Enrique Gonzalez and Balou’s Captain
September 1, 2018 – Del Mar, CA – Enrique Gonzalez and Balou’s Captain, owned by Carlos Hank, Jr., provided the only clear round to top the field of twenty-three competitors in today’s $25,000 Showpark All Seasons Grand Prix. Nick Gegen on Coral Reef Baloufino and Angel Karolyi on Extra Minkus finished second and third, respectively, having one time fault each.
International course designer Anderson Lima built a challenging 1.45m track on the grass Grand Prix Field that included a triple bar, double and triple combinations, and a liverpool.
Gonzalez’s speedy track and inside turns, along with the large stride and scope of Balou’s Captain, led to the only clear performance, well within the 84 second time allowed. He definitely had a plan and did a nice job of executing it. “I was able to see the first few riders go and noticed that the time allowed was a bit tight,” said Gonzalez. “My strategy was to be clear and fast, because I saw that a few other riders had already had time faults. It worked out very well.”
Although Gegen was clear over the fences, he crossed the timers with an unfortunate time penalty in a time of 84.74 seconds. Karolyi did the same, crossing the timers in 84.81.
Balou’s Captain has a bright future ahead of him. “This was his first grand prix today, which is very exciting. Carlos usually rides him, but I think I will take him to a few more horse shows and then he will be showing him,” Gonzalez noted. “He is a nice horse, very careful and very brave.”
Enrique Gonzalez and Balou’s Captain with Robert Ridland, Balou’s Captain’s groom, Charlie, and Melissa Brandes
Unique to this event were special awards for the Winning Trainer and Groom. Gonzalez earned $4,500 in Blenheim EquiSports horse show credit as the Winning Trainer and Charlie, Balou’s Captain’s groom, took home the $500 Winning Groom Award.
The Showpark All Seasons Classic will conclude with the Young Jumper Classic qualifiers on Sunday morning. Young horses, U25 riders, Medal Finalists and more are preparing for the final two outdoor shows of the Blenheim EquiSports season, the Blenheim Fall Tournament and the International Jumping Festival, coming to San Juan Capistrano in September.
RESULTS
$25,000 Showpark All Seasons Grand Prix
Place – Entry Number – Horse – Rider – Owner – Faults/Time
1. 311 – Balou’s Captian – Enrique Gonzalez – Carlos Hank, Jr. – 0/77.638
2. 104 – Coral Reef Baloufino – Nick Gegen – Coral Reef Ranch, LLC – 1/84.746
3. 394 – Extra Minkus – Angel Karolyi – John Perez – 1/84.816
4. 323 – Simpatica 33 – Wendy Lee Thompson – Wendy Lee Thompson – 3/86.830
5. 403 – Pomerol – Patricio Pasquel – Patricio Pasquel – 4/78.252
6. 360 – Clarinius – Francie Nilforushan – Ali Nilforushan- 4/80.366
7. 296 – Conthendrix- Mary Frances Looke -Mary Frances Looke – 4/83.700
8. 144 – Ariell La Serene – Hannah Loly – Hannah Loly – 6/85.934
9. 402 – Don Aurelio – Patricio Pasquel – Patricio Pasquel – 8/79.382
10. 139 – Elicole – Jason McArdle – Fairbanks Valley Farm – 8/80.062
11. 407 – The Gladiator – Tiffany Sullivan – Haley Farms, LLC – 8/82.618
12. 306 – Corin 3 – Caroline Lynn – C & M Partnership – 8/87.294
Photos by Captured Moment Photography ###
