Eric Lamaze
Canadian Olympian Eric Lamaze, who resides in Wellington, FL, returned to competition in top form just a month after revealing he has been battling a brain tumour for the past year and a half. Back in the ring at the ‘National’ CSI 5* presented by Rolex at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB, Lamaze was in his element riding 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medal partner, Fine Lady 5 (Forsyth FRH x Drosselklang II), in the $36,100 1.50m PwC Cup on June 6. Lamaze and the 16-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Artisan Farms LLC and Torrey Pines Stable topped seven other clear jump-off performances for the win, edging out Conor Swail (IRL) and GK Coco Chanel’s time of 41.11 seconds with a lightning-fast 40.66 seconds.
Two days later, Lamaze put himself to the test again with Chacco Kid (Chacco Blue x Come On), the Chacco Kid Group’s 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding, in the $500,000 RBC Grand Prix of Canada. Once again, they sped through the jump-off round clear in 46.25 seconds, narrowly beating the reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion, Steve Guerdat of Switzerland, and Albfuehren’s Bianca by less than a full second.
But Lamaze wasn’t finished with his time in the winner’s circle: he and Fine Lady 5 returned to Spruce Meadows for the Friends of the Meadow 1.60m Grand Prix at the ‘Continential’ CSI 5* presented by Rolex on June 16. There, over 30 top international riders pushed hard for the win, but Lamaze and his speedy mare proved to be unbeatable in an incredibly tight jump-off, which saw Lamaze cross the finish line in 38.65 seconds – only .02 seconds before fellow Canadian Olympian, Mario Deslauriers riding Amsterdam 27, and .03 seconds before third-place finisher, Guerdat and Vernard de Cerisy.
Jill Henselwood
On June 12, Canadian Olympian Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, and Juniper Farms’ Canntinue (sired by Contendros 2) won the CSI 2* 1.35m competition at The Champions at Angelstone Tournaments in Rockwood, ON. They sped clear through the course to win the eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding’s FEI debut.
Sam Walker
Photo Credit: Sam Walker
Sam Walker of Nobleton, ON, took first place in the $36,100 BFL Insurance Open Welcome FEI 1.45m class on June 13 at The Champions CSI 2*. Walker, who is the recipient of both 2018 EC Equestrian of the Year and Junior Equestrian of the Year Awards piloted Coralissa (Com Air x Corrado I), a nine-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by MarBill Hill Farm, through a clear jump-off round in 38.24 seconds, less than a second ahead of fellow Canadian, Keean White and Tahiorn.
Lexi Ray
Photo Credit: Spruce Meadows Media/Ted Rhodes
Nineteen-year-old Lexi Ray topped the $8,000 Friends of the Meadows U25 Cup on June 13 during the Spruce Meadows CSI 5* ‘Continental’ Tournament, presented by Rolex. The Campbellville, ON, resident claimed the U25 Cup victory in Calgary, AB, aboard Jewel 8, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Kannan x Indoctro) that her family purchased from her trainer, Eric Lamaze, at the end of 2018. Ray and Jewel 8 were one of four combinations from the 19-horse starting field to advance to the jump-off where their time of 59.25 seconds clinched the win. Finishing in second with a time of 60.54 seconds was Calgary’s Kylie Figueira riding Kayenne Z.
Wendy Christoff
Wendy Christoff of Delta, BC, kicked off her 2019 season of FEI competition with a hat trick at the Golden State Dressage CDI 2* in Sacramento, CA. Partnered with Flash (Van Gogh x Clavecimbel), her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, she began by winning the Prix St. Georges on June 14 with a score of 68.382%. The following day, Christoff and Flash scored 69.265% in the Intermediate I test to once again top the leaderboard. On June 16, the duo secured their final victory in the Intermediate I Freestyle with their highest score yet of 72.409%.
Sara Sellmer
Sara Sellmer of Kamloops, BC, piloted Jil Walton’s PDQ Leigh (Quite Easy x Escudo I) for the nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding’s first FEI win at the Aspen Farms Horse Trials in Yelm, WA, from June 14-16. The pair finished on their dressage score of 32.7 penalty points to best a field of over 20 entries in the CCI 3*-S division.
Tanya Strasser-Shostak
Photo Credit: Celine Bocchino
2019 Brosda Olympic Bursary recipient, Tanya Strasser-Shostak of Sainte-Adèle, QC, earned back-to-back wins at the Kawartha Summer Classic in Thornton, ON, riding Renaissance Tyme. On June 14, they captured first in the CDI-U25 Intermediate II with a score of 67.255%. The combination then scored 62.179% in the next day’s CDI-U25 Grand Prix for their second win.
Cassandra Jessop
Cassandra Jessop of New Tecumseth, ON, won the final class of the Kawartha Summer Classic CDI-U25 division, directing Sandra Ammonn’s 12-year-old Friesian stallion, Xenophon SMF (Goffert 369 x Teunis 332), to a score of 60.783% in the Grand Prix Freestyle on June 16.
Kim St. Denis-Hykel
In the Karwartha Summer Classic CDI-Am division, Kim St. Denis-Hykel of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, made her FEI debut to the tune of a first-place finish in the Prix St. Georges on June 14 (64.608%) and the Intermediate I on June 15 (63.775%) riding Davigo (Dancier x Lanthan), her 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding.
Camille Carier-Bergeron
Camille Carier-Bergeron of Mascouche, QC, continued her winning record with Gilles Bergeron’s Sound of Silence 4 (San Amour I x Dunkelbraun), an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding, at the Kawartha Summer Classic. The burgeoning partnership scored 65.882% in the CDI-Y Team Competition for the win on June 14.
Allison Youngdale
On June 15, it was Alison Youngdale of Aurora, ON, who took top honours in the CDI-Y division at the Kawartha Summer Classic. She rode Emmett Top (Negro x Kelvin), a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Brookhaven Dressage and Mary Brooks, to a score of 66.225% to win the Individual Competition.
Janine Little
Janine Little of Vernon, BC, traveled to the Kawartha Summer Classic with Sue Anne Well’s 11-year-old Brandenburg gelding, Quartett (Quaterback x Dream of Glory). There, the duo emerged victorious in June 14’s CDI 1* Prix St. Georges on a score of 70.490%, as well as in the CDI 1* Intermediate I Freestyle on June 16 with a score of 72.275%.
Justin Ridgewell
Another small tour winner at the Kawartha Summer Classic was Justin Ridgewell of Collingwood, ON, aboard Well Done, a 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by John MacPherson and sired by Idocus. A score of 66.569% secured first in the CDI 1* Intermediate A on June 14, followed by a score of 66.375% to win the CDI 1* Intermediate B the following day.
Loren Hopkins
Loren Hopkins of Guelph, ON, earned her first career FEI win at the Kawartha Summer Classic with Denali (Idocus x Gribaldi), her 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare. On June 15, they secured the top spot in the CDI 1* Intermediate I with a score of 70.294%.
Diane Creech
Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle
Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON, posted a pair of winning scores in the Kawartha Summer Classic CDI 3* division. She and Chrevis Christo (Chrevi’s Cavallo x Matador), the 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding that Creech co-owns with Louise Leatherdale, scored 70.199% to capture the Grand Prix on June 14, followed by an even higher 72.149% in the Grand Prix Special on June 15.
Jacqueline Brooks
Canadian Olympian Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON, posted a score of 68.925% to win the CDI 3* Grand Prix Freestyle on June 16 with Westwood 5 (Wolkenstein II x Lauries Crusador xx), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Stone Hill Equestrian Ltd.
Shaina Hammond
Shaina Hammond of Magrath, AB, teamed up with Alyssa Stoddard (USA) for an international win at the Rocky Mountain Cup in Loveland, CO, on June 20. The duo scored 6.772 in the Pas-de-Deux Senior CVI 3* with Todd Griffiths, a Canadian residing in West Jordan, UT, lunging Cabo San Lucas, a nine-year-old American Warmblood gelding owned by Cambry Kaylor.