UPPER MARLBORO, Md--Amanda Steege on Lafitte de Muze won the $50,000 WCHR Professional Challenge at the Capital Challenge Horse Show on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Amanda Steege on Lafitte de Muze (Photo b y Shawn McMillen Photography)As the only one to score above 90 in both rounds, 91 and 92.33, Steege on Lafitte de Muze, a 14-year-old BWP gelding by Darco, had the top score of 183.33 for The win.

Placing second with a total of 181.24 after scoring 89.83 and 91.41, John French on Babylon just missed winning his fourth Pro Challenge.

Nick Haness Circa scored 89.16 and 91.33 for a 180.49 total and third place.

Steege riiding “Lafitte” won the Challenge for the third time after she first won in 2018,  and this was the second year in a row, which helped the pair qualify for the WCHR Hunter Spectacular this winter in Florida as well as giving Steege a place in Friday night’s WCHR Professional Finals.

“It's always such a thrill to win this class,” said Steege, “but it was extra special to win it back to back on Lafitte."

 

"IT'S ONE of the classes that we all plan for all year long, and with the quality of the horses that end up in this class and the crowd and the atmosphere here at Capital Challenge, I feel like the horses and the riders really rise to the challenge,” she said.

“He was really quite spectacular for all the jumps,” she said. “He was very good this afternoon, but I think he knows when it's a night class and he rises to the occasion. The two single oxers and the triple combination were probably my favorite of his jumps in the second round.”

Lafitte de Muze and Amanda Steege in their winning presentation. Photo by Shawn McMillen Photography

Steege attributes Lafitte’s consistency to his heart, desire, managing his schedule, conformation, saying “He’s built to last.”