SEPTEMBER 2023 THE RIDER /3
Wesley Clover
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set by Canada’s Michel Vaillancourt on Wesley Clover Parks’ expansive grass field. The jump-off proved to be full of surprises as the riders laid everything on the line. Ireland’s Daniel Coyle, who had been riding a winning streak all week in Ottawa, had a refusal with Quintin while the last to go, hometown favourite Amy Millar of Perth, ON, suf- fered the same fate riding Truman. In the end, only two
riders managed to jump clear in the jump-off, with Keenan coming out ahead of fellow American Chloe Reid. Reid had posted the first clear round of the jump-off in a time of 46.71 seconds riding Crossover 4, but Keenan was able to shave more than a second off to take over the lead, crossing the timers in 45.17 seconds aboard Argan de Beliard. The sole four-fault jump-off round belonged to Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam who would have had the time, 44.56 seconds, if not for a rail down riding Cjoxx Z for owner Epic Stables LLC.
Keenan was proud of
her partner, Argan de Be- liard, a 13-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by her family’s Chansonette Farm LLC. “In this sport, you’re
going to lose more than you
NAYRC Continued from Page 1
win, too, as Nick Granat’s (USA) courses for the day were demanding and few were able to jump clear. Fault-free rounds
from
Duke and Martin as the leading and anchor riders, respectively, kept them on the lowest score. “I think any time you
can represent your home country it’s a big deal,” Martin, who took an indi- vidual gold medal in the 2022 Junior section, re- marked. “Canadians really take pride in that. This is a show we look forward to all year long mainly because we get to represent our home country. To bring back a medal means a lot.” Duke leaned on her
partnership with Ilana to come through and jump clear for the team, even after an unexpected break in competition due to weather conditions. “I’ve had this horse for
four years this week actu- ally,” she said of her horse. “We are pretty much best friends. She jumped incred- ibly today and the second
Chloe Reid of the United States finished runner-up riding Crossover 4 in the $225,000 CSI5* RBC Grand Prix. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
win, and if you don’t take a risk you’re not going to win much,” said Keenan, 26, of New York, NY. “My horse is very brave. He is a bigger horse with a big stride, so I left out to the combination. Jumping a combination fast is not riding it correctly, but in a jump-off, you have to take a risk. Once I hit that pole and I knew it stayed in the cups, I knew this was my grand prix to win and I had to go for it. My horse gave me everything and luck was on my side today.” Both Keenan and Reid
were competing at Wesley Clover Parks for the first time and vowed to return. Reid was riding Crossover 4, her 10-year-old Hanover- ian gelding owned by Team Reid LLC. “I took over the ride
on ‘Crossy’ when he was six and we’ve done everything
round I gave her the ride she deserved and she jumped clear for me. This is my sec- ond year coming here and it’s amazing, every part of it. To be able to represent your own country is incredible.” Baeumler knows he
and his teammates are inch- ing closer to representing Canada on a grander stage. “Being on a Canadian team is wonderful and the team we have here is one of the best,” he shared. “Everyone is kind, caring, and works really hard. I’m thankful to have such a great team be- hind me and this is the one step before the senior teams. We’re all looking forward to that and we’ll all be working hard for that day.” In the silver medal po-
sition, Zone 7 featured Luke Jensen, Sofia Cady, Stella Wasserman, and Hallie Grimes. The team faced a few unexpected challenges later in the class but Cady’s clear round helped solidify their second-place finish. “I don’t think there’s a
horse show I enjoy more,” Cady said. “There isn’t any- thing like it. Pressure aside, it’s a lot of fun. There’s lim- ited opportunity to do team events and this teaches you a lot about how to master
together, so our bond is re- ally special,” said Reid, 26. “I’ve never been here be- fore, and the field is amaz- ing. I love a good, big grass ring. I have to give Karen (Sparks) credit because everywhere you walk around, and any team mem- ber you meet, everyone has a smile on their face. As someone who also puts on events, I know how hard it is to keep everyone smil- ing.”
Presenting sponsor
RBC was represented by Marjolaine Hudon, RBC Regional President, Ontario North & East. “What an event!” said
Hudon. “It was top notch. To have this level of event at an international caliber and to bring these athletes to- gether in Ottawa, our na- tion’s capital, that‘s why we are here. The work being
done by Karen (Sparks) and the full team is worth sup- porting so we are very happy to be here today.” For Wesley Clover
Parks’ Executive Director, the hard work paid off. “This is the gem of
our year and is the culmina- tion of a lot of hard work,” said Sparks. “Equestrian is at the heart of what we do. Wesley Clover Parks was originally built as an eques- trian facility and it’s very important for us to make sure that it’s at the center of what we do. Then to have some of the best athletes in the world competing at the top level means so much. We have a beautiful field and we have been develop- ing the venue for a decade now. To see the venue per- forming as it should today was the culmination of a vi- sion to get this back to
Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam took third place in the $225,000 RBC Grand Prix riding Cjoxx Z for owner Epic Stables LLC. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
where it needs to be.” The Major League
Show Jumping Ottawa tour- nament showcased the high- est level of international show jumping competition with a CSI5* rating from the Fédération Equestre Interna- tionale (FEI), and also fea- tured a CSI2* division to offer a combined total of more than $800,000 in prize money. For more information
on Major League Show Jumping Ottawa, held as part of the Ottawa Eques- trian Tournaments, visit
www.OttawaEquestrian-
Tournaments.com. Full re- sults can be found at
www.ottawaequestriantour-
naments.com/results-2023.
$225,000 CSI5* RBC Grand Prix – Sunday, August 27 Rider / Country / Horse /
Faults / Time
gional President, Ontario North & East; Lillie Keenan; Chloe Reid; and Karen Sparks, Executive Director of Wesley Clover Parks. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
1. Lillie Keenan / United States / Argan de Beliard / 0:0 / 45.17 2. Chloe Reid / United States / Crossover 4 / 0:0 / 46.71 3. Shane Sweetnam / Ireland / Cjoxx Z / 0:4 / 44.56 4. Ashlee Bond / Israel / Do- natello 141 / 0:8 / 42.80
5. Adrienne Sternlicht / United States / Faquitol-S / 0:0 / 46.14 6. Tiffany Foster / Canada / Northern Light / 0:8 / 51.41 7. Daniel Coyle / Ireland / Quintin / 0:8 / 55.47 8. Amy Millar / Canada / Tru- man / 0:9 / 56.44
your nerves and mental game along with how to have your horses jump best and how to sustain yourself as well.” Grimes is jumping the
highest levels of the sport at 21 years old and still gets more butterflies jumping at NAYC than she does in the CSI5* events. “I’ve never felt more
Will Martin and Ricore Courcelle. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
Quintyn Werner Baeumler and Haydn. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
pressure than I do at Young Riders,” Grimes remarked. “I jumped my first five-star last week and today was [more pressure] than that. It’s unbelievable because I really want to show up for these people. It’s once a year and you know you can’t take it back. You give it everything you have. I can speak for all of us when I say we’re going to come out of it stronger because we’ve had this experience.” The Bronze medal
went to Zone 5’s trio of Maggie Jacobs, Olivia Williams and Alexander Al- ston.
See full results from the Young Rider Team Compe- tition
here Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography.
(905) 387-1900
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on The Rider Marketplace! Halle Duke and Ilana. Photo © Andrew Ryback Photography. Lily Elliot and Pesto Adelheid Z. -
https://results.hippodata.de/ 2023/2328/docs/r_yrt_c2_fi nal.pdf?style=hippo
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The press conference panel for the $225,000 CSI5* RBC Grand Prix. From left to right: Marjolaine Hudon, RBC Re-
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