International Eventer and Show Jumper Marilyn Little and the eight year old KWPN mare Zilox T, owned by Raylyn Farm, Inc. & Betsy Smith, won the $50,000 Los Angeles Anniversary Grand Prix at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA on November 3, 2012.  The win follows a week of consistent form for Little and her string of jumpers that have been showing at the LAEC showground. Zilox T had previously placed third in a 1.35m class as part of her warm-up this past week. 

“Zilox T is an incredible talent and will be a force to be reckoned in the Grand Prixs this year,” said Little. “She is careful, smart, has all the scope needed to jump any track in the world, and is devastatingly fast in the jump off. I have only had the privilege of riding Zilox T for a month since my return from Europe but thankfully the partnership has grown quickly. My sincere gratitude to Zilox’s owner Betsy Smith, for her incredible patience in her wait for my return to the show jumping arena, and for her (sometimes reluctant!) support in my eventing pursuits.”

To round off the week of showing her string of nine horses, Little and the eight year old Holsteiner mare Quintana 26 won Sunday’s $7,500 Stake Class on November 4th following several other top placings including a third place finish last Wednesday in the Equidrome behind her stable companion A Vaantje R,  the seven year old KWPN mare owned by Stephanie Barnes, who finished second. 

“Quintana is a class act from start to finish. She has unparalleled technique, consummate athleticism and a serious will to win. Developing a partnership with her was a real case study in helping a horse understand and enjoy the ‘game’ of show jumping. Now that she knows how to play she plays to win…every time,” added Little.

It has been a successful return to the show jumping arena for Little who has spent the summer focusing on her eventing team. “These wins are especially meaningful as this week marks the initiation of a simultaneous International campaign in both the eventing and show jumping sports that has been planned for some time now.  It has been my hope that the dominant portion of time and focus given to my eventing endeavors over the past year and a half would help construct a team of horses and partners that might then be integrated into my show jumping program at Raylyn. To have been blessed with two major wins in this first week of show jumping competition in almost a year is incredibly exciting. The fact that these wins fall only two weeks on the heels of RF Smoke on the Water and RF Demeter’s success at the CCI*** at Fair Hill; U.S. Eventing Fall Championships is incredibly validating. The logistical and organizational effort is certainly substantial, but thanks to the incredible team of people at Raylyn; wonderful owners and sponsors, and a phenomenal group of horses contending in both sports, the plan seems to be coming together and shows serious promise. This is an exciting time.”

Little will be showing for a second week at the Burbank venue before traveling to Las Vegas to show at the Las Vegas National.