WELLINGTON, FL (November 27, 2002) – Aaron Vale aboard Nonix Le Parc out-jumped a field of 30 to win the National Horse Show's $25,000 Welcome Stake at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Florida, today, wrapping up the second day of classes at this six-day event. Vale, 34, of Camden, South Carolina, and the 15-year-old Australian Thoroughbred owned by Millstream, blazed to victory in an 11-horse jump-off, competing against the hometown Olympians – Lauren Hough, Margie Engle, Todd Minikus, and Norman Dello Joio. Vale said he was "excited, excited" about his win. "I won the first open jumper class at the National Horse Show in Wellington for the first time. It's a bit of a first," he said.

Vale has had the ride on Nonix Le Parc (by Southern Hemisphere) for two-and-a-half years. There was a six-month separation when the horse was sold, but a client bought him back for Vale to ride. "He was super today," said Vale. "Actually the jump-off course wasn't particularly suited to him. He's a much better horse going to the right, and the course was all to the left except for the last two fences. I wasn't particularly thrilled with the course on paper. But the turns weren't so severe, so when you can just let him gallop and use his natural speed across the ground, he's usually tough to beat."

Vale has ridden in the National Horse Show many times, both as a child and as an adult; he won hunter classes "a long time ago" at Madison Square Garden. "Any win in the National Horse Show is a major win," he noted with a grin. Vale found the new venue in Wellington to be an improvement over the New York City show in some respects. "The conditions are ideal. It's a little more horse-friendly than New York and a bit more convenient than going to the city for someone like myself, being that my work is based in South Carolina." Vale pointed out a few more perks offered at the new location. "It's nice just to see them have the horse show. I was thrilled to see that it was going to be down here. This is a great venue and another opportunity to jump here. I haven't been showing here for the last 10 years for the whole circuit [Cosequin Winter Equestrian Festival] like a lot of people, so for me it's another opportunity to come here."

Though he would normally be "at home breaking two-year-olds" at this time of year, with the new dates for the National, Vale is in Florida for the week and will be participating in all the open jumper classes including the High Jump on Friday, November 29, that offers a $250,000 purse for a record-breaking jump (8' 2" minimum) and the $100,000 Jumper Championship on Sunday, December 1, a World Cup Qualifier.

Vale's High Jump horse is Innovator, an eight-year-old, American Thoroughbred who recently jumped in the Puissance at Washington. "It was the first time he'd done a class like that," said Vale of the young horse. "He's got a lot of ability but he's a little inexperienced. The format of this class [High Jump] may help him because if you knock it down you get a couple of chances, so maybe he'll gain experience along the way if he makes a mistake." But Vale is not entered just for the experience. "Oh, no! I'm going in to try, man!"

Nonix Le Parc's sole remaining class in the National is Sunday's World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix. "I don't have any points so far, so it would kind of be a long shot to think I'd make it at this point," said Vale regarding his chances of being named to the US team for the World Cup, which will be held in April in Las Vegas. "But sometimes you can come from behind and win, so I wouldn't rule it out, but certainly at this point I'm not in the driver's seat to qualify."

In today's class however, Vale was in the driver's seat from start to finish. "It was fun," he grinned. "That's why we're here. When the prize list for the show came out, there was a lot of money in the open division – I was thrilled. They let me bring an extra horse for the High Jump so I could bring two speed horses, and I was just thrilled. Let me at it! They're putting up a lot of money – let's jump!" he laughed, and then paused to reflect, "That's what it's all about, right? I hope. It's supposed to be. That's what it's about for us."