Mexico’s Gonzalez wins Grand Prix CSI 2
WELLINGTON — Enr i que Gonzalez, one of Mexico’s leading riders, and Chacna won the $86,000 Marshall & Sterling Insurance Grand Prix CSI 2 late Saturday night at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
Gonzalez topped a fifield of eight Olympians, vet - eran show jumpers and top up-and-comers with double clear rounds and fastest jump-offff time in 40.36 seconds in the “Saturday Night Lights” featured event.
C h a c n a , m a k i n g h e r Winter Equestrian Festival and night event debut, is a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare. Gonzalez’s last WEF appearance was in 2011. It also was his fifirst grand prix win at PBIEC.
“The last year has been r e a l l y g o o d , ” G o n z a l e z s a i d. “S he l e a r ned a l ot and improved a lot. Now I think she is ready to really compete at this level. We are here for the whole season and hopefully we can keep it up for the rest of the season.
“She has never shown h e re a n d sh e h a s n e ve r 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, 52, has been in the horse industry for more than 30 years.
He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games and competed for Mexico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was the fifirst Mexican rider to sign with a major sponsor (Comcel) in 1992. He is currently leading the West Coast standings and has qualifified for the FEI World Cup Finals in April.
Mar g i e E n g l e o f Wes t Palm Beach and her longtime mount Indigo were runners-up with double clear rounds in 41.02. Indigo, a 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood, is co-owned by former Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese, Hidden Creek and Gladewinds.
“He gave it a shot,” Engle said. “I went as fast as I could at the beginning. He doesn’t know he’s any older. He acts younger than most of my young horses. He i s still young at heart.”
On Sunday, Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beer- baum and 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Dai sy won the $35,000 Suncast 1.50-meter Championship Jumper Classic to end the second week of the Winter Equestrian Festival.
In her step up to the 1.50meter level, Daisy turned in double clear rounds in 41.89 seconds in the jump-offff.
Fo r mer Juni o r Eque s - trian Rider of the Year Lillie Keenan, 20, of Harvard, and Be Gentle went two-fortwo in the fifirst two Hollow Creek Farm Under-25 Grand Prix Series events.
On Sunday, the duo won the $ 25,000 event topping a fifield of 65 riders with the fastest jump-offff of 39.85 seconds. They also won the 62- rider series opener in 60.84 seconds in the oneround speed class. In other events: ■ Alvaro Tejada of Guatemala and Voltaral Palo Blanco and Daniel Coyle of Ireland and Cita won the $35,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 2. Tejada won the Section A class with double clear rounds in 40.82 seconds. Coyle won Section B with double clear rounds in 40.86 seconds.
■ H a r d i n To we l l a n d Cadence, a 16-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, won the $8,000 Douglas Elliman 1.45-meter speed class in 55.11 seconds.
■ Jimmy Torano of Wellington and Betagravin, an 11-year- old Dutch Warmblood, won the $6,000 Illustrated Properties 1.40-meter FEI speed class in 55.60 seconds.