WELLINGTON, Feb. 3 - While sports fans across America were focused on football, Canada's Eric Lamaze was winning the super bowl of show jumping on Sunday at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla. The $50,000 Smart for Life Grand Prix CSI2* closed out week three of the 12-week CN Winter Equestrian Festival, presented by Zimmerman Advertising.

Attracting 63 entries, course designer Luc Musette of Belgium set a technical track for the $50,000 Smart for Life Grand Prix which saw a dozen competitors advance to the jump-off. As the second jump-off challenger, Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, N.Y., took the early lead with Onlight, stopping the clock at 41.66 seconds.

Five horses later, Eric Lamaze entered the ring riding the Belgian-bred mare, Narcotique de Muze II owned by Ashland Stables. One week earlier, the pair had posted the fastest time in the $40,000 KRR Enterprises CSI2* Grand Prix jump-off, but incurred a rail in the process. They made no such mistake this week, leaving all the rails safely in their cups and crossing the timers in 40.42 seconds.

The final jump-off competitor was the only one to give Lamaze a run for his money, specifically the $15,000 first-place pay check. 19-year-old show jumping sensation Brianne Goutal of New York City, N.Y., had the crowd behind her as she raced to the final fence riding Onira, but the clock told the final story - 41.03 seconds would leave her the runner-up.

"I had a good feeling that the time would stand up, but this is a very competitive circuit," noted Lamaze, 39, the leading money earner at last year's CN Winter Equestrian Festival. "I try to leave nothing on the table, I don't want to leave the ring and wish I had done something different."

Lamaze has been partnered with Narcotique de Muze II for the past three years and noted, "She's 11 and she's done a lot of international shows. It's a horse that I am comfortable going fast with, and I know her extremely well. She's mature, dependable - there's nothing that bothers her."

Goutal, a student at Brown University, was content with her second-place finish aboard Onira, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Nimmerdor that she has been riding for the past five years.

"I missed seeing Eric's jump-off round because I was schooling, but I knew Eric would be fast and hard to beat," she said. Goutal was quick to give credit to her sponsors Devoucoux, Ramard and Seashore Acres, her coach Max Amaya and, of course, her family including younger sister Clementine Goutal who, earlier in the day, had won the $10,000 Junior Jumper Classic riding Kelline Fonroy in the International Arena.

Results of Class 101 - $50,000 Smart for Life Grand Prix CSI2*

1.NARCOTIQUE DE MUZE II ERIC LAMAZE CAN 0.00 77.94 0.00 40.42
2.ONIRA BRIANNE GOUTAL USA 0.00 78.82 0.00 41.03
3.ONLIGHT BEEZIE MADDEN USA 0.00 78.80 0.00 41.66
4.ARDECHE VAN DE ZELM LISA SILVERMAN USA 0.00 79.62 0.00 41.87
5.CALIBUR KELLEY ROBINSON CAN 0.00 78.20 0.00 43.68
6.NOTTINGHAM SCHUYLER RILEY USA 0.00 79.17 0.00 45.12
7.SOUTHERN PRIDE KAREN CUDMORE CAN 0.00 78.87 0.00 46.60
8.ARMANI JEFFERY WELLES USA 0.00 76.17 4.00 41.65
9.CLAUS ANGELA MOORE USA 0.00 77.20 4.00 44.03
10.WHY NOT MARIE HECART FRA 0.00 76.86 4.00 44.70
11.CADANIO Z ANDREW WELLES USA 0.00 79.68 4.00 46.32
12.VANCOUVER D'AUVREY DANIELLE TORANO USA 0.00 79.12 8.00 40.98


PHOTO: "Canada's Eric Lamaze and Narcotique de Muze II won the $50,000 Smart for Life Grand Prix CSI2* on Sunday to close out week three of the CN Winter Equestrian Festival