Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024

Engle Adds Record Ninth AGA Title

Margie Engle has claimed her ninth American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year title, adding to a record she already held. Engle earned 118 points with 14 clear rounds, 23 points ahead of Kent Farrington (95 points), with Laura Kraut third (93 points).

The rest of the top 10 are: 4. Aaron Vale (81); 5. Beezie Madden (75); 6. Ramiro Quintano (74); 7. Jeffery Welles (70); 8. Jimmy Torano (67); 9. McLain Ward (65); 10. Anne Kursinski (63).
PUBLISHED
WORDS BY

ADVERTISEMENT

Margie Engle has claimed her ninth American Grandprix Association Rider of the Year title, adding to a record she already held. Engle earned 118 points with 14 clear rounds, 23 points ahead of Kent Farrington (95 points), with Laura Kraut third (93 points).

The rest of the top 10 are: 4. Aaron Vale (81); 5. Beezie Madden (75); 6. Ramiro Quintano (74); 7. Jeffery Welles (70); 8. Jimmy Torano (67); 9. McLain Ward (65); 10. Anne Kursinski (63).

After winning the AGA award in 2003, Engle missed much of the 2004 season with a broken leg. But she returned to top form in 2005, beginning with a seventh-placed finish in the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Devon (Pa.) in May. The following week, Engle posted a win at the $100,000 Budweiser Upperville Jumper Classic (Va.). Two weeks later in Lake Placid (N.Y.), Engle finished second in the $50,000 Lake Placid Grandprix and seventh in the $75,000 I Love New York Grandprix. On July 17, Engle recorded her second win of the season at the $40,000 Merrill Lynch Cleveland Grand Prix in Moreland Hills, Ohio. Engle then notched third-placed finishes in the $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix on Aug. 7 and on Aug. 14 in the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Indianapolis. Engle sealed the year-end title by riding Hidden Creek\’s Perin to sixth place at the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix de Penn National in October.

ADVERTISEMENT

Farrington\’s mount Madison is the AGA Horse of the Year, winning a total of $85,650 for owner Alexa Weeks. Welles rode Armani to second place ($64,250), and Madden rode Authentic to third ($63,656).

Ellen Whitaker of Great Britain claimed the AGA Rookie of the Year title with sensational performances at the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.). She finished third in the $100,000 U.S. Open Jumper Championships and second (to uncle Michael Whitaker) in the $75,000 grand Prix of Tampa. All told she won $29,500 to nip Jaime Guerra by $6,700 and become the first European-based rider to win an AGA year-end title.

The AGA Championships will be held Dec. 2-4 during the National Horse Show in Wellington, Fla. But that seasonal finale doesn\’t count in the Rider or Horse of the Year standings

Categories:

ADVERTISEMENT

EXPLORE MORE

Follow us on

Sections

Copyright © 2024 The Chronicle of the Horse