Tag Archives: CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament

Nicole Walker Wins $86,000 CSI2* Caledon Cup

September 26, 2016 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Nicole Walker riding Deko de Landetta Z. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Caledon, Ontario — Nicole Walker, 22, of Aurora, ON, topped a nine-horse jump-off to win the $86,000 CSI2* Caledon Cup – Phase Three, presented by HEP, Aviva Insurance, and Edge Mutual Insurance on Sunday, September 25, at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament in Caledon, ON.

In addition to winning Sunday’s grand finale, Walker also claimed her first Caledon Cup, presented by RAM Equestrian. Held over three phases of competition on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the Caledon Cup is presented to the rider who gains the most points in all three phases. With a third place finish in Thursday’s $10,000 Caledon Cup – Phase One as well as fourth in Friday evening’s $36,000 Caledon Cup – Phase Two, Walker was the clear winner of the 2016 Caledon Cup riding Deko de Landetta Z, her 12-year-old Westphalian stallion (Diamant de Semilly x Caletto I).

A total of 33 riders attempted the track set for Sunday’s $86,000 Caledon Cup – Phase Three. Walker had the enviable position of being last to go, turning in the ninth clear round over the track set by two-time Olympic course designer Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela and setting the stage for a thrilling jump-off. In an unusual twist, the lead was jointly held by Keean White of Rockwood, ON riding Corette and Friday night’s winner, Ali Ramsay of Victoria, BC with Hermelien vd Hooghoeve, who had both crossed the finish line in the exact same time of 42.36 seconds when Walker entered the ring as the final jump-off challenger.

Walker ensured that there would not be a tie for the win, leaving all the rails in place and galloping Deko de Landetta Z through the timers in 41.91 seconds to claim victory. In addition to her share of the prize money, Walker also received a $1,000 bonus from class sponsor HEP for wearing its branded saddle pad in all three phases of competition.

“I knew what I had to do!” said Walker of being the final jump-off challenger. “I think the jump-off suited my horse really well. He’s fast in the turns and he’s fast on the straightaways, so it was a good jump-off course for him. I didn’t want to give a pull on the reins; I know he is fast, I knew I could trust him, and he was super for me.”

The win marked Walker’s second career victory in International Equestrian Federation (FEI) sanctioned competition, with the other victory coming earlier this summer in the €25,000 CSI2* Prix Hotel Byblos in St. Tropez, FRA. Her partner for that win was also Deko de Landetta Z, her partner for the past four years.

“A win on home soil is always very special,” said Walker, who lives 45 minutes away from the Caledon Equestrian Park, host of equestrian events for the 2015 Pan American Games. “It’s very special to compete at this venue because it has the prestige of the Pan American Games. We can compete at it all summer long with great footing and great jumps. We are very lucky to have this venue so close to home.”

Walker’s consistency throughout the week allowed her to claim the Caledon Cup, presented by RAM Equestrian. At 22, she is by far the youngest athlete to ever hoist the trophy.

“It feels pretty good to win the Caledon Cup, and shows that my horse was feeling good all week,” said Walker of her last outdoor competition of the season. “The time allowed in the classes all week was quite tight with Leopoldo designing, but my horse is naturally very fast. On his day off on Saturday, we went for a hack and kept him happy. It’s nice when you have a plan and you stick to it.

“Thank you to the sponsors,” continued Walker, who trains with Irish Olympic medalist Cian O’Connor. “Without them, these classes wouldn’t exist. Luckily, I had the HEP saddle pad on all week long and got the extra $1,000 there as well!”

Walker’s horses will now enjoy a break from competition while she begins her career in the family business at Stronach Group. She then plans to compete in the Under 25 divisions at both the National Horse Show in Lexington, KY and the iconic Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON in November.

On Saturday evening, hunter competition took center stage with the $3,000 Canadian Hunter Derby. Carly Campbell-Cooper of Waterloo, ON topped a 16-horse starting field riding California for owner Meghan McDonald. Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON placed second riding Hide Away, while Toronto’s Cawthra Burns took third with Crush.

Pan Am Challenge classes for junior and amateur show jumping athletes rounded out the competition at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament. Fifteen-year-old Delany Owens of Burlington, ON riding Darrington beat out Mackenzie Munro of Toronto, ON aboard Fidelio 279 to win the $10,000 Low Pan Am Challenge, presented by Horseware Ireland. Riders qualified for the Low Pan Am Challenge based on points earned throughout the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park show season in the .9m, 1m and 1.10m divisions.

Meanwhile, riders qualified for the $20,000 High Pan Am Challenge, presented by MVS Solutions, based on money won in the 1.20m, 1.30m and 1.40m divisions. Julia Prather, 17, of Calgary, AB, topped the class riding Winny Boy for owner Bradon Equestrian Ltd. while Lindsay Farrow of Fenwick, ON was the runner-up riding Carbon Copy.

For more information on the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, including full results, please visit www.caledonequestrianpark.com.

Media Contact: Jennifer Ward
Starting Gate Communications
Cell: (613) 292-5439
www.startinggate.ca

Jennifer Ward, Show Jumping

Ian Millar Claims Second Consecutive Caledon Cup

September 29, 2015 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Ian Millar and Teddy du Bosquetiau. Photos by Ben Radvanyi.

Caledon, Ontario – For the second year in a row, Ian Millar of Perth, ON rode away with the Caledon Cup at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held September 23 to 27 at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park in Caledon, ON.

Following three intense phases of show jumping, all held in different formats, Millar decisively won the 2015 Caledon Cup, presented by RAM Equestrian, after claiming victory in the third and final phase, the $75,000 CSI2* Caledon Cup – Phase Three, presented by Edge Mutual Insurance and Aviva Insurance. Coupled with his second-place finish in Friday night’s $35,000 CSI2* Caledon Cup – Phase Two, Millar was awarded the Caledon Cup for the second year in a row. Millar also won the coveted Caledon Cup in 2011 riding Star Power.

Millar’s win in the $75,000 CSI2* Caledon Cup – Phase Three did not come easy, however. Course designer Bernardo Cabral of Portugal set a technical track, and his tight time allowed prevented three riders from moving forward to the jump-off. Friday night’s Phase Two winners, Amy Millar and Heros, jumped clear but failed to make it home in 76 seconds, a fate that also befell Calgary’s Vanessa Mannix riding Grand Cru vd Vijk Eiken and Jonathon Millar aboard his father’s 2012 London Olympic mount, Star Power.

Six riders did find the key to a clear round, however, and advanced to the jump-off. Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON set the pace with a clear round in 45.31 seconds riding Egor for owner Martha Younger. Olympic medalist Leslie Howard of the United States riding Utah and Ireland’s Conor Swail riding Grafton for owner Susan and Ariel Grange both took a shot and came home well under Moffatt’s time, but at the expense of a fallen rail.

Next into the ring, Millar executed a clear round in a time of 44.49 seconds to move into the lead. Mac Cone gave it his best shot with Gasper van den Doorn for owner Chadburn Holdings, but crossed the timers in 45.31 seconds to tie with Moffatt. As the final challenger, Isabelle Lapierre of Levis, QC laid it all on the line riding Cescha M, but a rail at the penultimate fence would leave the pair in sixth place.

Millar praised Cabral’s course for producing an exciting class, saying, “The course designer was building to a mixed group. You had young horses, you had riders who are just gaining experience, and you had some sophisticated riders. He got the right results beautifully. He leaned more on the technical side, and it was tricky to get it done. His time allowed was right on the money. As soon as you have to do something faster, you run the risk of making a mistake.”

With a record ten Olympic appearances, Millar’s is a familiar name among show jumping fans. His mount, however, is a relative newcomer to the international scene. Teddy du Bosquetiau was purchased this spring in Belgium for Emily Kinch of Barbados, who trains with the Millar family. Kinch, 22, met her goal of competing at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, and has now handed the reins over to Millar to campaign.

“Emily had the tremendous accomplishment of riding that horse at the Pan American Games and now that she is returning to Barbados, the family has offered me the ride,” explained Millar of the new addition to his competition string. “I only started riding the horse last week, and this was our first show together.”

Teddy du Bosquetiau is a 12-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding (Ogano Sitte x Albion du Chene Brule) owned by Emily Kinch, Allan Kinch and Fiona Kinch.

“He has a lot of thoroughbred in him and I grew up on thoroughbreds, so I am comfortable with his blood,” said Millar, 68, who was a member of Canada’s gold medal team at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. “With the warmbloods you see in our sport today, many riders would not be comfortable with as much blood as this horse has. You think forward, and he’s gone! But if you’re comfortable, you think fast and he goes. You don’t have to manufacture or create it.

“It is always an honour to win the Caledon Cup, and especially to win it with a new horse like that,” continued Millar. “Emily was here, and she was so excited. She loves this horse, and she’s so pleased that I am going to ride it.”

The new match proved to be a winning one. In addition to winning the overall Caledon Cup, presented by RAM Equestrian, Millar was awarded a $1,000 bonus from Henry Equestrian Plan (HEP) as the highest-placed rider using the HEP-signature saddle pad presented to all entries at the FEI horse inspection.

“The footing was superb, the course designing was great, and we enjoyed a fantastic week of weather,” said Millar. “EMG ran a great Canadian Show Jumping Tournament. This is an event I look forward to each year.”

Millar has yet another reason to look forward to coming to the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament: the addition of a new indoor arena, installed as part of a major renovation at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park in preparation for the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. After Thursday’s $10,000 Caledon Cup – Phase One was held outdoors in a speed format, horses and riders headed indoors for the first time for the $35,000 Caledon Cup – Phase Two.

“I’ve said it to everyone who will listen to me: we are going to have so much fun in that arena!” raved Millar about the new indoor arena, which measures an impressive 117m x 275m. “Some arenas you are in, the atmosphere is just all right, and some are like being in a dungeon. The atmosphere in this arena was excellent. It was an entertaining competition, and the benefit of this arena to the sport is going to be tremendous. I kept saying that the Games were important, and the legacy was equally important, if not more so. Having an indoor venue like this is critical.”

On Saturday, the $5,000 Canadian Hunter Derby was held indoors with Darcy Hayes taking the win riding Say When for owner Danielle Baran. Kristjan Good was the runner-up riding Bally Sea for Stephanie Mackie, while Muffie Guthrie of Guelph, ON placed third with Lucky 2 Knight and fourth with Damiro Van Ter Notelaere, both owned by Knightwood Stables. Hayes, who is based out of Sorensen Stables, rounded out the top five riding Berlena for owner Christine Carlsen.

Pan Am Challenge classes for junior and amateur show jumping athletes rounded out the competition at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament. Maddy Watzeck of Oakville, ON topped a 30-horse starting field riding Utopia Belles to win the $10,000 Low Pan Am Challenge. Riders qualified for the Low Pan Am Challenge based on points earned throughout the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park show season in the .9m, 1m and 1.10m divisions.

Meanwhile, riders qualified for the $20,000 High Pan Am Challenge, presented by MVS Solutions, based on money won in the 1.20m, 1.30m and 1.40m divisions. Miranda Travers-Cavill of Claremont, ON emerged victorious riding Verdi Birdy for owner Glenn Young, taking the win over Chantal Masselin of Creemore, ON and her own Tout Court Z.

For more information on the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, including full results, please visit www.equiman.com.

Contact: Jennifer Ward
Starting Gate Communications
Cell: (613) 292-5439
www.startinggate.ca

Jennifer Ward, Show Jumping

Conor Swail Claims Caledon Cup at Caledon Equestrian Park

September 23, 2013 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Conor Swail and Lansdowne won the $35,000 CSI2* RAM Equestrian Caledon Cup Phase 2. Photo Credits – Shoot Photographic.

Palgrave, Ontario – For the second day in a row, Ireland’s Conor Swail emerged victorious to win the $35,000 CSI2* RAM Equestrian Caledon Cup, Phase II, presented by Aviva, and claim the coveted Caledon Cup trophy at the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held September 18 to 22 at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON.

On Saturday, Swail had topped a 22-horse starting field to win Phase I of the RAM Equestrian Caledon Cup competition riding Lansdowne. A day later, their fortunes remained the same, as the pair led the victory gallop after holding off jump-off challengers Ljubov Kochetova of Russia, David Arcand, the father and son double threat of Ian and Jonathon Millar, and their student, Jordan MacPherson.

While 10 had found their way around Michel Vaillancourt’s track on Saturday without incurring faults, only eight would be successful on Sunday. However, MacPherson’s was the only new face amongst the jump-off line-up, as Vaillancourt once again pitted the best against the best in the all-deciding final round. The individual silver medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, Vaillancourt has been appointed course designer for the show jumping events at the 2015 Pan American Games, which will be hosted by the Caledon Equestrian Park.

For the second day in a row, Russia’s Ljubov Kochetova jumped clear with Wilford 2, only to be caught by the clock for one time fault, leaving her ninth in the final placings. Chris Sorensen of Caledon East, ON, who will be representing Canada next month in Nations’ Cup competition in Brazil, turned in the fastest four-fault performance riding The Jolly Group’s Wriomf to round out the top 10.

23-year-old David Arcand of Mont-Royal, QC, produced the only four-fault performance in the jump-off to slot into eighth position with Vledder, his 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding.

With seven riders again producing clear rounds in the jump-off, time would be the final decider. Jonathon Millar of Perth, ON, was the first rider back to attempt the shortened jump-off track with Contino 14, turning in a time of 41.51 seconds. He would soon be overtaken by the next rider in the line-up, Swail riding Game Ready, owned by Susan Grange, who stopped the clock in 39.03. Shaving exactly three seconds off the Irishman’s time was Jordan MacPherson, 23, who stopped the clock in 36.03 seconds with Piccobello du Val de Geer. No strangers to the winner’s circle at the Caledon Equestrian Park, the Toronto native and her 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare had won the $35,000 CSI2* RAM Equestrian Grand Prix in August.

Ljubov Kochetova of Russia took a shot with Aslan, falling short in 38.81 seconds to place fourth overall while MacPherson’s coach, 10-time Canadian Olympian Ian Millar of Perth, ON, came close with Star Power, crossing the timers in 37.33 seconds to take third place for Team Works.

MacPherson’s time had only to withstand one last challenger in the form of Swail and Lansdowne, who had claimed victory in dramatic fashion one day earlier. Proving to be on form, the pair tightened their turns and sailed around Vaillancourt’s track almost two seconds faster, stopping the clock in 34.07 seconds for victory.

“It always helps to go last, although Jordan was very quick and she made it where I had to take all the risks and hope that everything worked out,” said Swail, 41. “My horse was terrific. There were a few turns where a horse with less quality might not have come back with the same result that he did. He’s obviously one of the favourites at the show, but it’s nice that he’s expected to do well and that he doesn’t let you down. That’s the sign of a top horse.”

Of the conditions, the rider who hails from County Down commented, “The new footing makes a huge difference, and it even showed in the results. The course was well-built, but the footing was so good that I think the horses jumped well off of it. There were more clears than I thought there would be.”

In addition to winning the $35,000 CSI2* RAM Equestrian Caledon Cup, Phase II, presented by Aviva, Swail was also awarded the RAM Equestrian Caledon Cup.

“It worked out well for Lansdowne,” said Swail of the 10-year-old chestnut Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Sue and Arial Grange of Cheltenham, ON. “It’s his last show of the year, and it’s great for him to finish off on the best note possible. Now he gets a well-deserved rest.”

Sunday’s victory marked the fourth one of the year for Swail at the Caledon Equestrian Park. Before winning back-to-back grand prix events at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament with Lansdowne, Swail won the $20,000 Adequan Open Welcome with Martha Louise and the $30,000 RAM Equestrian Grand Prix with Game Ready, both owned by the Grange family, back in May. Before this year, he had never before competed at the Caledon Equestrian Park.

And Caledon Equestrian Park is the ideal host to international competition. Athletes come from all over the world to compete at the world-class facility, and the CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament was no exception.

“The riders jumped in reserve order of finish from yesterday, and the cream rose to the top,” said Craig Collins, managing partner of Equestrian Management Group, which operates the Caledon Equestrian Park. “It was an exciting jump-off. After Jordan MacPherson went, I didn’t think anyone would beat her, but the turn that Conor did at the top of the course was unbelievable! Lansdowne jumped beautifully and deserved to win.”

Collins continued, “Michel Vaillancourt did a great job and was complimented by everyone on his courses. Yesterday was a supreme test of the new footing with all of the rain, and everyone commented on how good the ground was and how good the footing was. We had riders from Ireland, Russia, Vanessa Mannix from Calgary, and Quebec was very well-represented. We had competitors from right across the country. And it was great to have Jonathon Millar back with us, qualifying two horses for the jump-off.”

*Sydney Vince rode Echodancer van de Heffinck to victory in the inaugural $20,000 MVS Solutions Junior/Amateur Pan Am Challenge*

While the Caledon Cup was the featured event of the day, the inaugural $20,000 MVS Solutions Junior/Amateur Pan Am Challenge proved to be a spectacular addition to the Tournament’s schedule. Riders qualified throughout the season in the 1.20m, 1.30m and 1.40m divisions, and went head-to-head jumping at their respective heights at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament. Sydney Vince, competing in the 1.30m section of the competition, emerged victorious riding Echodancer van de Heffinck, earning $6,000 in prize money for owner Trinity Farms of Burlington, ON. Page Mawson and her own Under Pressure took second place and $5,000 in prize money while Adrien Vilcini and her Gervantus earned $3,000 for their third place finish.

The CSI2* Canadian Show Jumping Tournament is proud to benefit the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, raising more than $15,000 in 2013 for the non-profit organization. This year’s fundraiser saw corporate partners uniting to underwrite the costs of hosting a two-day Children’s Wish celebration which included brunch and ringside tables for Saturday and Sunday’s grand prix events. Thanks to the generosity of Alberta Premium, Brick Brewery Co., Brookvalley Developments, Schickendanz Brothers, TechPower Developments, and Gourmandissimo Catering and Fine Foods, every dollar from the purchase of tickets went directly to the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.

With the final event of the season having come to a conclusion, phase two of construction now begins at the Caledon Equestrian Park in preparation for hosting the 2015 Pan American Games. A new grand prix stadium, spectator pavilion, indoor complex, and new FEI barn are all expected to be complete by spring of 2014.