Another high-point in an already storied career, USA’s Margie Goldstein-Engle won the $75,000 Molon Excavating CSI2* Grand Prix on Sunday at Traverse City Horse Shows to claim her 250th career victory. The 66-year-old Show Jumping Hall Of Fame rider concluded FEI action for the Traverse City Spring Series, presented by Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel, taking the win in the irons of 12-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, JackOfHearts.
USA’s Hilary McNerney and Brava (Balou Du Rouet x Graf Top), who won Spring II’s National Grand Prix, gave Engle a tight time to beat across the Anderson Lima (BRA) designed short track, keeping all the rails up in 37.81 seconds. Delaney Flynn (USA) and Namamia (Fantomas De Muze x Berlin) closed out the all-American podium on a clean time of 39.01 seconds.
Engle bested McNerney by less that a tenth of a second with JackofHearts (Heartbeat x Baloubet Du Rouet), emerging victorious after conquering the short course in a clear 37.73 seconds.
“Every win out here is special,” said Engle after her momentous win. “It’s always exciting [to win]. I don’t care whether it’s your first grand prix or your last grand prix, it’s special.”
Looking back on the horses she’s had throughout her career—and her assumed affinity for larger types like JackofHearts—Engle, said, “I’ve been on many different types of horses; everyone thinks I look for these big ones but I really don’t. I’ve been on horses that were almost a little bigger than ponies and done some of my biggest classes on them. Most of the other ones I’ve had since they were four or five years old so that’s special as well. This horse [JackOfHearts] is coming into his own so it’s really special to me how consistent he’s gotten.”
Engle had a large field to beat with nine horse-and-rider combinations returning for the jump-off. “I didn’t watch too many. I knew the ones were very fast ahead of me and I had my plan with him,” said Engle.
“He moved up to the second jump for me great and the leave-out to the fence three he got easily. He has a huge stride and he was very good back on the oxer because, again, the medium distance showed up. He doesn’t normally get flat. He gets so careful, then once I start galloping he’s like ‘okay I know I have to protect myself’ so he pretty much sets himself up.”
Engle’s ease with JackOfHearts in the grand prix ring wasn’t always there, and didn’t come easily. Getting him as a young horse, Engle had the job of creating flexibility and rideability in the saddle. “The goal is trying to keep him comfortable because nothing moved a whole lot when we got him,” said Engle. “[Grand prix dressage rider] Lisa Wilcox has really helped me. He’s built a little bit like a giraffe so he has his head up here and he’s sitting in a valley. It’s hard for him to flat normally and do the dressage work but she’s done an amazing job.”
The Sunday afternoon crowd at Flintfields Horse Park cheered as Engle claimed her win; a true crowd favorite for equestrians and spectators of all ages. “It’s always nice to have the crowd behind you and it gives you that little bit of an extra edge to go for it and the crowd here is very supportive,” said Engle.
The win also earned Engle the top spot in the current Open Jumper Leading Rider Bonus standings, which will be awarded during the finale of the 12-week series.
International competition at Flintfields Horse Park returns with the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival, presented B&D Builders, running for six weeks from July 3 through August 11.
For complete results, click here.
Clean Sweep for Elizabeth Rinehart and Amorem Rose in Markel/USHJA Junior/Amateur Zone Jumper Individual Championship
As the third week of the Spring Series at Traverse City Horse Shows kicked off its final day of competition, the last remaining class in the Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Championships debuted a full day of sport in the Turtle Creek Hotel & Casino International Ring. The top 15 pairings returned for the 1.20-1.25m Markel/USHJA Junior/Amateur Jumper Individual Championship but the win came from Elizabeth Rinehart of Carmel, IN, riding Amorem Rose.
Anderson Lima (BRA) designed his last intricate track for the remaining contenders and it proved to be a challenging one as all but two of the first-round riders incurred at least one rail down across the course. With two of the best scores of the week, Rinehart and Evanston, Illinois’ Jean McLaren prepared to face off in the jump-off. With three additional riders on only a four-fault score, the final also saw a jump-off to place the bronze winner. Ultimately, Rinehart and Richard Rinehart’s eight-year-old Dutch Warmbliof mare by Arezzo VDL proved to be the only pairing to finish the competition without a single fault on a time of 41.428 seconds to take home the gold.
“I really wanted to have my first round be a clear round,” explained Rinehart. “Then going back for the jump-off, there were only two of us and I got to go second. Once I saw the first rider have two rails down, I knew I just wanted to have a smooth round.”
The experience was a knockout for Rinehart’s first time competing in the championships, and one she decided to make a goal for herself after cheering on her brother last year.
“This was my first team event,” she continued. “and my first time having other people that also were depending on you, which was a little nerve-wracking in the beginning. Once I met them, it ended up being really fun.”
McLaren incurred a total score of eight faults in the final jump-off round to take the silver medal with Pearl of Grey VHL, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Cordess 2. The tiebreaker for the bronze medal came down to the fastest jump-off time between the three combinations that had produced a four-fault score in the day’s opening round. Liam Gaspar eventually emerged the bronze medalist with Ilan Bluman’s Airline R, a17-year-old Westphalian mare by Avec Coeur.
Action at Traverse City Horse Shows will resume on Wednesday, July 26, as up-and-coming juniors shine in the highly anticipated Adequan®/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships.
For complete results, click here.
