USA: Kentucky Spring Horse Show Wrap-Up, May 7-11, 2014

14 May 2014

Reigning USEF National Show Jumping Co-Champions Margie Engle and Indigo may not have been making headlines this winter, but on Sunday they proved they are still a force to be reckoned with when they outpaced a 16-horse jump-off to win the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix. Although Pablo Barrios and Zara Leandra consistently top the leader board at the Kentucky Horse Shows, their two second lead over the other competitors was not enough to take home the win when Engle and Indigo produced a faultless effort, just fractions of a second faster.

“Indigo really felt back to his old self today,” smiled Engle after the victory gallop. “In Florida this year, he was clean in one of the classes earlier in the year, but he bruised his foot a little bit. He was a little uncomfortable, so I didn’t get to do very much with him there. He just wasn’t on his game. We gave him some time off, and since then he’s felt right back to himself.”

When Pablo Barrios entered the arena with the ZL Group’s Zara Leandra, the crowd expected Thursday’s victor to be quick, and when he galloped through the timers 38.697 seconds, almost three seconds ahead of leader Paige Johnson, it looked like he was the clear winner.

Margie Engle can never be counted out though, and as the last to return she had luck on her side. Engle and Indigo, owned by Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek and Gladewinds, easily made it over the first obstacles. They picked up a quick gallop to the combination, taking a huge risk and Indigo gave it his all over the large fences. As they galloped towards the final line the time was tight, but they edged out Barrios by stopping the clock at 38.113 seconds with all the fences intact.

Although Engle did not get to watch Barrios’ round, Donald Cheska gave her the winning tip. “Donald Cheska was very nice and had watched some of the rounds,” she explained. “He told me to take my time at the brush vertical by the water because a lot of horses were getting confused there, and he said everyone was slowing down and to take a shot at the in-and-out, so I followed what he said. He gave me a really good hint and it worked out. I took a very big shot going into the in-and-out and Indigo helped me out a lot there.”

Earlier Sunday, the $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Amateur-Owner and Junior Jumper Classics sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch and Audi of Lexington were held in the Rolex Stadium. The Amateur-Owner competitors showed first, and while seven advanced to the jump-off, only Ali Wolff was able to clear the short course aboard Brianda for the winning honors. Christina Firestone and Arewen were the fastest four-faulters to take home the second place honors, while Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2 picked up the third place prize.

The High Junior Jumper Classic was next where it was Eugenio Garza claiming the top honors with Huapango, as well as the division’s championship title. The duo was almost four seconds faster than second place finishers Emanuel Andrade and AD Vangelys in the jump-off, and as Garza crossed the finish line he yelled “Happy Mother’s Day” to his mother, who was watching from the stands. Kelli Cruciotti was very close to catching Andrade’s time with Chamonix H and earned the third place award.

The action at the Kentucky Horse Park will continue this week with the Kentucky Spring Classic, scheduled for May 14-18, 2014. Highlight events include the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic on Thursday, and the $75,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix sponsored by Audi of Lexington on Saturday.

For more information about the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows please visit http://www.kentuckyhorseshows.com/.

Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios has been making the trip to the Kentucky Horse Park each spring for many years, and 2014 is no exception for the talented rider who continued to dominate the leader board. Barrios kicked off the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows with wins in the 1.40m Open Jumpers, as well as the 1.45m Open Jumpers with Ambosell and Lascana, respectively.

Ambosell is very familiar with the Rolex Stadium, having earned top ribbons during both the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows and the Kentucky Summer Series in 2013. The 9-year-old gained experience at Spruce Meadows, the Winter Equestrian Festival and The Ridge at Wellington Turf Tour over the last year, and was ready to showcase his skills in Wednesday’s 1.40m Open Jumper class.

Barrios quickly navigated the speed course designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, which featured two double combinations and an open water. Seven entries traversed the track without error, but as the last pair to enter the ring, Barrios and Ambosell galloped into the lead with a clear time of 69.543 seconds, two seconds ahead of leaders David Beisel and Ammeretto, owned by Equine Holdings LLC of Traverse City, MI. Fellow Venezuelan rider Emanuel Andrade and AD Vangelys, owned by Hollow Creek Farm of Aiken, SC, scored the third place honors with a clear time of 72.975 seconds, and pathfinders Nick Novak of Poplar Gove, IL, and YB Blue took home the fourth place award with a clear round in 73.255 seconds.

It was the 9-year-old mare Lascana who took top billing over Antares Wednesday in the 1.45m Open Jumpers. Barrios and Lascana had the quickest clear round to beat Schuyler Riley and Andretti, owned by Southbeach Stables of Wellington, FL, who finished second, and third place competitor Aaron Vale with Pleasure De Riverland, owned by Taylor Sutton of Austin, TX.

It was déjà vu at the Kentucky Horse Park Thursday evening as Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios galloped through the timers with a win in the first  $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic of the season aboard Zara Leandra.  The talented combination won last year’ s kick-off to the series and eventually captured the $50,000 Hagyard Leading Rider Bonus. Barrios and Zara Leandra have continued to improve their partnership over the last year, and it paid off when they crossed the jump-off finish line ahead of pathfinders Hector Florentino and Anemone’s Vicky. Florentino had to settle for second place, while Olympian Margie Engle and Indigo took home the third place award.

“Zara Leandra felt great,” smiled Barrios after leading the victory gallop. “She jumped really good here. She has one more year of experience, and she’s even faster now. She’s going for the next jump much better, and she’s always jumped better in the jump-off. She likes it here, and that’s why she wins so many classes here.”

Fifty-four competitors turned out for Thursday night’s first leg of the Hagyard Challenge Series, but only nine managed to complete Richard Jeffery’s first round track without error and advance to the jump-off.

The Dominican Republic’s Hector Florentino was the first to return with Anemone’s Vicky, owned by Stransky’s Mission Farms, and they set the pace to beat as they left all the rails intact and crossed the finish line in 41.66 seconds. The next clear round came from Margie Engle and Indigo, but they were just shy of Florentino’s time and stopped the clock at 43.08 seconds.

The only combination able to beat the barrier created by Floretino was the veteran duo of Pablo Barrios and Zara Leandra. Showcasing their winning ways, they made a sharp right turn to a skinny vertical that paid off big time as they blazed across the finish in 40.29 seconds to capture the victory for the second year in a row.

The only other riders to produce clear rounds after Barrios were Callan Solem aboard VDL Torlando for Torlando Group, and Great Britain’s Gemma Paternoster riding Osiris, but they were each over four seconds slower to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.

It can take time for new partnerships to come together in the sport of show jumping, but on Friday that happened for Olympian Margie Engle and her new mount Eckham Van Het Steentje. The pair captured their first victory together with a double clear effort in the 1.45 Open Jumpers at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Engle only began riding Eckham Van Het Steentje for owners Elm Rock LLC in December, but Friday they proved they have been developing a winning partnership.

Six riders advanced to the short course by completing Richard Jeffery’s first round track without fault, but only three managed to go faultless a second time. Pablo Barrios and Antares were the pathfinders, setting the time to beat at 33.201 seconds, which would eventually earn second place. Blythe Marano came very close to his time on Askarielle P, breaking the beam in 33.209 seconds for third place. Engle was one of the last to compete, and a sharp rollback early in the course had her finishing in a time of 32.963 seconds to capture the victory.

The next event in the Rolex Stadium Friday was the High Amateur-Owner Jumpers, where Harrison Shure took home the winning honors with No Fear. Only two riders were able to produce double clear efforts, but Shure was a second faster than Alexa Lowe-Wiseman and Ami Du Houssoit, who scored the second place award. Whitney Lyon had the fastest four-fault jump-off with Bugs Bunny V Overis Z to take home the third place honors.

In the High Junior Jumpers, there were also only two clear rounds, but this time it was Chloe Reid with the fastest time, earning the winning honors aboard Victor E. Emanuel Andrade’s slower clear time with Tiny Tim was good enough for second, and Kelli Cruciotti’s quick four-fault effort aboard Chamonix H captured third place.

When speed is key to winning an event, it helps to be riding one of the fastest horses in the world. LaGran was the fastest horse at the 2010 World Equestrian Games with Pablo Barrios, and Saturday he was the fastest horse in the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic with Mark Bluman of Colombia. The pair outraced a starting field of 38 competitors during the speed event with a blazing clear round three seconds ahead of the closest finisher.

“LaGran is a very fast horse,” smiled Bluman after his victory. “He’s been fast all his life. He was the fastest horse in the WEG in 2010 with my mate Pablo. He’s just fast. I went for it the whole way around, and it worked out well.”

Twelve competitors bested Richard Jeffery’s track, but it was Bluman who was the quickest over the course, breaking the beam at 69.989 seconds under rainy skies. Emanuel Andrade tried to catch him aboard Hollow Creek Farm’s Fananka A, but their time of 72.704 seconds would only hold up for second. Pablo Barrios set the time to beat early in the class with Romeo, finishing in 73.979 seconds, which would eventually claim fourth, while Barrios’ second mount Crossfire 10 slipped into third with a time of 73.775 seconds.

Source: Phelps Media Group