Hometown Hero Margie Engle Wins Second Speed Class at 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival

Photo Credit: Margie Engle and Hidden Creek's Calippo 12, winners of the NHS Open Speed Stake at the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival. Photo (c) 2006 Peter Llewellyn/PMG Pictures.

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Wellington, FL - December 2, 2006 - 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.

The NHS Open Speed Stake was a Timed First Round with faults converted into seconds. The fault accrued for penalties such as rails down or refusals were added to the rider's time on course for a final score. Today's course was designed by Jose Gamarra of Bolivia. The course was inviting and asked riders to show their speed. There were 12 clean rounds out of 27 entries, so the results depended on who could go the fastest.

The bar was set when Larioso and Ward flew around the course in a time of 61.72 seconds, a time that was six seconds faster than the current leader, Laura Kraut and Nocturnal.

It looked like Ward's time could not be beaten until Engle stepped into the ring on Hidden Creek's Calippo 12. The bouncy grey gelding showed his speed strength by running the course in a time of 60.21 seconds, cutting an amazing second and a half off of Ward's time. Although there were riders after Engle that had a faster time, those all too important faults translated into a higher score.

Engle celebrated her win on a horse that she has touted for the year that she has ridden him. "He's just a fun horse to ride. He puts you in a good mood. He goes in there every time happy. He's like an Eveready battery; he just goes all the time. You can turn him back to almost anything. I knew the rollbacks would be good for him because he's very brave. He accelerates very quickly," she described. Engle also compared Calippo as a cross between two of her past famous horses, Saluut II and Hidden Creek's Alvaretto.

Engle had not seen Ward's round, but did hear his time. She had faith that Calippo had the potential to beat Ward. "When I heard McLain's time, I knew he was a lot faster so I knew he must have been very quick," she acknowledged. "[Calippo] is naturally very quick. He's got a very quick getaway time. I knew I had taken a shot in a bunch of places. I jumped in so big to the in and out that he had to really back up there. I was a little worried that if I started going too much that he might get a little flat," she explained.

The South Florida native has ridden the nine year old Holsteiner gelding for a year, and got word of him from the Holsteiner Association in Europe. "[They] called me and thought I would like him. He's related to Concerto, who I used to ride, but has a lot more blood," she said. When Engle went to try Calippo in Europe, he was a very successful breeding stallion that had shown lightly in the young jumper classes. "He didn't get a chance to do that much showing. He was their big hope as a breeding stallion," she disclosed. "He was a wild man as a stallion. I went to try him, and he was screaming the whole time. He was way too full of himself, so it's probably better that he was gelded. I wish I could put some of his blood into Perin. After running around out there, he comes out and is cool again in minutes and ready to go again. He's plenty spunky!"

NHS Amateur-Owner and Junior Jumper Speed Stakes

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 yesterday's class and was third today. 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.

Jacobs and the nine year old Dutch Warmblood mare have been together for almost two years. Jacobs purchased Pia from John and Beezie Madden and found that they clicked right away. "She's been wonderful," he said. "I showed her last year down here, and she won a good fair share of classes. She had a very good summer, and I laid her up for about three months before coming down here so she was fresh and ready to go."

Jacobs, like most amateur riders, has a full-time job and has to find time to practice. He works for his family's company, Delaware North, in Boston, MA, and makes time on the weekends to work with Pia at Deeridge Farm.

Their weekends together paid off today, and Jacobs was happy to get out on the grass field of the Internationale Arena again. "She's been out there before because I had an opportunity to show her last year here. Every time they come into a field like that, they're always a little bit spooky. In some cases, I trust her spook enough that she'll be careful but not silly," he noted. "It takes awhile to get to know her and trust her, but I do."

Today's win gave the Jacobs family another blue ribbon, and Charlie did not mind competing against or beating his older brother. "I've been doing it my whole life, and it's a blast. Louis won yesterday, and I got a piece today. Tomorrow is up for grabs. We'll see!" he said with a smile. "We have a big time sibling rivalry, but of course we very much root for each other. I was very happy to see him win yesterday. I'm sure he was happy to see me win today. As long as Deeridge is at the top of the standings, it's great."

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.

"This is my second year with her," Aron conveyed. "We went to Europe this summer where I got a lot of mileage." Aron's experience in Europe has helped her riding. She pointed out, "I think in Europe, there's such a wide spectrum of riders, and you get to watch so many people. I really learned a lot. I don't know if it was so much her, as she's always been a great horse, but it was more my riding, learning, and getting more confident on her."

Aron and the 12 year old Selle Francais mare were quick around the course. "It's a fabulous horse and really fun to go fast on. Classes like this- speed classes out on the field- are really great for her, and I can let her go." Aron was also pleased to be in the final spot in the order and know what she was chasing. "In the class yesterday, I went last and in the class today, I went last. I'm nervous that I'm going to go first in the Classic! It would just be my luck! It's definitely an advantage when you go in last."

Her reasoning today on why she won was simple. "My trainer, Laura Kraut, just said to concentrate, be neat, ride nice, be smooth. I've really learned that in speed classes, sometimes you feel faster than you're going because it's messy. I find that the key, especially with a horse like her that's smaller, is that I can gallop down the lines and stay as smooth as possible. Pick up the gallop and keep your pace," she concluded.

NHS Children's Jumper and Palm Beach Daily News Adult Jumper Speed Stakes

The NHS Children's Jumper Speed Classic was the first class today 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. "She was my first horse. I got her when I was 11," she said. "I've had [her] for a long time, so I know how she's going to be. It was basically just short cuts and keep going with her. I trust her, and she trusts me. There's a big bond between us, and we each know what the other is going to do."

Kelly plans to continue with Contenia in the Children's Jumpers and make the move to the Low Junior Jumpers at the Winter Equestrian Festival on her grey mare Chiara and the High Junior Jumpers on her stallion.

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. Their plan today was "to go as fast as I can and leave the jumps up. He's a very good speed horse," she said. "He's a blast. He does whatever you ask him to do. You ask him to move up, and he moves up. You ask him to slow down, he slows down. You ask him to turn, you'd better hang on!"

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. Lord Byron Z was on stall rest for eight months and was started back slowly. He worked on a treadmill to gain strength, and this is the first time that Swinderman has shown him in 15 months. "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."

The 123rd National Horse Show concludes tomorrow on Sunday, December 3, 2006. The jumper highlight is the final phase of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship in the Internationale Arena at 2 p.m. Before that, the Show Jumping Hall of Fame will hold their series finals for the Junior and Amateur-Owner Jumpers. The Young Jumper Championship International moves out on the field with their three age divisions. The Palm Beach Daily News Adult Amateur Jumper and NHS Children's Jumpers will also have their championship classes in the deNemethy Arena starting at 10 a.m.

Results of Class 1003 - NHS Open Speed Stake - National Horse Show -
December 2, 2006

Rank Num Horse Name NAT Jump Faults Time Faults Time Score

1 657 HIDDEN CREEK'S CALIPPO 12 MARGIE ENGLE 0.00 0.00 60.21 60.21

HIDDEN CREEK FARM

2 648 LARIOSO MCLAIN WARD 0.00 0.00 61.72 61.72

MCLAIN WARD

3 90 FAR WEST DARRAGH KERINS 0.00 0.00 62.71 62.71

HEATHER CARISTO

4 653 COURAGE CANDACE KING 0.00 0.00 65.98 65.98

5 537 AVAILABLE LAVENTOS MARIO DESLAURIERS 0.00 0.00 66.35 66.35

MARIO DESLAURIERS

6 33 NOCTURNAL LAURA KRAUT 0.00 0.00 67.63 67.63

PIN OAK FARM

7 345 CINOA JOSE REGA 4.00 0.00 63.90 67.90

VICTORIA D'AGOSTINO

8 655 TIBOR PABLO BARRIOS 8.00 0.00 60.18 68.18

ANNA LISA SMITH

9 347 NAGANO JOSE REGA 4.00 0.00 64.36 68.36

MARGARITA DE BORBON

10 385 DROXELLO AARON VALE 4.00 0.00 64.82 68.82

HOLLOW CREEK INVES

11 597 CAVALIER'S ROYAL DIAMOND SHANE SWEETNAM 0.00 0.00 70.27 70.27

LOUIS TERRAMAGRA

12 213 WILDCAT PABLO BARRIOS 4.00 0.00 66.84 70.84

JUAN MANUEL CARMONA

Rank Num Horse Name NAT Faults Time

Results of Class 1101 - NHS AO Jumper Speed Stake - National Horse Show
- December 2, 2006

 

1 130 Pia Charlie Jacobs 0.00 56.817

Deeridge Farm

2 72 Camaro 48 Blythe Masters 0.00 60.227

Blythe Masters

3 124 Kachina Louis Jacobs 0.00 61.674

Deeridge Farm

4 580 Idole Du Chateau Laura Steffee 0.00 62.682

Sierra Del Sol Inv

5 419 Titus Jessica Speiser 0.00 63.957

Jessica Speiser

6 572 Victoria De Zellik Randall Johnson 0.00 65.540

Greener Pastures

7 463 Blue Okkels Rebecca Hofmann 0.00 67.560

Blue Hill Farm LLC

8 320 Urbanus Charlie Jayne 0.00 68.961

Alex R Jayne

9 327 Unique Megan Johnstone 0.00 69.081

Stoney Hill

10 126 Soleil Louis Jacobs 0.00 72.553

Deeridge Farm

11 125 Caucalis Louis Jacobs 1.00 76.123

Deeridge Farm

12 186 Jackson Ashley Baker 4.00 60.397

Rank Num Horse Name NAT Faults Time

Results of Class 1201 NHS Junior Jumper Speed Stake

National Horse Show

November 29 - December 3, 2006

T/A: 71.00

1 96 HEAUDINE AIMEE ARON 0.00 56.230

KINLOCH ENT.

2 625 MAYFAIR JACK HARDIN TOWELL J 0.00 58.511

CASEY BRANSCOMB

3 296 Residenz Ali Wolff 0.00 61.059

Black Lick BlendFarm

4 525 COBRETTI HEATHER DOBBS 0.00 65.071

HEATHER DOBBS

5 416 SAN REMO JULIE WELLES 0.00 65.934

MISSY CLARK

6 415 FELIX DES NOUES JULIE WELLES 4.00 56.035

MISSY CLARK

7 496 CHER 14 CATIE BOONE 4.00 60.877

CATIE BOONE

8 407 RIVER CORTRIGHT WETHERILL 4.00 66.351

CORTRIGHT WETHERILL

9 330 AZUCAR VIRGINIA MCNEIL 8.00 60.370

VIRGINIA MCNEIL

10 227 IVRESSE JULIANNA FISCHER 8.00 61.751

JULIANNA FISCHER

11 523 CORLETT HEATHER DOBBS 8.00 62.279

HEATHER DOBBS

12 179 Kadorijke Alex Parrish 8.00 65.405

Alexander Farm

 

Results of Class 1402 NHS Children's Jumper Speed Classic

1. Contenia, Christina Kelly

Barbara Kelly

2. Power Point, Michael Danner

Erin Stewart

3. Hidden Creek's Limo, Katie Dinan

Katie Dinan

4. Marengo, Danielle Miranda

Danielle Miranda

5. Ned Boy, Renee Huesca

Devon Smithburg

6. Quali de BD, Tori Corts

Tori Corts

7. Chiara, Christina Kelly

Barbara Kelly

8. Von Dutch, Norma Nahma

Norma Nahmad

9. Markies, Paulena Johnson

Helen Varble

10. Denmark, Amelia Rogers

Amelia Rogers

11. Words of Wisdome, Marque Cincotta

Centennial Farm

12. Coach, Nicole Bellissimo

Far Niente Equine 

 

Results of Class 1302 Palm Beach Daily News Adult Jumper Speed Classic 

1. Lord Byron Z, Robin Swinderman

Robin Swinderman

2. Shaker, Visse Wedell

Chad Leat

3. Ca Va, Heather Villemaire

Heather Villemaire

4. Casanova, Rodolfo Maya

Jennifer Urioste

5. Netherland's Star, Tiffany Ann Avon

Tiffany Ann Avon

6. Da Vinci, Gigi Stetler

Gigi Stetler

7. Rich Paddy, Diane Richie

Diane Richie

8. Adam, Deborah Kalas

Deborah Kalas

9. Quest D'Or, Kris Hoffman-Kennedy

Kris Hoffman-Kennedy

10. Oriola, John Marino

John Marino

11. Papillon, Heather Villemaire

Heather Villemaire

12. Toulouse, Michael Kennedy

Michael Kennedy