Olympian Enrique Gonzalez of Mexico was the winner in Saturday night’s $86,000 Marshall & Sterling Insurance Grand Prix CSI 2* riding Chacna at the 2017 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL. U.S. Olympians Margie Engle and Laura Kraut rounded out the top three, with Engle aboard Indigo in second, and Kraut riding Nouvelle third. Canadian Kara Chad took fourth place aboard Gin Tonic vd Haagakkers.

WEF two’s CSI 2* rated event concludes on Sunday, January 22, featuring the $25,000 Hollow Creek Farm Under 25 Grand Prix and $35,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Both events can be viewed live HERE. The 12-week WEF circuit continues through April 2, 2017, awarding over $9 million in prize money.

Ana Catalina Harris Cruz (MEX) set the course for 44 horse and rider combinations Saturday night at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The track yielded eight horses for the jump-off, which featured Olympians and veteran show jumpers, alongside some top up-and-comers.

Andrew Ramsay (USA) and The Doodle Group’s Cocq a Doodle set things off over the short course, finishing with four faults in 40.55 seconds to eventually place seventh. Mavis Spencer (USA) jumped her first “Saturday Night Lights” grand prix riding Mike Collins’ Cornetiero, and dropped two rails in 46.43 seconds to place eighth.

Gonzalez was next to go, completing the first double clear round in 40.36 seconds for the win aboard Chacna. Kara Chad (CAN) and Torrey Pines Stable’s Gin Tonic vd Haagakkers, cleared the track in 44.13 seconds to place fourth. Laura Kraut and the Evita Group’s Nouvelle followed with the third place time of 41.35 seconds.

Beezie Madden (USA) had the time in 40.12 seconds on Abigail Wexner’s Breitling LS, but dropped the front rail of the final oxer to end sixth. Engle went next, racing through the timers in 41.02 seconds riding Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek, and Gladewinds’ Indigo to land the second place prize. Last to go, Daniel Coyle (IRL) knocked one rail with Ariel and Susan Grange’s Cita, but clocked the fastest round of the night in 39.49 seconds to secure fifth place honors.

“The last year has been really good. She learned a lot, and she improved a lot,” Gonzalez said of the ten-year-old Hanoverian mare (Chacco-Blue x Narew XX). “Now I think she is ready to really compete at this level. She has never shown here, and she has never shown in a night class in an open place like this. I really wanted her to go tonight to be ready for the coming weeks.”

Gonzalez last competed at the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2011, and this was his first grand prix win at PBIEC.

“We are here for the whole season, so it is definitely a very nice way to start, and hopefully we can keep it up for the rest of the season,” he stated.

Following the WEF circuit, Chacna may have a trip to the FEI World Cup Finals in her future, as Gonzalez is currently leading the West Coast standings and qualified to compete in April.

For Engle, Saturday night was a great result with longtime partner Indigo, a 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro.

“He doesn’t know he’s any older,” Engle remarked. “He acts younger than most of my young horses. He gave it a shot (in the jump-off), and I went as fast as I could at the beginning. I may have gone a little wide to the last fence, but he is always ready to go. He is very enthusiastic, and he always wants to go forward. He is still young at heart.”

Indigo jumped the first two weeks at WEF and will now have a few weeks off. Engle said, “He doesn’t owe me anything. He probably won’t show a lot the rest of the season. It gets bigger and bigger as it goes on, and now that he’s older I pick my spots with him. He’s been a great horse for me.”

Kraut was going for the win Saturday night, but was happy with her finish aboard Nouvelle to start the circuit. This was the first week jumping since the beginning of November for the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare (Solitair x Contango).

Commenting on her jump-off, Kraut detailed, “I knew Enrique was fast. I went as fast as I could. I just messed up that last turn; I started to turn too early. She made a heroic effort over that jump to not knock it down, because I did everything in my power to knock it down. I think I probably lost it there.”

Beezie Madden was presented the award for Leading Lady Rider for week two, presented by Martha Jolicoeur of Douglas Elliman Real Estate in memory of Dale Lawler.

$86,000 Marshall & Sterling Insurance Grand Prix CSI 2*
1. CHACNA: 2007 Hanoverian mare by Chacco-Blue x Narew XX
ENRIQUE GONZALEZ (MEX), Enrique Gonzalez: 0/0/40.36
2. INDIGO: 2000 KWPN gelding by Indoctro x Unknown
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek & Gladewinds: 0/0/41.02
3. NOUVELLE: 2004 KWPN mare by Solitair x Contango
LAURA KRAUT (USA), Evita Group: 0/0/41.35
4. GIN TONIC VD HAAGAKKERS: 2006 Belgian Warmblood gelding by Labor’s VDL Indorado x Saros Van Het Gestelhof
KARA CHAD (CAN), Torrey Pines Stable: 0/0/44.13
5. CITA: 2006 Holsteiner mare by Casall x Pik Ramiro
DANIEL COYLE (IRL), Ariel and Susan Grange: 0/4/39.49
6. BREITLING LS: 2006 Dutch Warmblood stallion by Quintero x Accord II
BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/4/40.12
7. COCQ A DOODLE: 2007 KWPN mare by Tolan R x Niagara
ANDREW RAMSAY (USA), The Doodle Group: 0/4/40.55
8. CORNETIERO: 2006 Westphalian gelding by Cornet Obolensky x Liberty Life
MAVIS SPENCER (USA), Mike Collins: 0/8/46.43
9. TEQUILA DE LILE: 2007 Selle Francais mare by Luccianno x Etna Paulelle
MARKUS BEERBAUM (GER), Artemis Equestrian Farm LLC: 1/72.12
10. BLUF: 2006 KWPN gelding by Ukato x Placido
BRETT BURLINGTON (USA), Alden Burlington: 1/72.15
11. BABALOU 41: 2005 Oldenburg mare by Balou du Rouet x Silvio I
TODD MINIKUS (USA), Two Swans Farm: 1/72.48
12. RIVALE DU BARQUET: 2005 Selle Francais gelding by Adelfos x Iago C X
SPENCER SMITH (USA), Ashland Farms: 1/73.17

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