Lake Placid, NY—July 5, 2003—Margie Goldstein Engle of Wellington, FL won the $50,000 Hermes I Love New York Grand Prix for an unprecedented third consecutive year Saturday at the 26th annual I Love New York Horse Show.

Engle’s win was the 114th of her career, adding to her U.S. record. The Sydney Olympic veteran and seven-time American Grandprix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year rode Hidden Creek’s Jones to one of eight fault-free rides turned in by the starting field of 31 over the 16-jump, first-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds.

Two-time AGA Rider of the Year McLain Ward of Brewster, NY took the lead halfway through the tiebreaking jump-off when he finished the eight-jump, tiebreaker course fault-free in 41.030 seconds on the 7-year-old, Belgian-bred mare, Sapphire, the youngest horse in the competition. Two rides later, Engle moved Ward out of the lead when she rode her 12-year-old, Dutch-bred gelding to a clean ride in 40.169 seconds to claim her sixth Grand Prix win at Lake Placid, second to the record seven won by two-time Olympic medalist Leslie Burr Howard of Westport, CT.

Third place went to four-time Olympian Anne Kursinski of Flemington, NJ who finished with a fault-free jump-off ride in 42.924 seconds on Great Point. Kursinski also finished fourth with a four-fault jump-off ride in 40.561 seconds on Indeed.

Following the Grand Prix, Ward received the horse show’s Richard and Diana Feldman Perpetual Challenge Trophy for Excellence, presented to the rider who competed in both the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid and the $50,000 Hermes I Love New York Grand Prix and won the most combined prize money. Ward finished second in both Grand Prix to earn $22,000 combined prize money.

Saturday’s action also included two Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic series events for junior riders and amateur/owner riders—the Salamander Farm High Junior Jumper Classic, won by Katrina Woods on Susdal, and the Golden Arrow Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, won by Louis Jacobs on Santa Cruz. Points earned in these two Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series events help determine which junior and amateur/owner riders will qualify to compete in the 2003 National Horse Show in Wellington, FL.

The closing day of this year’s horse show, Sunday, will feature the Price Chopper Adult Amateur Jumper Classic and WIHS Children’s Jumper Classic. Both of these Classics are member events of the WIHS Championship series and count as bonus points towards the Championships held at the Washington International Horse Show. Sunday also features the Kathy Scholl Equitation Championship, the $1,000 Pony Hunter Classic, and numerous hunter and equitation divisions.

Sponsors for the 2003 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows include A&M Beverages, Inc., Adirondack Life, American Grandprix Association, Anonymous, Ariat International, Inc., Bayer Legend, Brandy Parfums, Inc., Budweiser/Anheuser Busch, Inc., C.M. Hadfield’s Saddlery, Inc., David R. Fowler Custom Tack Trunks, Der Dau Custom Made Boots & Shoes, Enterprise rent-a-car, Fox Run Ltd., Golden Arrow Hotel, Hermes, Hilton Lake Placid Resort, Jane Forbes Clark, Juliam Farm, Kiehl’s Since 1851, Lake Placid Resort, Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors’ Bureau, Lisa A. H. Cudahy, Lonesome Landing, M&M Mars, Mirror Lake Inn/The Cottage, McDonald’s of Lake Placid, Moss Communications, Nicola’s Family Restaurants, Barbara Nugent and Michael Bitterman, On a Fence Designs and Rentals, ORDA-Whiteface Mountain, The Country Saddler, The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., Pin Oak Farm, Price Chopper, Red Kap Sales, Inc./CITGO, Salamander Farm, Sand Castle Farm/The Dammerman Family, Shamrock Ventures LLC, Sidelines, The Brown Dog Cafe & Wine Bar, The Hooker Family, The Levy Family, The Phelps School, The Phillips Family, Town of North Elba Park District, Trelawny Farm, Turtle Lane Farm, Unusual Silver, U.S. Olympic Spirit Stores, Wild Horse Winery and WPTZ News Channel 5.

Admission to the I Love New York Horse Show on Sunday is $5.00 for adults with children under the age of 12 admitted free. Tickets are available at the gate. For more information, please call the Lake Placid Horse Show Association at (518) 523-9625 or visit www.lakeplacidhorseshow.com.