Wellington, FL – April 1, 2017 – Chile’s Samuel Parot closed out a fantastic winter circuit with a win in Saturday night’s $216,000 The Wanderers Club Grand Prix CSI 4* competing in the 2017 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Cita finished second, and Margie Engle (USA) aboard Royce placed third.
Watch Samuel Parot and Atlantis in their winning round!
The 12-week WEF circuit concludes on Sunday, April 2, featuring the $50,000 Hollow Creek Farm Under 25 Grand Prix Series Final and the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Feature events can be viewed live HERE.
Olaf Petersen, Jr. (GER) set the course for 45 competitors in the final “Saturday Night Lights” event of the season and saw five clear rounds. Parot and Coyle jumped the only double clear rounds.
Samuel Parot and Atlantis
Lillie Keenan (USA) was first to jump-off, but knocked a rail at the first fence and finished fourth with her time of 43.46 seconds riding Chansonette Farms’ Super Sox. Parot was next to go aboard his own Atlantis, stopping the clock in 42.52 seconds. Engle and Gladewinds Farm’s Royce followed, but also had a rail at the first fence, placing third on their time of 43.31 seconds. Coyle and Ariel and Susan Grange’s Cita then jumped the second place round, clear in 43.85 seconds. Last to go, Beezie Madden (USA) and Abigail Wexner’s Breitling LS had one fence down in 44.40 seconds to finish fifth.
“It is super. I really have had a very good season,” Parot stated. “Every Saturday night grand prix I have had good results, but I really wanted to win one. Today I am really happy. The horse was very good. He is a very fast horse.”
Parot said at the start of the week that it was his goal to win Saturday’s grand prix. He also jumped Atlantis, a 14-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Andiamo Z x Royal Bravour L), to a win earlier this circuit in the $35,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 6.
Making an unbelievable winter season even better, Parot also earned wins aboard three other horses. He topped week four’s $35,000 Illustrated Properties 1.45m riding Dazzle White, week seven’s $86,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic aboard Quick du Pottier, week eleven’s $35,000 Illustrated Properties 1.45m riding Couscous van Orti, and week twelve’s $35,000 Douglas Elliman 1.45m speed class riding Quick du Pottier.
Daniel Coyle, Samuel Parot, and Margie Engle in the grand prix presentation with Justin Thompson, General Manager, The Wanderers Club; Ronna Clements, Director of Membership, The Wanderers Club; Paige Bellissimo; and ringmaster Steve Rector.
“The competition here is very strong. You have to be very, very good,” Parot stated. “These are many of the top riders and top horses in the world. Everyone here is very good, and to win anything here is always a great feeling. Every class here is tough.”
The key to Parot’s winning program is quite simple. “Good horses,” he stated. “When you have good horses, everything is easier. I like horses that are careful, scopey, and fast. All of my horses are a little difficult, but each horse has the carefulness, the scope, and the speed.”
Daniel Coyle and Cita
Coyle began the WEF circuit riding Cita for the first time and won the $75,000 Rosenbaum Mollengarden PLLC Grand Prix in week one. The pair then spent the rest of the winter getting to know each other and developing their partnership.
“Since the first grand prix here, I changed my ride a little bit on Cita,” Coyle said of the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare (Casall x Pik Ramiro). “I suppose I was over-riding her. I was always asking her to be better and better, and that kind of got in the way of her being better. I just tried to make the ride a little more relaxed, and I found out that she has more jump than I ever believed she had.
“This is probably the biggest grand prix she has had a very good result in,” he continued. “Maybe I underestimated her a little bit in the beginning. I always knew she was going to be a great 1.50m horse, but I think she is going to be more now. I think the future will be bright for her. I am very happy. I am disappointed that I did not beat Samuel, but still that is a great result.”
Commenting on the jump-off, Coyle added, “Tonight I was riding for second place. I was not going to be crazy. For one, it is her first time at that level. Sam’s quick even in the first round, so I knew I would really have to be fast to beat him. If I beat him, I beat him. If I didn’t, I didn’t. I was still really happy.”
Margie Engle and Royce
Engle also watched Parot’s speedy jump-off and got off to a fast start with her mount Royce, but had an unfortunate rail at fence one with the 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion (Café au Lait x Grandilot).
“Watching Sam go, I got a little excited,” Engle detailed. “I went right after him in the jump-off. I figured I was going to take a shot at the last grand prix of the season. I went really forward to the first jump. I just wanted to land kind of going, and I think I got too geared up after watching him because he was very fast.”
With the help of U.S. Olympic dressage rider Lisa Wilcox, Engle has improved Royce’s rideability and flatwork. Wilcox rides Royce and has helped the talented stallion become “really comfortable with himself,” said Engle.
“Royce has always had all the jump in the world,” Engle added. “He kind of did everything backward. He went in the big classes pretty much un-broke as a six-year-old. I got him when he was seven, and he was already doing the big classes. Then he had to learn how to do the flatwork.
“He has really come around,” Engle noted. “I have been able to drop down bits. I never thought I could flat him in a snaffle, and now he flats in snaffle. I am just thrilled with his consistency this year.”
In addition to the grand prix, several other awards were presented Saturday evening for the final week of competition at WEF. Karen Polle was presented with the Simba Run Perpetual Trophy as the owner of the open jumper who has earned the most prize money in classes held at 1.45m or more during the 2017 WEF. Fine Lady 5’s groom, Bo Vaanholt, was presented with the Oliver O’Toole Perpetual Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the groom of the horse who has earned the most money in the grand prix jumper classes. Martha W. Jolicoeur of Douglas Elliman presented the Martha Wachtel Jolicoeur Overall Circuit Leading Lady Rider Award to Laura Chapot in memory of Dale Lawler.
Also competing in the International Arena on Saturday, Katherine Strauss and Capacity won the $15,000 SJHOF High Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, presented by Engel & Völkers. Claudia Villamil and Quite Close VD Smis were victorious in the $1,500 Sleepy P Ranch High Junior Jumper speed class, and Kamille Marcussen and Bull Run’s Holy Smokes topped the $1,500 Equiline Medium Amateur-Owner Jumper speed class.
Emma Wujek and Puppet Top Engel & Völkers Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under
Emma Wujek of Grosse Point Farms, MI, and Puppet, an entry owned by John & Stephanie Ingram, LLC, were named champions of the Engel & Völkers Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under division on Friday. The pair won two over fences classes with high scores of 88 and 89, placed second under saddle and in the stake round, and finished fourth in the handy trip.
Emma Wujek and Puppet
“He is such a good horse, and he jumps amazing!” said Wujek. “Every week he has come out and jumped so nicely. He has such a good personality and is a just a good horse. He actually acts like a dog; he will just stand there and lick you. My favorite thing about him is his trot and jump. He is just so smooth.”
Wujek and the striking chestnut gelding have been partnered together for a year and have found much success during the winter circuit, earning the championship ribbon of the division during weeks five and ten at WEF.
Speaking of her rounds, Wujek continued, “I focus on being slow, rhythmical, and nice. When I meet the jump really well, he just jumps perfectly. I really just float around on him. I love riding him!”
Mimi Gochman of Palm Beach, FL, captured the reserve title, continuing her recent success aboard Scott Stewart’s Caldwell. Gochman guided the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding to win the under saddle, place second in the handy and an over fences round, and place third in the stake and another over fences trip. The duo earned the championship in the division during week 11.
Commenting on her recent success with Caldwell, Gochman said, “I have been really consistent with him, which is unusual for me. I used to not do so well on him, but I think since I have gotten bigger and stronger, he has noticed me more and listened a lot better. He jumped great and was perfect this week. I’m really happy!”
Emma Wujek and Puppet in their championship presentation.
Also on Friday, hunter competitors completed the first round of the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby on the grass derby field at Equestrian Village. Maggie Jayne of Elgin, IL, and Like I Said, owned by Pony Lane Farm, topped the first round with an impressive combined score of 186. Going into the second round, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, is sitting in second place, just behind Jayne. Colvin rode Onyx RCF, owned by Rivercross Farm, to an overall score of 184. Amy Momrow of Wellington, FL, and Melissa Wight’s Aeroplane finished the first round in third place with a combined score of 181.5. The top 25 combinations will return for a second handy round on Sunday.
The 12th and final week of the 2017 Winter Equestrian Festival concludes on Sunday with the $50,000 Hollow Creek Farm Under 25 Grand Prix Final and the $50,000 Suncast® 1.50m National Grand Prix in the International Arena. The second round of the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby will take place at 1 p.m. on the Derby Field at Equestrian Village (AGDF show grounds). For more information and full results, please visit www.PBIEC.com.
Final Results: $216,000 The Wanderers Club Grand Prix CSI 4*
1. ATLANTIS: 2003 Zangersheide gelding by Andiamo Z x Royal Bravour L
SAMUEL PAROT (CHI), Samuel Parot: 0/0/42.52
2. CITA: 2006 Holsteiner mare by Casall x Pik Ramiro
DANIEL COYLE (IRL), Ariel and Susan Grange: 0/0/43.85
3. ROYCE: 2004 Oldenburg stallion by Café au Lait x Grandilot
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Gladewinds Partners LLC: 0/4/43.31
4. SUPER SOX: 2006 Hanoverian gelding by Salito x Silvio I
LILLIE KEENAN (USA), Chansonette Farm LLC: 0/4/43.46
5. BREITLING LS: 2006 Dutch Warmblood stallion by Quintero x Accord II
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/4/44.40
6. DSARIE: 2008 KWPN mare by Veron x Ahorn
BEAT MÄNDLI (SUI), Grand Road Partners LLC: 1/79.16
7. RUBENS LS LA SILLA: 2006 SLS stallion by Rebozo LS La Silla x Cash
CONOR SWAIL (IRL), Vanessa Mannix: 4/71.50
8. WATERFORD: 2003 KWPN gelding by Coolcorron Cool Diamond x Julio Mariner XX
LAUREN HOUGH (USA), Laura and Meredith Mateo: 4/72.68
9. A S D FARFALA: 2003 Holsteiner mare by Hyo Dario x Furioso II
PABLO BARRIOS (VEN), Pablo Barrios: 4/72.98
10. TOY BOY: 2008 BCP gelding by Unknown x Unknown
JESSICA MENDOZA (GBR), Jessica Mendoza: 4/75.43
11. MAIN ROAD: 2008 Swedish Warmblood gelding by Heartbeat x Irco Marco
SHANE SWEETNAM (IRL), Sweet Oak Farm and Seabrook, LLC: 4/75.51
12. LENNOX: 2001 Oldenburg gelding by Lifestyle x Grannus
LUCIANA DINIZ (POR), Arnaldo & Luciana Diniz: 4/75.61
Photo Credit: Photos © Sportfot, Official Photographer of the Winter Equestrian Festival. These photos may be used only in relation to this press release and must include photo credit.