Margie Engle and Hidden Creek’s Pamina L Are Back in Action for 1.40m Win at Kentucky Summer Horse Show

By Jenny Ross Koning for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

Aaron Vale and Wilkie Van’t Merelsnest Capture Blue in 1.35m Open Jumpers

Lexington, KY – July 24, 2009 – The Kentucky Summer Horse Show continued at the Kentucky Horse Park today, and the 1.40m and 1.35m Open Jumpers were the most competitive jumper classes in the Walnut Ring this morning. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show will continue at the park through Sunday, July 26, 2009.

Margie Engle piloted Hidden Creek’s Pamina L to first place in the 1.40m Open Jumper class, which was scored under a Table II.2(b) format. Engle came home in 39.637 seconds and held onto the lead throughout the class. Pamina L is owned by Hidden Creek Farm of Oak Creek, WI.

“Pamina is just starting back,” explained Engle. “I gave her a few months off. I did a lot with her last year, so I wanted to give her a little break. I just started her back at Cleveland in July, and she felt really good there. The 1.40m was first class she’s done here, and she felt great.”

Sharn Wordley and his mount Zorro came close to Engle’s winning time; however, the pair clocked in at 39.777 seconds and went into second place. Zorro is owned by Filip Amram of Ocala, FL. Kent Farrington occupied third place on United, galloping home in 40.325 seconds. Engle also earned the fourth place ribbon with Candilio, a horse she co-owns with Wyndhurst Farm in Wellington, FL. Candilio tripped the timers in 40.565 seconds.

The 1.35m Open Jumpers competed next in the Walnut Ring, and Aaron Vale proved to be the best with his mount Wilkie Van’t Merelsnest. Jumping without fault in the Table II.2(b) class, Vale produced a clear jump-off time of 41.151 seconds. Wilkie Van’t Merelsnest is co-owned by Vale and Saddle Enterprises of Ocala, FL. Kelsey Thatcher of Bluffdale, UT, stopped the clock in 43.081 seconds aboard Pony Lane Farm’s Milous De Fontaine, finishing in second place. Despite exceeding the 48 second time allowed, Mauro Atzeri and Cokio Vitz finished with just one time fault in 48.458 seconds, which was good enough for third place. Cokio Vitz is owned by Gregory Gingery of Rockville, MD. David Wright was the fastest four faulter with Onyx, and their time of 41.296 seconds resulted in fourth place.

Vale commented after the class, “Wilkie Van’t Merelsnest is a 9-year-old mare. I think she’s going to make a really nice Amateur Jumper. She’s been really solid in the Level 6s and 7s. She’s a sales horse, and hopefully she’ll end up finding a home. She’s a really solid and trustworthy horse. Right now she’s comfortable at the 1.35m, 1.40m level.”

Vale and his business partner purchased the mare just before the Florida circuit this past winter. “She took a little time to adjust, so we gave her some time off. She just started back up in June,” he explained. “She has been really consistent this summer and has won a bunch of classes. There weren’t many in the Roanoke grand prix, so we put her in there just for fun and she went clear.”

The Walnut Ring courses, designed by Alan Rheinheimer, have included a number of bending lines this week. “Everything is very related,” said Vale. “Alan has kept us busy out there. There’s not much of a breather between fences or between lines. If your horse is a little green, they are pretty hefty lines and pretty technical. A ‘chicken’ horse might not want to jump off of some of those approaches. The courses have kind of made it ride like an indoor ring. It’s ridden kind of tight.”

Later in the day, Sharn Wordley took top honors in the 1.30m Open Jumpers on Vision, owned by Swept Away Farm of Newport, NH. The winning combination in the 1.20m Open Jumpers was Catherine Rinehart of Westfield, IN, and her horse Colchester. In the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers, Claudia Billups was victorious with Platinum. The Low Junior/A-O class was won by Niki Martin and her mount Hobby De La Cense.

Show jumping action continues tomorrow at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show with the $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix. The prix will be held in the evening at 7:00 p.m. in the Walnut Ring.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Horse Show or for a full set of horse show results, please go to www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

1.40m OPEN JUMPERS RESULTS

1 275 HIDDEN CREEK’S PAMINA L MARGIE ENGLE, 0, 39.637 2 448 ZORRO SHARN WORDLEY, 0, 39.777 3 1155 UNITED KENT FARRINGTON, 0, 40.325 4 94 CANDILIO MARGIE ENGLE, 0, 40.565 5 947 CHARMEUR A CH PARIS SELLON, 8, 41.640 6 822 ACERTIJO PARIS SELLON, 16, 55.902 7 268 CHELLAPO Z AARON VALE, Elim. 8 1020 GALANT ANGEL KAROLYI, 4, 59.436 9 1107 CANGURO KRIS KILLAM, 4, 59.808 10 903 ALLSPICE DAVID WRIGHT, 4 , 61.610 11 1019 LADINO ANGEL KAROLYI, 8, 62.735 12 951 ELI DEREK PETERSEN, 10, 69.810

1.35m OPEN JUMPERS RESULTS

1 533 WILKIE VAN’T MERELSNEST AARON VALE, 0, 41.151 2 657 MILOUS DE FONTAINE KELSEY THATCHER, 0, 43.081 3 12 COKIO VITZ MAURO ATZERI, 1, 48.458 4 905 ONYX DAVID WRIGHT, 4, 41.296 5 1015 MADRID D’AURAY ANGEL KAROLYI, 4, 43.183 6 536 AVEC COUER AARON VALE, 5, 48.399 7 954 CALISTO DEREK PETERSEN, 4, 58.037 8 129 ATLANTA 447 KENT FARRINGTON, 4, 61.560 9 1092 LITTLE GENERAL SAYRE HAPPY, 4, 64.083 10 921 UTTERHORN KENT FARRINGTON, 4, 66.270 11 11 WINDGATES ILLUSION MAURO ATZERI, 4, 67.458 12 546 CONCORDE B AARON VALE, 8, 59.671

Photo Caption: Hidden Creek’s Pamina L and Margie Engle, winners of the 1.40m Open Jumpers at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. Photo C 2009 Kenneth Kraus/Phelpssports.com. Photograph may be used only in relation to this PMG press release.