123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival Wrap-Up Release, November 29-December 3, 2006

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123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival Wrap-Up Release, November 29-December 3, 2006

Wellington, FL – December 3, 2006 – The 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival held hunter, jumper, and dressage competition this year from November 29-December 3 at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL.

The 2006 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship was a on a day to remember and host to some of the top show jumpers in the world. The title of “National Champion” went to McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, who rode Sapphire to second place in both phases of the event. The winners of today’s final phase were Hidden Creek’s Wapino and Margie Engle.

To determine the national champion, points were awarded to each horse and rider combination according to the following system: The point scale for both Phases were determined by the number of entries competing in Phase I. The winner earned two more points than the second placed combination, and the second placed combination earned one more point than the third. Each placing was subsequently given a score based on this formula and the order in which they finish the competition. The Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Champion was the horse/rider combination who has received the most points combined from Phase One and the Final Phase.

In addition, another generous Rider’s Bonus Pool of $25,000 was awarded to the top two horse and rider combinations that received the most points in both phases. The champion won a trophy and $15,000, and the reserve champion won $10,000. By finishing second in both phases, McLain Ward took home the champion, and Todd Minikus on Olinda, who placed third in the first phase and fifth in today’s phase, was the reserve champion.

Ward was one of only four clear rounds to return for the jump-off. First in the jump-off was Carlos Boy, ridden by Ken Berkley for Alexa Weisman. Berkley went 12th in the original order that ran in reverse order from the first phase. Berkley had a good round, but when he galloped to final Rolex oxer, he had a rail. Berkley finished with four faults and a time of 32.80 seconds.

Laura Kraut and Miss Independent were next in the ring. They too went at a good pace and left the ring as the current leader with a clear round in a time of 32.21 seconds.

Engle and Hidden Creek’s Wapino were next. Engle hit the gas pedal from the start and made two incredible rollback turns. “I really took a shot to the second vertical,” Engle admitted. They took almost two and a half seconds off of Kraut’s time, stopping the timers in 29.85 seconds.

The last to challenge was Ward. He and Sapphire went for it, and the powerful mare was able to stay clear in a time that was just off the pace, 29.98 seconds. “I had a pretty good feeling that Margie was going pretty full bore. Sapphire’s not the fastest horse in the world, so I was a little concerned,” Ward estimated. “I was trying to win, and I trying to go as fast as I could. I knew that I had the overall championship, so I had nothing to lose to try and win the class. Margie was just a little better on the day.”

Engle could not have been happier to have Wapino win and have his owner, Mike Pulaski, and her parents there to see it. Wapino showed today that he does have the speed to win in the jump-offs. “This is the first week that I did Wapino in the speeds, and he handled it really well. He’s always better the more he goes in the ring. He seems to get comfortable and jump better,” she explained. “I figured there were only four in the jump-off, and I had nothing to lose, so I took a shot with him. Normally, he’s better in the jump-off than he is in the first round. He’s learning to get quicker. He covers a lot of ground; he’s got a big step. He rides beautifully. He’s very tall, but he turns fantastic. He can turn back to things very quickly.”

Despite the difficult combination, Sapphire was clear and added yet another accolade to her long list of achievements. She and Ward have made a winning pair that could not have happened without teamwork. Along with the prize money, Ward won a stainless steel and 18 karat gold Rolex oyster perpetual datejust watch.

“I’ve always said that I think Sapphire is that kind of horse. It’s very important [to win the national championship] and certainly winning a Rolex is nice,” Ward remarked. “I wanted to say [that] when we bought Sapphire earlier in the year, Thomas Grossman- a dear friend of mine- was instrumental in helping me do it. He and I are going to share this Rolex. He certainly made it possible for her to stay at home. He earned it as much as I did. It was a team effort. I wanted to say a special thanks to him; it’s a nice way to end the year, and he was there when I needed him.”

For her success this week, Engle was named the Leading International Jumper Rider and retired the trophy that was donated by the David Wright Family. Hidden Creek’s Wapino was named the Leading International Horse. This was the second trophy that Engle retired this week. “It’s like they were trying to hint for me to retire!” she joked. “I love doing it, and I’ll do it as long as I’m comfortable and in one piece. They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I’ve got to keep that attitude.”

The National Show Jumping Championship is made possible this year by one of the most generous sponsors in equestrian sport. Rolex has partnered with the USEF (formerly the AHSA) to help make equestrians’ dreams come true since 1997. They were the title sponsor of last year’s event as well.

Colette Bennett, the National Sports Marketing Manager for Rolex Watch USA, stated, “It definitely lived up to what we expected. We’ve been sponsoring the event for about eight years with the USEF. I think this is the perfect venue for it. It has a home. The National Horse Show is a great all-around location and event, so we’re very happy to have the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championships here.”

Jumper Results- Wednesday through Sunday

They say that history repeats itself, and Eric Flameng has proven that statement. The Belgian rider and the 11 year old Selle Francais/German bred mare Mazelle, owned by Floriac LLC, won the Palm Beach Post National Welcome Stake, CSI for the second time in the National Horse Show and Family Festival history. Their first win in the class came in 2004, and Flameng was thrilled to ride for the blue ribbon again.

Margie Engle picked up yet another accolade on Thursday when she and Hidden Creek’s Wapino won the $15,000 National Horse Show Speed Classic, CSI at the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival (NHS) in Wellington. This was Engle’s third win in the class, which retired the Las Marismas Challenge Trophy.

Engle’s first win was in 2001 on Hidden Creek’s Perin, and the second victory came in 2004 with Hidden Creek’s Charlie Brown. The trophy, donated by Mr. and Mrs. David E.P. Lindh, has to be won three times by the same rider for permanent possession.

The $80,000 Young Jumper Championships® International (YJC) started their divisions on Thursday with a Time First Round class. The course designer for the deNemethy Ring is Philip J. DeVita. The YJC is split into three divisions: Five Year Old, Six Year Old, and Seven & Eight Year Old.

The Five Year Old Class had prize money worth $1,500, and the division total will be $20,000. Today’s class for each division, combined with tomorrow’s class, count cumulatively towards qualification in Sunday’s final and to determine the final’s order of go. The winner of the Five Year Old class was Uno 002, ridden by Laura Kraut and owned by Mary Moricoli.

The winner of the $2,500 Six Year Old Class was Mill Creek Sandhya, ridden by Sergio Campos for Mill Creek Stables. It was a new ride for Campos, but the talented mare has had experience in the YJC classes in Canada with rider Tonya Henning. The horse was sent to Campos two weeks ago, and this is their second show together

The victory in the $2,500 Seven & Eight Year Old Class went to Varnese, ridden by Charlie Jayne for Alex R. Jayne. Varnese was one of four horses that the Jayne family imported last year from Europe. Jayne and his sister Maggie have both ridden the gelding, but Varnese spent most of this year with Maggie Jayne in Illinois. They competed in the 1.30m classes and in the YJC classes. Since Maggie could not attend the National Horse Show, Charlie took over the showing responsibilities.

Riding out of the first spot in the order and in the jump-off, Belgium’s Eric Flameng picked up his second win at the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club. His second time in the winner’s circle came with the gigantic mare Roxanne, owned by Floriac, LLC, in the first phase of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship, CSI-W. The class was the first phase of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship and was a qualifier for the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Finals in Las Vegas, NV, in April.

Flameng termed his second win here as “excellent!” and noted that it was his biggest win and the second grand prix win for Roxanne. He did not think his time would hold up, as Roxanne is a large mare and not the fastest across the ground. “Sometimes you have to go first, but nobody likes that,” he said with a grin.

Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, picked up her second win of the week at the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival (NHS). Riding Hidden Creek’s Calippo 12, Engle blazed around the $10,000 NHS Open Speed Stake, CSI for the win over McLain Ward and Darragh Kerins. Engle won earlier this week in another speed class on Hidden Creek’s Wapino.

Riding out of the 16th spot in the order, Charlie Jacobs and Pia captured the win in the NHS Amateur-Owner Jumper Speed Stake. They kept winning in the family, as Charlie’s brother Louis won Thursday’s class and was third on Friday. Jacobs and Pia were chasing Blythe Masters and Camaro 48, who had a time of 60.227 seconds. They had no trouble on the course and came home in a time of 58.817 seconds.

Aimee Aron saved the best for last when she and Heaudine tracked down the leading time set by Hardin Towell and Mayfair for the win in the NHS Junior Jumper Speed Stake. Aron was the last of 16 trips and turned up the pace with Heaudine. They finished clean in a time of 56.230, more than two seconds faster than the leading time.

The NHS Children’s Jumper Speed Classic was the first class on Friday in the deNemethy Arena. The blue ribbon went to 13 year old Christina Kelly, who splits her time between farms in Lexington, KY, and Wellington. The young rider is already a seasoned traveler. Her family is from Oxford, England, and they spent time living in Spain before they moved to the United States. Kelly rode Contenia, a 12 year old mare.

The winner today in the Palm Beach Daily News Adult Jumper Speed Classic was Lord Byron Z, ridden and owned by Robin Swinderman. Swinderman is from Ocala, FL, and has owned the 15 year old Zangerscheide Holsteiner gelding for three years. Lord Byron Z came back from a horrific accident in August of 2005, when he lost his foot beneath the coronet band. “Last year, I was happy that he was just alive. We had to do a lot of special shoeing and farrier and vet work,” she related. “I’m absolutely thrilled that he doesn’t feel any different. I was afraid that since he’s going to be 16 that he wasn’t going to have anything left. That would have been okay. I would have been happy to retire him, [but] he still feels great.” They returned on Sunday to win the final and the division championship. Swinderman trains with Bob Braswell and Christina Schlusemeyer.

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Series hosted two separate $15,000 finals for junior and amateur-owner jumpers. Jules Welles and Felix des Noues capped off an extremely successful junior career with the win the junior final. Cara Cheska and My Fair Lady had a vindicating win in the Amateur-Owner class.

The Young Jumper Championship International also hosted three separate finals to wrap up their year of competition for Five Year Old, Six Year Old, and Seven & Eight Year Old divisions. Laura Kraut and Uno 002 won the Five Year Old championship, while Sergio Campos and Sandhya raced to the win in the Six Year Old championship. Robert Kraut and Accordian were the third young jumper crowned a champion in the Seven & Eight Year Old division.

The winner of the NHS Children’s Jumper Final and the division championship was Power Point, ridden by Michael Danner of Tampa, FL, and owned by Erin Stewart. Danner has trained with Don Stewart Jr. in Ocala, FL, for five months. While their focus was on equitation through the finals at indoors, Danner made the move to the jumpers after their last equitation final. He has only ridden Power Point for a few weeks.

Hunter Results- Thursday through Sunday

For the second year in a row, Scott Stewart dominated the professional divisions at the National Horse Show and Family Festival (NHS) in Wellington, FL. Except for Ken Smith’s win on Saving Grace in the Second Year Green Working Hunters, Stewart had a clean sweep of all the championships. Farewell, ridden and owned by Stewart, was named champion of the division. Bella Rouge, ridden by Emily Williams and owned by Kobi Rhodes, was reserve champion.

Stewart ran from the presentation in center ring to his next mount, Ashton, owned by Karen Long Dwight and Barbara Ridder. Ashton won the under saddle class and then won the third jumping class in the Green Conformation Hunters, ensuring the championship. His second horse Banner was fourth in the under saddle and second over fences, ending up as reserve champion.

It was beginning to seem as if Stewart would take every tricolor ribbon of the day until Ken Smith bumped him out of championship for the EMO Stables Second Year Green Working Hunters on Saving Grace. The winner of the third over fences class was Lainie Wimberly on Savannah, owned by Casey Green. Savannah ended up with the reserve championship.

Stewart regained his lead with a vengeance, taking the William Barlow Redfern Regular Working Hunter Championship on Beyond and reserve championship on Dynamic. Beyond is owned by Stewart, and Dynamic belongs to the Fashion Farm.

The last classes of the day belonged to the Regular Conformation Hunters, where Stewart reigned supreme again with his own horse Good Life.

Saloon, ridden by Jennifer Waxman and owned by Whitney Roper, placed second over fences and under saddle today and won both jumping classes yesterday, assuring her of the tricolor ribbon in the Large Junior 15 & Under Hunters. Reserve champion was Revelation, owned and ridden by Hannah Goodson Cutt. “He was fantastic, and he loves being on the field,” Emily Smith, the trainer of Waxman, said with a smile. “Jennifer rode great, and he jumped extra high today.”

The Large Junior 16-17 Hunters had a competitive field of ten top entries from around the country. Hardin Towell rode Miracle to the championship and Whitecap to the reserve championship.

Tobasco, ridden by Alexandra Thornton and owned by Dunwalke LLC, took home the Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter championship and the Follow Me Challenge Trophy. Paige Bellissimo rode By The Way, owned by Far Niente Equine LLC, to the reserve championship.

The second group of Small Hunters, which were for ages 16 to 17, was dominated by Megan Massaro riding Lyle. Mrs. Randolph Rinehart owns this champion who won all three over fences classes in the division. Alexandra Stathis was reserve champion of the Small Junior 16-17 Hunters on Cool Blue.

Saloon and Tobasco tied for the Grand Junior Hunter Champion, as they both scored 32 points. The common thread between the two top mounts was Susie Humes, who trained Saloon when Whitney Roper rode him and now trains Tobasco with Alexandra Thornton.

The champion of the Amateur-Owner 18 to 35 Hunters was Tribute, ridden by Krista Weisman and owned by Krista and Alexa Weisman. Reserve champion was Federal Hill, owned and shown by Tracy Scheriff. The older amateur champion was Pienvotti, ridden by Katie Robinson and owned by Deeridge Farm. Reserve honors went to Estrella, ridden by Betty Oare and owned by Betty and her husband Ernest M. Oare.

Scott Stewart dominated the Open division all week. He proved to be a consistent competitor by riding Beyond to an overall score of 85.3 for the National Horse Show Open Hunter Championship. The pair received a check for $7,000 and the $24,000 Open Division Championship Trophy. “The quiet horses were wild today and the wild ones were quiet,” Stewart said. “I know Beyond the best of the horses that I showed today. I have never won this class before, so it was special to me,” he continued. “We had a good turnout today, and everyone does a good job at this show, from course design to footing to management. The class today was like a grand prix to the hunter world, and people will travel a long way to compete for such a high purse,” Stewart smiled.

Ken Smith and Cosmo came in reserve, just behind the winners with a total score of 83.0. Stewart was third on his horse Good Life, and Sandy Ferrell rode Mr. and Mrs. Ernest M. Oare’s entry, Madison, to the fourth spot.

Megan Massaro won every over fences class on Lyle this week and was champion of the Small Junior Working Hunter 16-17. The conclusion of the perfect week was winning the $24,000 Junior and Amateur-Owner NHS Hunter Championship with a total score of 88.4. Lyle is owned by Mrs. Randolph Rinehart, who loaned the grey 13-year-old gelding to Massaro. “I come to this horse show every year. It’s one of my favorites,” Massaro said. “This was my last class jumping as a junior,” she explained. “If I could describe my perfect ride, it would be Lyle. He is soft and sensitive and an amazing jumper who always tries his best to do well.”

The second place finisher was Miracle, ridden by Hardin Towell and owned by Christy Russo. Third went to Jennifer Waxman and Saloon, owned by Whitney Roper, and fourth was presented to Tobasco, ridden by Alexandra Thornton and owned by Dunwalke LLC. Hardin Towell was also awarded the Best Child Rider Award.

The $5,000 Bainbridge Farm Adult Amateur 18-35 Working Hunter championship went to Jeanine Zuckerman and Winter Castle, owned by Vanessa Redfern. Hadfield’s Minuet, owned by James Lala Show Stables and ridden by Ashley Klein, were reserve champions.

The group of riders over 35 went next, and Regall, piloted by Bruce Duchossois, brought home the tri-colored ribbon. “Regall has been a really nice horse for a lot of people,” Duchossois said. “We should probably practice more between shows, but he doesn’t need it. I just sit there and let him do his business, and he takes care of his old man,” he laughed. Reserve champion went to True, ridden by Glen Senk.

The winner of the Large Pony Hunter stake, the tri-colored championship ribbon and the Quiet Hill Farm Challenge Trophy was Land’s End Mad Hatter and Alise V. Oken, who rides with Robert Hunt. Reserve Champion Large Pony Hunter was Keep Dreamin’ ridden by Katie Dinan.

Schaefer Raposa dominated the Medium Pony Hunter division, taking home champion and reserve champion honors. The champion and winner of the Captain Hook Challenge Trophy was Kiss The Rain and reserve went to True Blue. The grey ponies, who are both trained by Bill Schaub, proudly marched in for their tri-colored ribbons.

“Both ponies are really straight forward and fun to ride,” Raposa commented. “I rode Kiss the Rain at Tampa last year, but it was my first time on True Blue. They were perfect in the ring and were really good this week.” The seasoned 12-year-old Raposa catch rides ponies for many of the top stables, competing on approximately five mounts per show.

Prince Monticello, with Victoria Colvin as pilot, won the Small Pony Hunter Stake and took home the Ashmont Farm Challenge Trophy. She also won the Small Pony Championship and the Turtle Lane Farm Challenge Trophy. Colvin was riding the pony for Ron Danta, and it was the first time that she had ever ridden Prince Monticello. Reserve champion honors were awarded to Hi Lite, ridden by Lucille R. Oken.

The Small and Medium Pony Hunters were combined for the Pony Hunter Classic, and Raposa reined supreme once again, placing first and second on Cloudy Bay and Kiss The Rain.

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