Articles: Horse News
Margie Engle and Royce Win $100,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix at HITS-On-The-Hudson
Margie Engle and Royce won the $100,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix. Photo By:
ESI Photography.
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Rebecca Walton for
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Saugerties, NY - June 11, 2012 - Olympian Margie Engle and Elm Rock Partners
LLC's Royce continued their domination of HITS-On-The-Hudson this weekend
when they claimed their biggest victory to do date during the $100,000
Purina Mills Grand Prix on Sunday. The pair posted a double clear effort to
top the 27-horse field, racing to the top of the leader board by almost
three seconds during the jump-off.
"Royce is still young, but he just keeps getting better and better,"
commented Engle of the eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion. "He's a very smart
horse, and he's got all the quality and all the jump in the world. The
rideability in between the jumps has gotten a lot better in the last month,
so I am thrilled with the way he is coming along."
For the first round of the $100,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, Engle and Royce
showed over a very technical track that included an open water and a
difficult triple combination to a tall, skinny vertical. Only five horse and
rider combinations advanced to the jump-off, with Engle in the final slot.
She went for broke with the talented stallion, slicing turns and easily
leaving each rail intact as the duo broke the beam in 44.717 to earn the
winning prize and lead the victory gallop.
"Each time I've been trying to take a little bit more of a shot with him,"
explained Engle. "I didn't show him all week so he was nice and fresh. I
knew the other ones had been quick, but I had the good position to go last
and there were only five in the jump-off, so I figured I didn't have much to
lose. He's turning quickly now and he's leaving strides out because he's got
a very big step. He's starting to enjoy it and he's starting to figure out
how to go fast."
Engle added, "He did one less stride from fences one to two, and he really
sliced hard to second jump, which set me up nicely for the third jump and he
was able to do one less stride there too. There was a long gallop to a
center oxer and I took a shot there. I was glad I was sitting on Royce
because he's got so much jump that he just did it easily."
Royce and Engle have only been partnered together since January, after Elm
Rock Partners, LLC of Bronxville, NY, purchased him from Ljubov Kochetova of
Russia. Sunday's victory comes just following a win in the $50,000 EMO Grand
Prix two weeks ago, and a third place finish in the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix
last week. The pair is proving themselves at the top of the sport, and will
now take a two-week rest before traveling to the Lake Placid Horse Show, and
then returning to HITS-On-The-Hudson.
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