Tag Archives: Angel Karolyi

Competitions, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi Speeds to Victory in $15,000 Open Jumper Classic in Aiken

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Angel Karolyi rode S-Acorada Donaldson to victory in the $15,000 Open Jumper Classic. Photo by David Mullinix.

Aiken, South Carolina – Venezuela’s Angel Karolyi put in an impressive performance to claim victory in dramatic fashion in the $15,000 Open Jumper Classic on Saturday, September 14, at the Aiken Fall Festival II in Aiken, South Carolina.

Nine of 15 horse and rider combinations would advance through the first round to tackle the shortened jump-off track set by designer J. P. Godard.  Seven would go on to put in double clear performances, making time the deciding factor.  Karolyi advanced to the jump-off aboard two mounts, S-Acorada Donaldson, the eventual winner, and Undercover.

Returning first aboard Undercover, Karolyi put in a solid clear round good enough for seventh place.  He and the 12-year-old gelding by Heartbreaker have only recently begun competing together.

“I’ve had him since mid-summer and we’ve really only done a few 1.20m classes together,” noted Karolyi.  “I haven’t shown him as much as some of my others because we were getting him more fit.  He jumped beautifully and this was a great class for him to get more exposure and for me to get to know him a little better.  He’s a lot of fun to ride and has a very flashy style over the jumps.”

As the final competitor on course, Karolyi knew he and S-Acorada Donaldson would have to put in a near flawless performance to take the lead from Mario Garcia and Pacha de Nantuel, who had set the time to beat at 38.508 seconds.  Rising to the challenge, the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare performed beautifully for Karolyi, shaving 0.146 seconds off Garcia’s time to earn the win.

“It was a very good round for us,” remarked Karolyi of his winning ride.  “The jump-off was tough since the lines were set so you couldn’t really do anything but the correct number of strides.  We had to find other places to cut time.  I knew I was really going to have to push to get the victory, and she really rose to the occasion.”

Karolyi has also only been paired with S-Acorada Donaldson since mid-summer, but the partnership has already produced a number of exciting results.  In addition to Saturday’s win, they also finished fifth in the same class a week earlier.  Both S-Acorada Donaldson and Undercover are owned by Hollow Creek Farm, a large training business Karolyi operates in Aiken with business partner Andrea King.

Karolyi’s student and fellow Venezuelan Victor Segovia also enjoyed success in the $15,000 Open Jumper Classic, capturing fifth aboard his veteran grand prix mount Romeo.  He and the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by The Romeo Group, captured third in the same class during the Aiken Fall Festival I.

The Hollow Creek Farm team will next head to Argentina where star student 16-year-old Emanuel Andrade, also from Venezuela, will contest the FEI South American Junior Jumping Championship, running September 17 to 22.

Hollow Creek Farm has the unique distinction of winning three prestigious titles at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.  Andrade was named the Leading Jumper Rider, King was named the Leading Jumper Trainer, and Hollow Creek Farm was named the Leading Jumper Owner.

For more information on Hollow Creek Farm, please visit www.hollowcreekfarms.com.

Contact:  Jennifer Ward
Starting Gate Communications
Cell: (613) 292-5439
www.startinggate.ca

Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi Claims $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic

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Angel Karolyi rode Amigo to victory in the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic. Photo by Megan Brincks, The Chronicle of the Horse.

Upperville, Virginia – Venezuela’s Angel Karolyi braved the wet weather to claim victory aboard Amigo in the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic on Sunday, June 9, at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in Upperville, Virginia.

Karolyi and Amigo, a nine-year-old Zangersheide gelding, topped a starting field of 27 horse and rider combinations to capture the win over a course that left many struggling.  Not a single rider completed the first round fault-free, with 10 opting to retire.  The track set by International Equestrian Federation (FEI) level 3 course designer Marina Azevedo of Brazil was the only one of the week built in the grass arena, as wet weather throughout the week precluded its earlier use.

When the first round failed to yield a clear effort, Karolyi, Kyle Timm of Canada, and Ramiro Quintana of Argentina, all of whom had incurred four faults, lined up for a truly international jump-off.

Timm again posted a four-fault effort riding Apex Equestrian’s Wadisson.  Karolyi opted for a slower pace in the jump-off, focusing instead on a clear performance in a time of 47.88 seconds.  His tactics paid off as the final jump-off challenger, Quintana aboard Ziedento, once again incurred four faults.

“It was difficult conditions, the ground was soft, and I wasn’t comfortable leaving strides out,” said Karolyi.  “Having to slow down so much, yet try to maintain the energy to get across the oxers, cost me a rail in the first round.”

Returning for the jump-off, Karolyi had even more cause for concern.

“It had rained more since I had jumped the first round, and it kept raining,” explained Karolyi who, at 26, is already a Venezuelan show jumping team veteran.  “The ground was getting softer, so I was a bit conservative in the jump-off.  I wanted to give the horse a good experience.  I just had to hope that Ramiro would make a mistake.  He was having a nice round and was faster, but he ended up having a rail.”

In addition to their win in the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic, Karolyi and Amigo enjoyed success earlier in the week with a double-clear performance in Friday’s $25,000 Upperville Welcome Stake on June 7.  Creating a large jump-off, 22 of the 34 starters were clear in the opening round to qualify for the tie-breaker.  Karolyi was one of 13 riders to once again post a clear round, with his time of 39.39 seconds placing him ninth.  Young American Victoria Colvin took the win with a time of 36.42 seconds aboard Monsieur du Reverdy while fellow American Devin Ryan rode No Worries to a second place finish in a time of 36.47 seconds.

Karolyi also finished ninth in the $10,000 1.40m Jumper competition on Thursday, June 6, riding Armani Z, an eight-year-old bay Zangersheide mare.

Karolyi has been partnered with Amigo since the end of March and enjoyed a third place finish in the $25,000 Grand Prix at the Aiken Spring Classic Finale in South Carolina in April.  The pair competed at the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows and the Pennsylvania’s Devon Horse Show in May where they placed fifth in the $50,000 Idle Dice Stake before coming to Upperville.

“I’m getting to know the horse and creating a partnership,” said Karolyi of Amigo.  “It’s not a matter of scope or how big the jumps are.  He’s very powerful, very correct, and jumps in beautiful form over every jump, every time.  It’s a genuine horse.  It’s very exciting to have one like that.”

Both Amigo and Armani Z are owned by Hollow Creek Farm, a large training business operated by Karolyi and business partner, renowned horsewoman Andrea King, in Aiken, South Carolina.

Hollow Creek Farm had the unique distinction of winning three prestigious titles at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL.  At only 16 years of age, star student Emanuel Andrade of Venezuela was named the Leading Jumper Rider, Andrea King was named the Leading Jumper Trainer, and Hollow Creek Farm was named the Leading Jumper Owner.

For more information on Hollow Creek Farm, please visit www.hollowcreekfarms.com.

Contact:  Jennifer Ward
Starting Gate Communications
Cell: (613) 292-5439
www.startinggate.ca

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Jennifer Ward, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi Begins New Partnership with $30,000 Raleigh Grand Prix Win

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Angel Karolyi guided Indiana 127 to victory in the $30,000 Raleigh Grand Prix at the RMI Raleigh Benefit Horse Show. Bob Branam, Branam’s Photography

November 20, 2012 – Raleigh, North Carolina – Competing in their first show together, Venezuela’s Angel Karolyi and Indiana 127 scored victory in the $30,000 Raleigh Grand Prix at the RMI Raleigh Benefit Horse Show held November 14 to 19 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

2008 Olympic course designer Steve Stephens whittled a large starting field of 26 entries down to four jump-off contenders in the Saturday night feature event.  Karolyi had the advantage of being the last to go, having watched Sloan Coles post a clear round riding Chantilly while Tracy Magness and Regan Roberts both faulted.

“I was able to watch Sloan go with her very quick, careful mare,” said Karolyi.  “She was the only one clear in the jump-off; however, she chose to go around one of the inside options.  I thought if I had a chance to beat her, that would be my opportunity to do so.”

Continue reading Angel Karolyi Begins New Partnership with $30,000 Raleigh Grand Prix Win →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk Go Double Clear to Win $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk won the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.

Lexington, KY – August 4, 2011 – It was a beautiful night at the Kentucky Horse Park as the nation’s top horses and riders gathered at the Rolex Stadium to compete in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Classic. Venezuela’s Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk proved to be the best of the best, topping the two-horse jump-off with the only double clear effort. Lauren Tisbo was the first to tackle the short course with Coco 135, and their four-fault round netted them the second place prize.

Tonight’s class was the fourth of seven grand prix events that make up the Hagyard Challenge Series, sponsored by Hagyard Medical Institute and presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Following the final event in the series, a cash prize of $45,000 will be awarded to the rider accumulating the most points throughout the series for the Leading Rider Bonus.

Twenty-eight riders challenged tonight’s opening track, which was designed by Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela. For the first round, the competitors had to show over a triple bar, a liverpool, two vertical-oxer double combinations, and a vertical-vertical double combination. The end of the course proved to be the most difficult, causing many riders to incur costly penalties and elimination from the jump-off. Fence ten was a liverpool oxer off of a sharp right turn, followed by a steady five strides to the vertical-vertical double combination, and the course ended with a wide oxer just past the gate. Twelve horses had rails at fence 10, while 14 horses lowered the height of a fence in the double combination, and six then went on to add four faults to their score at fence 12.

“I walked the course and I talked to Leopoldo, and it walked quite technical and careful, not huge, but a careful course,” explained tonight’s winner Angel Karolyi. “I took my time. The time allowed wasn’t super tight, so I just made sure that I did a nice track. James T Kirk knows his job and is getting experienced; he jumped very well here in May.”

Continue reading Angel Karolyi and James T Kirk Go Double Clear to Win $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Summer Classic →

Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Angel Karolyi and Galant Speed to Victory in 1.40m Open Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Angel Karolyi and Galant won the 1.40m Open Jumpers at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/ PhelpsSports.com.

Lexington, KY – August 3, 2011 – Early thunderstorms could not stop the exciting jumper action in the Rolex Stadium for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Classic at the Kentucky Horse Park. This afternoon, riders had the opportunity to compete in the 1.40m Open Jumper speed class and the 1.35m Open Jumpers. Angel Karolyi led the way in the 1.40m Open Jumpers aboard long-time partner Galant, while Michael Morrissey sped to victory in the 1.35m Open Jumpers, completing the fastest double clear effort with Vorst.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela designed today’s technical tracks in the Rolex Stadium. For the 1.40m speed class, riders had to show over a wall fence, a liverpool, an oxer-vertical double combination, and a vertical-oxer double combination. Only six horse and rider combinations were able to be speedy and tidy, leaving all the rails intact and tripping the timers without fault.

Christian Heineking was the first on course during today’s 1.40m Open Jumper speed class, and he set the pace with a clean effort in 77.187 seconds aboard NKH Barbosa, who would eventually place fifth. Michael Tokaruk quickly upped the ante with a fault-free round in 74.409 seconds riding Gama Righter Z, and eventually taking home the fourth place award.

Angel Karolyi and Galant, owned by McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, were only the third horse and rider combination to enter the ring during today’s 18-horse competition, but they easily jumped to the top of the leaderboard. The talented rider guided his nimble mount over each obstacle, and with each rail intact they crossed the finish line in 70.183 seconds to eventually earn the winning title.

Continue reading Angel Karolyi and Galant Speed to Victory in 1.40m Open Jumpers at Kentucky Summer Classic →