26/ DECEMBER 2018 THE RIDER Big Ben


Challenge Continued from Page 25.


arating the top four fin- ishers, second place with a time of 29.09 seconds went to Canada’s Keean White aboard Tahiorn while third place was awarded


Bluman of Israel with a time of 29.18 seconds riding Colestina H. Rounding out the top four with a time of 29.58 seconds was Kent Far- rington, the defending champion of the Royal Horse Show’s marquee event,


the $205,000 to Daniel


Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto,


riding Daddy Cool. Sam Walker Rides


Winning Streak Into Royal Horse Show Also claiming a


major victory on Thurs- day afternoon was 16- year-old Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON. Fresh off a win in the prestigious ASPCA Maclay Final at the National Horse Show in Lexington, KY, on Sunday, November 4 – where he became only the fourth Canadian win- ner in the event’s storied history – Walker returned home to Canada to also top the Running Fox CET Medal National Final.


“It feels a little bit


surreal!” said Walker of his dual wins, first aboard Waldo on Sunday at the National Horse Show and then four days later riding Willem, a mount owned by Nicole Loochtan that was a last-minute ride for Walker after his intended mount for the final was sold.


Hot off his victory


Ireland’s Captain Brian Cournane rode Penelope Cruz to victory in the $36,000 Brickenden Trophy on Thursday afternoon, November 8.


Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography


in the ASPCA Maclay National Final, Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON, won the Running Fox CET Medal with Willem at the Royal Horse Show. Photo by Jump Media “He came up here


for the CET from Castle- wood Farm in Welling- ton, FL,” said Walker, who trains with his par- ents, Scott and Dee Walker of Forest Hill Farm, and John Brennan and Missy Clark at North Run. “He was amazing this week; I couldn’t be happier with how he per- formed. I’m just really, really grateful that I got the opportunity to ride him.”


Reserve Champion


in the Running Fox CET Medal National Final was Beatrice Daviault of Saint-Damase, QC, rid- ing Lia; third place went to Mackenzy Nadeau of Carleton Place, ON, aboard Ferraro K, owned by Brookstreet Stables. Rounding out the top four was Kyara Semrau of Foothills, AB, with Cori Coletta. For more informa-


tion on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, please visit www.royalfair.org/horse- show.html. Funding support for


The Royal has been pro- vided by the City of Toronto and the Govern- ment of Ontario.


2018 World Championship team gold medalist Devin Ryan of the United States took second in the $85,000 GroupBy “Big Ben” Challenge riding Eddie Blue. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography


Isabelle Lapierre And Carrera S Claim 2018 Canadian Hunter Derby National Championship


Toronto, ON, Nov. 7, 2018 – Is- abelle Lapierre of Levis, QC earned a commanding win in the Canadian Hunter Derby series at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON to claim the Na- tional Championship title on Nov. 6, 2018. Riding Carrera S, an eight-


year-old Holsteiner gelding sired by Corrado I and owned by Jo- hannie Legare, Lapierre earned back-to-back wins against a stacked field of 20 of the nation’s top hunters. “To win is a dream, so


maybe the best thing now is to re- tire from doing hunter derbies,” joked Lapierre, 39, a professional based out of Les Écuries de la Chaudiére who trains and com- petes high performance hunters and jumpers up to the interna- tional level, and made waves in 2017 after winning two FEI World Cup Qualifiers. Lapierre’s journey to the


title started in the $15,000 Brae- burn Farms Canadian Hunter Derby on Nov. 4. Following the traditional Hunter Derby scoring format, each entry received a base hunter score out of 100, plus up to 20 extra points through high performance and handy bonuses. High performance bonus marks were awarded at a rate of two points for each high performance option taken on the course – which included higher


jumps and more challenging line options. Handy bonus points were given at the discretion of the judges, Kitty Barker of Mid- dleburg, VA and Rob Bielefeld of Wellington, FL, for handiness displayed on course, such as unique approaches to jumps, and an impressionable start and/or finish to the course. The last in the field to take


to the ring, the pressure was on Lapierre after the 2017 Champi- ons, Erynn Ballard, 38, of Totten- ham, ON and Enchanted, a seven-year-old Dutch Warm- blood mare sired by Bustique and owned by Christel Weller, laid down an impressive score of 100, encompassing a base score of 87, a high performance bonus of four, and a handy score of nine. With Carrera S jumping in


top form, Lapierre also took all of the high jump options and had a bold start, cantering straight to the first jump out of the in-gate. Her short, smooth turns and con- sistent pace sealed the deal, and the judges awarded her an im- pressive 113 out of a possible 120 points. This included a base score of 95, high performance bonus of eight, and a perfect 10 for the handy score. “I have been riding him for


three years,” said Lapierre, who is also competing with Carrera S in the Combined Working Hunter at the Royal Horse Show, which


Show to claim the 2018 Canadian Hunter Derby Series National Championship title aboard Carrera S.


Photo Credit - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com Isabelle Lapierre won back-to-back classes at the Royal Horse


began on Nov. 5 and will wrap up on Nov. 7. “The first year we did some small derbies and he was


not very good at it, he didn’t quite understand. Last year he was very good outdoors, but very


bad indoors. This year we planned the whole year around the derbies. We did a lot of der- bies. I think he learned something different every time he went in the ring and it made him stronger in his mind. He likes the open gallop. You don’t touch his mouth and you just go, and he’s happy with that.” The Canadian Hunter


Derby Series returned to the Coca-Cola Coliseum on Nov. 6 for the $25,000 Knightwood Hunter Derby. With entries com- peting in reverse order from the previous class, Lapierre was once again the last to compete. Ballard, who is fresh off


her major games debut for the Canadian Show Jumping Team this past September at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in North Carolina, once again laid down the gauntlet, piloting En- chanted to a base score of 90, handy score of seven, and earn- ing the maximum 10 points for taking all of the high options for a total of 107. However, Ballard’s lead


was short-lived, as Lapierre and Carrera S had another strong showing to win by a thin two- point margin after the judges awarded a base score of 93, handy score of eight and high performance bonus of eight for a total of 109. “Tonight’s course was a


little bit different than the last one, because we had some lines and were able to play with the strides and the way they rode,” said Lapierre, “That’s why I like the derbies, because it’s not just about the numbers; it’s about the way your horse goes. It’s not just about getting an eight or a nine in a line; you can do your own thing. He was very relaxed and he jumped super. I think he gave it 100 per cent.” As the National Champion


for 2018, Lapierre was presented with the Lorna Jean Guthrie Challenge Trophy. Several other awards presented by the EC Jumping Committee were given out following the Derby, with Lapierre and Carrera S also being recognized with the $10,000 Prince of Thieves Go West Tro- phy as the Eastern Division Champions of the Canadian Hunter Derby Series. Kassidy Keith, 20, of Nanaimo, BC was the recipient of the $10,000 Rep- resent the West Championship as the Western Division Champion with Carivero, owned by Mi- randa Lebeuf. For more information on


the Canadian Hunter Derby Na- tional Championship and a full list of results, visit www.royal- fair.org.


Keean White of Rockwood, ON, took second in the $36,000 Brickenden Trophy riding Tahiorn. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography


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