The "come-from-behind kid," Will Faudree, dominated the upper level Intermediate divisions at the Five Points Horse Trials held at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford Sept.12 -14.

Last year Faudree pulled a come-from-behind victory in the advanced division, and he repeated his performance again this year with two horses in the Open Intermediate divisions.

"I'm glad they had two Intermediate divisions so I could win both," said Faudree. "The two horses I rode are very different. One is like riding a Kawasaki dirt bike and the other is as slow as a cruise ship."

Faudree won the A Open Intermediate division aboard his 9-year-old Polish Thoroughbred Pawlow scoring a 40.00 overall. Pawlow was third after the Dressage phase, which is the first phase of a horse trials, followed by cross country and then stadium jumping.

Pawlow moved up to second place after the cross country phase despite incurring six time penalties on course. "No one made the time in division A," said Faudree.

Pawlow put in double-clear rounds in show jumping to clinch first place.

"In the past he (Pawlow) has been difficult in show jumping. He turned over a new leaf last month," said Faudree. "All signs are telling me he has the potential to go Advanced but you never know until you get there."

Faudree has his sights set on doing a four-star with Pawlow in 2010. Faudree is no stranger to upper-level competition. He was a reserve with Antiqua at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Faudree was also part of the gold medal team for the 2003 Pan Am games and was part of the United States Team that finished fourth at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.

Faudree was sitting eighth after the Dressage phase of the Open Intermediate B division with McGlade his second horse, a 15.3 hand, seven-year-old New Zealand bred animal owned by Randy and Ginny Bailey of Midland, Texas.

Proving it "ain't over until it's over," Faudree moved up to second place after cross country and into first place with a score of 42.2 after the stadium jumping on Sunday.

"He (McGlade) is a blast to ride cross country and he is amazing in show jumping," said Faudree. "A year ago, he was lacking in Dressage experience but he has gotten steadily better."

Holly Hepp of Southern Pines placed second in the Open Intermediate B division scoring a 45.70 riding Last Monarch.

In the Advanced division, Ashley Adams and Vaunted were the highest-placed local riders. Adams was first after the cross country phase with her 10-year-old off-the-track Thoroughbred. Unfortunately, Vaunted pulled four rails in stadium for a total of 16 faults which dropped them to fifth place overall, scoring a 57.70. Adams rode Sherman in the Open Training B division and placed sixth, scoring a 46.30.

Andrew McConnon and Flyer IV, owned by Alex Martone, continued their winning streak by capturing first place in the Training Rider division. McConnon and Flyer IV rested on their Dressage score of 32.0 putting in a clear cross country round and a clear stadium round.

Shellie Sommerson was third, scoring a 43.50 with Steel Smile. Kathleen Gurley was hot on the heels of Sommerson, placing fourth with a 43.80 riding Rebel's Last Yell.

Fifteen-year-old Hayley Smith of Sanford had one of the best scores of the Horse Trials, riding her 12-year-old Irish Thorough-bred Bally Rhyme who used to be owned by Deborah Wilson of Southern Pines.

Smith, who rides with Charles Plumb of Southern Pines, incurred one time fault in stadium giving her an overall score of 26.50 to win the Junior Training Rider division.

"Hayley has been riding with me a little over a year," said Plumb. "My Dad (Mike) did most of the training with her, and I just continued her education. She is a very talented rider who works very hard."

Bally Rhyme has won three Training level divisions since being paired with Smith. "I'm very pleased," said Smith, who is a sophomore at Southern Lee High School. "She fired on all guns and was game for anything I pointed her at. I made the cross country time easily."

Mark Weissbecker of Southern Pines came in second in the Open Preliminary Championship riding Kingsley, a 7-year-old American Thoroughbred. Kingsley was in second place after scoring a 35.40 in Dressage. He went clean in cross country and clean in stadium to rest on the Dressage score. Weissbecker also placed fifth riding Dare Devil, scoring a 43.80. In the Open Preliminary B division, Weissbecker rode Fifty Caliber to fifth place, scoring 49.30.

Jane Murray's lucky number was two at the Horse Trials. Murray placed second riding her 8-year old Dutch bred Tokay in the Open Preliminary A division with a score of 39.0.

She also placed second in the Open Training division riding Little Swift whom she found in England six months ago. Little Swift scored a 33.50 resting on his Dressage score.

"It was a great weekend," said Murray. "My daughter Helen rode in the Intermediate division and Bobby Costello rode my husband's horse to a fifth place finish in my division."

Costello also placed third in the Open Preliminary B division riding Dustin. They were resting 12th after the Dressage phase, moved up to second after the cross country, and then had a rail down in stadium, which dropped them into third place over-all, finishing with a score of 42.50. Costello also placed fourth with Griffin in the Open Training A division with a score of 38.0.

Charles Plumb was one point better than Costello, taking over the ride on Pagan's Rebel for Erin Wilson. Plumb placed third at the horse's first time at Training level ending up with a score of 37.0.

"He (Pagan's Rebel) is a nice little horse that I've been helping Erin with," said Plumb.

"He was a little green (inexperienced) for the first five jumps cross country but then he got the idea. I was happy with him."

Plumb placed fourth with his 6-year-old ex-race horse Checkered Flag in the Open Novice B division, resting on their Dressage score of 34.70. Plumb also rode Westerly in the Advanced, division finishing seventh.

Other riders who finished in the ribbons were: Doreen Schilicht who rode Classico to a second place in the Novice Rider division scoring 30.0. Gina Fiore rode Orion to a first place finish, scoring a 27.0. Manny Diemer was second with The Big Easy in the Beginner Novice Division, scoring 35.50. And Mary Martone came in sixth in the Open Training Championship.

The Horse Trials went off without a hitch except for one accident. There was a hold-up on course during the cross country phase of the Open Preliminary B division when Stephen Blue of the Raleigh-Durham area was injured in a rotational fall (where the horse hits a fence with its front legs or chest and its body somersaults over the fence with the fence acting as a pivot point.) The horse Blue was riding was not injured. Blue was transported by ambulance to First Health of the Carolinas in Pinehurst.

"He (Blue) was stable, conscious and coherent when the medics put him in the ambulance," said Andrew Ellis, Director of Operations for the Carolina Horse Park.

"The medical response was quick. We had two full paramedic units respond -- one ambulance was on-site. The second ambulance to transport him to the hospital arrived within eight minutes."

No update was available on Blue's condition at press time.

For full results go to the Carolina Horse Park Web site, www.carolinahorsepark.com.