition.  Sally Broten and Rio Dun Good earned the Silver Medal; coupled with Starlight Wrangler’s Open Silver that makes two 2003 Silver Medals to add to the Broten trophy case.  Debbie Arballo placed Greatdiamondssparkle, owned by Sandra Gordon Wylie, fourth.