Eric Flameng And Mazelle Win $25,000 Palm Beach Post National Welcome Qualifying Stake, CSI*** At The 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival

Eric Flameng and Mazelle
Photo by Randi Muster

WELLINGTON, FL - December 1, 2004 - Belgian rider Eric Flameng, 47, of Chicago, IL, aboard Mazelle won the $25,000 Palm Beach Post National Welcome Qualifying Stake today at the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival in Wellington, Florida. Flameng topped a field of 40 horses and also placed fifth with Roxanne. Floriac, LLC owns both mares. As the highest placed rider in the three-star class, which kicked off the $341,000 Jumper Division at the National, Flameng was also awarded the Whitney Stone Memorial Challenge Trophy donated by the late Mrs. Whitney Stone. He earned a total of $9,000 for his performances. "You know the song, 'I Feel Good' by James Brown - I feel good!" quipped Flameng. "It was an excellent day. The objective of the day was to learn the field. It was exactly what we planned. We're so, so happy."

Conrad Homfeld of Southampton, NY, designed the course in the grass Internationale Arena of the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club. Homfeld built a sweeping13-jump Round 1 track with Time Allowed set at 81 seconds and tested riders with a triad of double combinations - vertical/vertical at Fence 5, oxer/vertical at 8, and vertical/oxer at the last obstacle, 13. Every fence on course fell at least once, but two in particular caught the most riders - 3 and 13b. "Number 3 was a little bit higher and a little bit angled. You had to do a nice curve and come back in three strides to the fence. And the last fence, the horses were a little tired and the distance was short from 12 to 13a and short again to b, and the fence was wide. The course designer is a top, top course designer. He is amazing. He was an excellent rider, now he's an excellent designer." Ten horses went clean for the Jump-Off.

Homfeld's eight-effort Jump-Off course with Time Allowed set at 47 seconds gave riders the opportunity for a fast gallop from the first fence to the second (2 and 9) and then required a tight loop from Fence 9 to 13a to 10. Horses had to adjust for the double that came up immediately after 10 at 8ab heading towards the ingate, and then turn sharply left to finish with the last two jumps (4 and 5b) galloping away from home. Two riders, Schuyler Riley with Ilian and Lauren Hough with Clasiko, elected not to jump-off, saving their horses for the upcoming Grand Prix classes this weekend, cutting the contending field down to eight horses.

Flameng was first to go in the tiebreaker and set the pace with Mazelle, clocking in clean at 41.48 seconds, which proved to be unbeatable. Molly Ashe went next aboard Naomi for owner Full Cry Farm and was clear in 41.60 seconds, claiming second place. Laura Kraut riding Anthem for the Summit Syndicate crossed the timers fault-free in 42.17 seconds and clinched third place. The rest of the field chased the leaders but was unable to catch them and the leadoff placings never changed. Olympian McLain Ward riding Quickstar II Z for Double H Farm was last to go, and had the fastest time, stopping the clock in 40.34, but tumbled two rails for eight faults and finished seventh.

Born in Brussels, Belgium, Flameng, a Grand Prix rider with 25 years on the circuit, is based in Chicago, but summers in Canada and spends winters in Florida. He was the Alternate on the Belgium Team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Mazelle is an eight-year-old Belgian mare that Flameng and his wife Florence have owned since she was four. Their company, Floriac LLC, is a combination of their first names. Flameng describes Mazelle as not mature but very careful. "She hates to touch a pole," he said. Flameng plans to show Mazelle in the bigger Grand Prix classes in six months.

Flameng's primary Grand Prix mount is Roxanne, the fifth place ribbon winner, a 10-year-old Belgian mare that jumped clean in the tiebreaker, but incurred one time fault, clocking in at 47.99.

Flameng's strategy for today's competition went exactly as planned. Already in the lead with Mazelle, when he went again as the sixth rider in the Jump-Off, he stuck to his plan with Roxanne. "My strategy was to stay quiet with Roxanne because she will go to the Grand Prix on Sunday." The $100,000 Budweiser AGA Championship, CSI*** presented by Chesapeake Petroleum is the finale of the National Horse Show on December 5. He said that though he went quietly, he still tried to win with Roxanne.

But it was Mazelle who aced the course. "She was faster a little bit everywhere. That was a nice course for her because it's exactly what she likes - the turns that she likes," said Flameng.

His wife of five years, Florence, rides all Eric's horses in flatwork training, added, "She can run from far away to a jump, see the jump, and back herself up." Florence also noted, "Mazelle is such a couple with Eric. She knows what he thinks. She's unbelievable. She's a very sensitive mare. She wants to win. He's the only rider to ever ride her or compete her."

Flameng comes to Florida fresh off the World Cup qualifying series of shows in Canada where Roxanne won one of the World Cup qualifying events in Montreal. Flameng is hoping for a trip to the World Cup Finals with her in April. Roxanne is Belgian by the German stallion Ramiro, the same sire as Chris Kappler's Olympic mount, the late Royal Kaliber.

The 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival runs through Sunday, December 5. The 3rd Annual Zada Enterprises Dressage At The National begins on Friday, December 3. More than 500 of the nation's top horses are competing for more than half a million dollars in total prize money. Upcoming attractions on Saturday, December 4, include the Children's Fair from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM sponsored by Wellington Show Stables, Lenehan Builders, Barbara Conners, and Alexandra Pozzo; the Taste of Wellington from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM; and The I.V. Technologies, Inc. Ladies' Side Saddle Over Fences and Hack classes.

For more information about the 121st National Horse Show & Family Festival, write to National Horse Show, PO Box 386, Greenvale, NY 11548. E-mail: NationalHS@aol.com; Phone: (516) 484-1865; Fax: (516) 484-1982. Web: www.nhs.org.