Tag Archives: Nicolas Pizarro

Mexico Has Triumphant Homecoming at Coapexpan

The winning team from Mexico (FEI/Anwar Esquivel)

Mexico earned the series title when the North and Central America and Caribbean division of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ series last took place in 2019. In front of a home crowd at Coapexpan in Xalapa (MEX), the home squad set the tone for a strong 2022 season with a statement victory over Canada and the United States.

Led by newly appointed Chef d’Equipe Mark Laskin, the veteran squad of Nicolas Pizarro (Pia Contra), Federico Fernandez (Romeo), Patricio Pasquel (Babel), and Manuel Gonzalez Dufrane (Hortensia van de Leeuwerk) established a commanding three-rail lead in the first round with a perfect “0” score thanks to clear efforts from Fernandez, Pasquel, and Gonzalez Dufrane. They finished things off with two rails in hand on a final score of 12.

“I’ve been very impressed with the Mexican riders. I have a lot of depth and a lot of riders for us to select from. Obviously, my idea was to really start things off with a bang, and I think we accomplished that,” said Laskin.

It was not quite as smooth of sailing for the United States, as a young American squad was shockingly eliminated in the first round, and with no drop score, every rail counted for Canada, who sat on 12 faults entering Round 2.

But the Canadians rallied. The team’s youngest rider, Jacqueline Steffens, produced a critical clear round to add some pressure, while Pizarro and Fernandez each recorded 8 faults in their respective second rounds. Pasquel and his spectacular homebred Babel bolstered things with a double-clear effort, and Gonzalez Dufrane and Hortensia van de Leeuwerk, who so often have acted as team anchors, delivered once again to cement Mexico’s status atop the podium.

“I’m very comfortable being the anchor rider, and I had no pressure in the second round,” Gonzalez Dufrane said. “My teammates had already [all but] clinched the win.”

“I’m just very grateful to my fellow riders for giving me this amazing gift to win a Nations Cup in our hometown,” Fernandez said, “because that’s the best feeling ever.”

The North and Central America and Caribbean division of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ continues in Vancouver (CAN) on 5 June 2022.

Full results here.

By Catie Staszak

FEI Media Contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
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+41 78 750 61 46

Nicolas Pizarro and Temascaltepec Lead Wire to Wire in $34,000 1.45m Speed at WEF 11

Nicolas Pizarro and Temascaltepec. Photo © Sportfot.

Wellington, FL – March 18, 2015 – The 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) began its eleventh week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Wednesday with a win for Mexico’s Nicolas Pizarro and Temascaltepec in the $34,000 1.45m FEI speed class. The pair was first to go and set an unbeatable pace that led the way through 60 competitors. Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Beluga finished second; Heather Caristo-Williams (USA) and Cosmopolitan 30 placed third.

Watch Nicolas Pizarro and Temascaltepec in their winning round!

WEF 11, sponsored by Artisan Farms, runs March 18-22. The highlight event of the week is the $127,000 Engel & Völkers Grand Prix CSI 4* on Saturday, March 21. Other features include the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 on Thursday, the George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championship presented by Alessandro Albanese on Friday, and the $50,000 Artisan Farms Under 25 Grand Prix Final, presented by The Dutta Corp. in association with Guido Klatte, as well as the $85,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on Sunday. Both classes on Sunday will be held on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC. Saturday’s grand prix along with Friday’s equitation championship and Sunday’s classes on the derby field will all be livestreamed at www.COTH.com.

Olaf Petersen Jr. of Germany is the international course designer this week. Petersen saw 60 rounds in his 1.45m speed class with 11 clears, but no one could top Pizarro’s time without fault. Pizarro guided Armando Torrado’s Temascaltepec to an unbeatable clear round in 68.42 seconds to kick off the class. Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm LLC’s Beluga were second with their time of 70.33 seconds. Caristo-Williams and Holly Caristo’s Cosmopolitan 30 had a time of 70.98 seconds to place third. Caitlin Ziegler (USA) and Artisan Farms LLC’s Carlson 46 were fourth in 71.70 seconds.

Class winner, Temascaltepec, is an eight-year-old Mexican Sport Horse mare by Balou du Rovet x Bachus. The mare was bred by her owner in Mexico and named for the town she was born in. Pizarro has ridden the horse since she was four years old.

“The first jump she made was with me, so I know her really well,” Pizarro detailed. “She is really special. She is a mare; she has a lot of character, but in the ring she is such a fighter.”

Temascaltepec has had fantastic results throughout the WEF circuit and Pizarro was happy to see her progression and finally get a win. The mare started out placing second in the 1.35m and fourth in the 1.40m during week one. Then she was third in the 1.45 week two and sixth in the FEI 1.45m week three. In week five, the she placed fifth in the 1.40m speed challenge, and in week eight she placed sixth in the $5,000 CSIO Speed Stake.

“She is a young mare. She is only eight,” Pizarro said. “I have been developing her since she was four. She is such a nice jumper. She is always in the ribbons, always trying and always jumping so nice. This is her first big win, so I am really happy with her. I took her to Ocala and she jumped the 1.50m and qualified my other horse for the grand prix there. Here in week eight, she did the WEF (Challenge Cup), and also qualified my other horse for the grand prix. I could not be happier with her.”

Going first, Pizarro did not know how the class would unfold with many top horses and riders to follow, but he did his round and hoped for the best.

“I made my plan, and I really stuck to it,” Pizarro stated. “I knew that hopefully, if we had a little luck, we would be there. At the beginning you never know how it is going to go. Some went really fast, but at the end we had luck and we could win the class.”

“My plan was to go inside to number two, but then I also wanted to go inside to number three, but I could not do it. She jumped so big over number two, so then I had to go outside,” Pizarro said of his round. “There I think I left one or two strides out to try to make up for the time. Then the triple bar I went just as neat as I could go, and the vertical the same. To both combinations I had to do one more stride because she has such a big stride that she jumps so big going in. The Rolex combination was my most difficult part of the class, so when she jumped that so nice, I knew we could be there. Then to the rollback to number ten I had a lot of luck. I had a big rub there. The rail bounced up and down, but it stayed there, so we could make it home.”

With a great win as the winter circuit nears its end, Pizarro will finish out the final weeks and then give Temascaltepec a well-deserved rest. Then he looks to the future.

“I will just keep building her up. I think at the end she will be a fantastic mare,” he smiled.

This season marks Pizarro’s sixth year competing at the Winter Equestrian Festival, and he acknowledged the significance of being able to develop horses at every level throughout the circuit.

“It is great to have the twelve weeks to build up your young horses. You can do a lot of types of classes. They always change the jumps, so you get to jump a lot of different jumps and the horses get great experience. The footing is fantastic, and the organization is great. I have had a super season, and I am really happy,” he concluded.

Also showing on Wednesday, the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class was held in a California Split with wins for Laura Chapot and Bradberry in Section A and McKayla Langmeier and Candy Tribble’s Promised Land in Section B. The $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class concluded the day with a win for Alise Oken and Belmont.

WEF 11 continues on Thursday, featuring the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 11 in the International Arena at PBIEC. The E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring will present championship honors in the Wrenwood Farms High Performance Working Hunters. For full results and more information, please visit www.pbiec.com.

Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

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info@jenniferwoodmedia.com

Nicolas Pizarro and Colasko Win Imperial Challenge 1.55m at Spruce Meadows

Nicolas Pizarro Suarez of MEX riding Colasko. Photos © Spruce Meadows Media Services.

Will Simpson and Geledimar Top $33,500 West Canadian Cup 1.50m

Calgary, AB, Canada – June 29, 2014 – The ‘Canada One’ Tournament at Spruce Meadows concluded on Sunday with a win for Mexico’s Nicolas Pizarro Suarez and Colasko in the $125,000 Imperial Challenge 1.55m in the Meadows on the Green. Will Simpson (USA) and Geledimar were victorious in the $33,500 West Canadian Cup 1.50m earlier in the day.

Cristina Larangeiro of Portugal was the course designer for Sunday’s main event, which saw 30 entries in total with five advancing to the tie-breaking jump-off. Pizarro and Monica Burrillo Eguia’s Colasko completed the fastest of two double clear rounds in 43.40 seconds to take their first major international grand prix victory.

The top two belonged to Mexico, as Santiago Lambre and Johnny Boy completed the only other clear round over the short course in 43.77 seconds to finish in reserve. Venezuela’s Pablo Barrios had the fastest jump-off round with ZL Group, Inc.’s Zara Leandra in 42.54 seconds, but dropped a rail at the final fence to finish third.

As Pizarro was on course in the jump-off, he heard the announcer state that he was ahead in the intermediary time, but explained that he thought he was behind. “They said I was one-tenth ahead, but when I heard that I thought I was one-tenth behind, so I did a sharp turn,” the rider detailed. “When I came out of the turn I just followed to the last jump, but I can never focus on the blue and white rails. I saw a distance that was far too long, so then I pulled back and he really came back quickly and I had to push up again. Then I was a little bit deep. I was a little lucky, but in Mexico we have a saying that there is no champion without luck. Sometimes you have to have a little bit of luck, but today it came and it was a really fantastic day.”

Pizarro (35), the number one ranked rider in Mexico for over two years, has had two top Nations Cup finishes, earning a silver medal in Wellington and a bronze medal at the ‘Masters’ here in Calgary, but noted that this was his biggest individual placing.

Pizarro has had his winning mount Colasko, a nine-year-old Oldenburg stallion (Coleman x Granus), for four years and hopes to continue developing the talented horse to championship quality.

“It is really fantastic. I made this horse. I bought him when he was five and he was super green, so it is really amazing to build him up,” the rider stated. “He is really a stallion. He has a very good attitude, but at the end he is always a stallion, so you have to always give him a good ride. The minute he feels that you are forcing him to do something, he doesn’t like it at all, but he is always trying to do his best. The first week here I was just coming back from surgery for a broken collarbone. I could not even hold my hand, but he was always jumping well for me. He was right there. This week he was amazing since the first day.”

Pizarro has been showing at Spruce Meadows for the last six years and was really hoping to get an international win this summer. As he was getting started with his day on Sunday, he was thinking about when the moment would come.

“This morning I was watching a student in the All Canada Ring and I was thinking. I always try to be patient, but this is my sixth year here at Spruce Meadows and I just thinking that there had to be a day that I would have an international win here,” Pizarro said. “I have been second and third, but I have never won. Then I went by the barns and I saw the ribbons that people have won and I thought one day I could have one, and it was today.”

Pizarro began riding at a young age and then became a professional 18 years ago. He also has many students and explained that it is important to jump at the very best competitions and push yourself to improve.

“I always try to do really good shows, and this is one of them,” he acknowledged. “I try to go to Wellington during the winter and spend the summers here because then you are in the real sport.”

As the summer continues, we will see more of Pizarro and Colasko next week. He plans to show in the 1.50m on Thursday and will then jump Saturday’s $210,000 ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Will Simpson and Geledimar
Will Simpson and Geledimar

Simpson Guides Geledimar to Victory

The first competition in the Meadows on the Green on Sunday was the $33,500 West Canadian Cup 1.50m with a win for Will Simpson (USA) and Monarch International’s Geledimar, an 11-year-old Zangersheide mare by Grosso Z x Lord Z. Cristina Larangeiro set the track for 44 starters with seven advancing to the jump-off and five double clear rounds.

Kara Chad (CAN) and Stone Ridge Farms’ Alberto II jumped the first clear round over the short course in 42.81 seconds to eventually finish third. Ben Asselin (CAN) and Attache Stables’ Makavoy jumped next and stopped the clock in 45.17 seconds to finish fifth. Angel Karolyi (VEN) upped the ante in 42.41 seconds next with Hollow Creek Farm’s Indiana 127 to take second place honors. They were followed by Will Simpson and Geledimar, who clocked the winning time of 42.25 seconds. Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Artisan Farms’ Fine Lady 5 were last to go and finished fourth in 43.10 seconds.

Geledimar has shown mostly with her owner, Hannah von Heidegger, but after the rider had a fall earlier in the week, Simpson took over the reins.

“I haven’t had a whole lot of rounds with the horse,” Simpson noted. “I have ridden her for a while and I know her well from training Hannah. She had a little bobble on another horse the other day, so she’s out for a little while, but she’ll be back. In the meantime, the mare has been a little bit of a handful. She has gotten to where she thinks she is queen of everything, so I thought it would be good to put the pedal to the metal a little bit and it has been great. She is a competitor and she is really coming into her own here, so Hannah is going to be anxious to get back on. She is kind of ironed out and going strong.”

Simpson had a fast time to beat following Angel Karolyi and Indiana 127, but he and Geledimar blazed through the course to take the winning edge. Commenting on his round, Simpson detailed, “I thought I was lickety-split everywhere. That is just the way it goes at Spruce Meadows. You have to go flat out everywhere. It was just the pace; I don’t think you could take much off. You had to be on it everywhere.”

This was Simpson’s first international victory at Spruce Meadows since winning a World Cup qualifier with Archie Bunker in 2010. “It has been too long,” he smiled. “It was nice to get back out here and get a win.”

Competition at the Spruce Meadows Summer Series continues next week with the ‘North American’ CSI 5* Tournament, running July 2-6. The competition will feature the $210,000 ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Saturday, July 5, and the $210,000 Cenovus Energy Classic 1.50m Derby on Sunday, July 6. Highlights also include the $85,000 Sun Life Financial ‘Reach for the Sun’ 1.55m competition on Wednesday, July 2, and the $85,000 Progress Energy Cup 1.55m on Thursday, July 3, as well as the $85,000 TD Cup 1.50m on Saturday, July 5, and the $85,000 Enbridge Cup 1.50m on Sunday, July 6. For more information and full results, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.

Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

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