Tag Archives: Emma Wujek

Darragh Kenny Claims Second Consecutive Kentucky Horse Shows Grand Prix

Photo: Darragh Kenny and Balou du Reventon.

Lexington, Ky. – May 19, 2018 – Saturday of the Kentucky Spring Classic closed with the week’s highlight event, the $131,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix CSI3*, honoring the late Mary Rena Murphy. Forty-one horse-and-rider combinations were tested over Guilherme Jorge’s (BRA) 16-effort course which saw 11 athletes finish clear to move into the jump-off round, but once again Ireland’s Darragh Kenny was unstoppable to claim the Saturday night victory under the lights on the second week of the Kentucky Spring Horse Show series, this time with brand new mount, Balou du Reventon.

Kenny and Ann Thompson’s Balou du Reventon just started showing together two weeks ago, but they are on an impressive streak after finishing second in Thursday’s $35,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic CSI3* and jumping to a number of clear rounds during their new partnership in Kentucky. Saturday night amplified their success as they flew to a clear round in 41.54 seconds to capture the featured grand prix victory. The 12-year-old Oldenburg stallion is already showing promise as an option for Kenny in this year’s World Equestrian Games.

Early pathfinder Margie Engle (USA) was the first to produce a clear round with long-time partner Royce, and first to return for the jump-off round. She and Gladewinds Partners, LLC’s 14-year-old Oldenburg stallion put on the pressure with a clear round in a time of 42.08 seconds, but their time was just overtaken by Kenny and the pair finished in second place.

Rowan Willis (AUS) and his own Blue Movie, an 11-year-old Anglo European Warmblood mare, followed with a clear jump-off round in a time of 42.55 seconds, speeding to a third place finish. The pair recently traveled to the United States in February to capture a notable victory in the $265,000 Longines Grand Prix CSI5* at HITS Ocala.

The Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix is held every year in honor of the late Mary Rena Murphy, an important part of American horse show history. Murphy was known for helping many top hunter and jumper professionals begin their careers, in addition to being a successful horse show organizer. She began her career in her hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. She is most known for promoting the Kentucky Horse Park and helping shape the park into what it so well-known for today, world class hunter and jumper shows that not only cater to world class competition, but also to all levels of the equestrian sport.

Emma Wujek and Augusta Iwasaki Lead Day One of Large Junior Hunters

The Kentucky Spring Classic’s junior riders braved Saturday morning’s rainy weather to compete in the Large Junior Hunter divisions, which are divided by age into the 16-17 and 15 and under. After two over fences classes in the 16-17 division, it was Emma Wujek who took the lead with Carento after placing first and third. Directly after, the 15 and under juniors took to the ring to see Augusta Iwasaki top the lead by placing first and second in the over fences rounds with Small Occasion.

Wujek and Carento just began their partnership together last week, while showing at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Their compatibility showed in the ring after producing two solid over fences rounds which placed them as the top contenders for Sunday’s champion ribbon. Carento showed successfully throughout the duration of the Winter Equestrian Festival with owner Erika Luter. Wujek also placed second and fourth with her other mount, Puppet.

Iwasaki is no stranger to the winner’s circle at just 14 years old, with big wins at USEF Pony Finals in 2017 and USHJA National Hunter Derbies. Her partnership with Small Occasion began during the summer of 2017 and the pair plan to continue to show in the Large Junior Hunters, with high hopes of capturing the championship ribbon. Iwasaki is also entered in the division with another mount, Small Anecdote, where they placed second and third in Saturday’s over fences classes.

Contact: Rebecca Walton
phone 561.753.3389 fax 561.753.3386
rjw@phelpsmediagroup.com
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Christina Fisher and Hannah Patten Blaze to Blue Ribbons in Rolex Stadium

Christina Fisher on Zanzibar.

Lexington, Ky. – Aug. 4, 2017 – Amateurs ruled the Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Summer Classic horse show. Christina Fisher of Atlanta, Georgia won the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper speed class on Zanzibar in a time of 58.482 seconds, beating out 32 other competitors. In addition, Hannah Patten won her own blue ribbon in the Medium Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumper speed class aboard Love. The pair completed the course in a time of 52.632 seconds.

Christina Fisher, a 24-year-old and recent graduate of Georgia Tech, competes in both the hunter and jumper rings with equal success. Though she started riding hunters as a child and only just began competing in the jumpers over the past year, Fisher has wasted no time moving up the divisions. After purchasing Zanzibar a year ago, Fisher has shown the 13-year-old KWPN gelding in both the Low Amateur Jumpers as well as hunter classes including the USHJA hunter derbies. The pair is planning to compete together in the upcoming 2017 USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship here at the Kentucky Horse Park in two weeks.

Patten’s win in the Medium Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers on Love, her 15-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding, is just one of the reasons the 18-year-old from Williamstown, Massachusetts is having a great two weeks at the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows. In addition to winning on Friday afternoon, Patten cheered on her trainer, Sydney Shulman, and her 9-year-old gelding Curby Du Seigneur to a win in Thursday evening’s $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic.

Patten, who moonlights as the author of the popular lifestyle blog, The Patten Standard, credits her strong bond with Love to her competitive instinct. The pair has been competing together for five years and most recently won the Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic at the Fairfield Hunt Club June Classic.

Emma Wujek Claims Grand Junior Hunter Championship at Kentucky Summer Classic

On a beautiful afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park, junior rider Emma Wujek from Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan claimed the Grand Junior Hunter Championship at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Wujek competed John Yozell’s Breeze, a 12-year-old Warmblood mare in the Large Junior Hunter 15 and Under division. The pair won two of the over fences classes, earned a blue ribbon in the handy, placed second in the undersaddle and received a yellow ribbon in the remaining over fences class.

Wujek rides with Tim and Kelly Goguen of Boggs Hill Farm and spends many weeks training with them at their base in Lexington, Kentucky and Wellington, Florida during the winter months. The talented bay mare is a sales horse and the junior rider has had the opportunity to work with her for the past three weeks. The duo competed at the Great Lake Equestrian Festival and then traveled to the Kentucky Horse Shows. Wujek will remain in Kentucky for a few weeks and looks forward to the indoor season.

Though Wujek competes the mare in the junior hunter ring, Havens Schatt occasionally competes Breeze in derbies, and placed ninth overall at the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the Devon Horse Show in May as well as third in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the inaugural Deeridge Derby Weekend in Wellington in March.

The Grand Junior Hunter Championship is sponsored by Visse Wedell with Kirkpatrick & Companies. During the show, she noted, “I sponsor the grand hunter champions because I feel it is important to support the hunters and I want to give something extra special to the people that exceed in their divisions whether it is the professionals or the amateurs or pony riders. I love to give a trophy because we all like to go home with something special other than a cooler or a backpack.”

Website: www.kentuckyhorseshows.com

Contact: Rebecca Walton
phone 561.753.3389 fax 561.753.3386
rjw@phelpsmediagroup.com
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Samuel Parot and Atlantis Win $216,000 The Wanderers Club Grand Prix CSI 4* at WEF

Samuel Parot and Atlantis. Photos © Sportfot.

Emma Wujek and Puppet Top Engel & Völkers Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under

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.

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.

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.

“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.”

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.”

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!”

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.