Edited Press Release
September 28, 2024 – Upper Marlboro, MD – Children’s hunters took to The Show Place Arena on the first Saturday evening of the 2024 Capital Challenge Horse Show, where 12-year-old Luca Endzweig of Palm Beach, FL, topped the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Children’s Hunter Finals, presented by Charles Ancona.
Twenty-eight riders challenged the first round after qualifying throughout the country over the last year. The top 12 returned in reverse order of standing for a second jumping round with scores combined for an overall total.
Endzweig impressed judges David Beisel and Julie Winkel in both rounds. She pocketed an 88 to top the field in the opening round and secured the opportunity to return last with the top 12.
Riding Tibri’s Simply Red, an eight-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Tibri, LLC, Endzweig posted an 86 in the second round to seal the win on a 174 total. She beat out Kenzie Smith, 13, of Shoreham, NY, by one point. Smith posted a 173—boosted by the top score in the second round of an 87— to finish second riding Mirage for owner Charlotte Rossetter. Third-place honors were presented to Lucy Massucci, 15, of Redington Beach, FL, riding her own MTM Cocktail. Together they paired two 85s for a 170 total.
“I think this is one of the biggest wins I have ever had,” said Endzweig, who started competing at Capital Challenge in 2020 with her small ponies. “I love coming here every year.”
She felt the pressure returning last with the lead in hand. “I was definitely nervous [coming into the second round], but my trainer told me to focus on riding my course,” said Endzweig, who has had the ride on Tibri’s Simply Red since the end of 2023. “I always say he’s the sweetest in the barn; he’s kindhearted. He’s definitely my heart horse.
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