DECEMBER 4, 2011 – WELLINGTON, FL – The $50,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix was the highlight class of the week at the Holiday and Horses Show, hosted by Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, and Indigo were able to secure the victory in the FEI World Cup qualifier, and Engle also finished second with Lord Spezi.

Anthony D’Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY, set the course for 42 entries and six were able to find the path to a clear round. “I thought it was a good course,” Engle said. “The oxer to oxer one stride you don’t see very often. You need to have that for World Cup courses. It’s a real scope test and you need a legitimate horse to do it. There were a lot of rails in different places. If you’re going to do World Cup Finals, you need that. He tested everything; he tested carefulness, he tested scope, the verticals were quite tall. I thought he did a great job.”

Margie Engle (USA) and Indigo took to the jump-off and were able to take the lead with the only clear round of the jump-off in 43.42 seconds. Indigo, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro, is owned by Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek, and Gladewinds.

“I was trying to go neat and I knew I had some fast ones behind me,” Engle recalled. “I wanted to be neat but not risk too much. I figured I could take a little shot at the last oxer. I didn’t mean to take as much of a shot to the double. I knew the in and out was tight and he backed up beautifully on his own.”

Engle returned to the jump-off on her second mount, Lord Spezi, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Lord Pezi x Grandeur owned by Ashland Farms. Although they had a rail for four faults, they had the fastest time of the night in 43.26 seconds, which left them in second place.

Engle noted, “I was really pleased with Spezi. He did the World Cup at Toronto. He was really good there and got a ribbon. We were debating whether to go or not. He jumped really well and had a light rub. I turned back a little short and ran out of room. He caught Indigo’s time though.”

Results: $50,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix

1.INDIGO: 2000 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro x Unknown
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Griese, Garber, Hidden Creek & Gladewinds: 0/43.42

2. LORD SPEZI: 1998 Oldenburg gelding by Lord Pezi x Grandeur
MARGIE ENGLE (USA), Ashland Farms: 4/43.26

Excerpt from article written by Jennifer Woods Media Inc.