Keep reading for an overview of Canada’s highlights in each discipline.
Canadian Dressage Team Glitters Gold and Tina Irwin Shines in Silver
As soon as the equestrian portion of the Lima 2019 commenced, Canada put its best foot forward with gold medal efforts from Jill Irving of Moncton, NB, Tina Irwin of Stouffville, ON, Lindsay Kellock of Toronto, ON, and Naima Moreira Laliberté of Outremont, QC.
Dressage team competition began with the Prix St. Georges for the small tour and Grand Prix for the big tour on July 28, with results counting toward both the team competition and the first individual qualifier.
Irwin led the Canadian contingent aboard her long-time partner, Laurencio (Laurentio x Donnerhall), the 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding she co-owns with her husband and fellow elite dressage athlete, Jaimey Irwin. No stranger to Pan Am pressure as a team silver medalist from Guadalajara, MEX in 2011, Irwin posted a score of 73.735% in the Prix St. Georges for second place individually.
Kellock rode right on Irwin’s heels, directing Floratina (Fidertanz 2 x Rubin Royal OLD) to a third place finish overall in her first major games appearance. Their small tour score of 73.176% represented a personal best for Kellock and Chloe Gasiorowski’s 11-year-old Hanoverian mare, who earned marks of up to nine for individual movements, including flying changes.
Also making her major games debut, Moreira Laliberté, who is just 22 year old, put in an impressive performance riding Statesman, a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by Sandro Hit and owned by KML S.à.r.l., to win the Grand Prix to the tune of 71.413%, and hold sixth overall. Irving also took a crack at the Grand Prix with Degas 12 (De Niro 6 x Regazzoni), a 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding she owns with Windhaven Farm, marking at 68.391% to sit 12th after day one.
At the day’s end, Canada sat neck-and-neck with the United States, with team scores just a fraction of a point apart at 219.828 and 219.970, respectively. Everything would be decided in the next day’s team final, where the Intermediate I (small tour) and Grand Prix Special (big tour) would act as the final team test, as well as the second individual qualifier.
Irwin once again paved the way on July 29, scoring 73.853% in the Intermediate I for another second place individual finish with Laurencio. Kellock and Floratina also maintained their grip on third, posting yet another personal best score of 73.147%.
Moreira Laliberté and Statesman cemented Team Canada’s win by scoring 71.787% in the big tour for fourth overall. Irving and Degas 12 added a score of 67.851% to the tally, holding onto their 12th place position.
The top three scores from each test combined to give Canada a total of 440.111, pushing them into the gold medal position. The US took silver with 437.791, while the bronze went to Brazil (408.696). Lima represents the third team gold for the Canadian Dressage Team, having also topped the Pan Am Games podium in Havana, CUB, in 1991 and Cali, COL, in 1971. The win also punched the Canadian Dressage Team’s ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“Coming here, right from the start, there was no question that we were here to win gold. That was the goal and they made it happen.” said Canadian Dressage Team Chef d’Équipe, Christine Peters. “These girls rode their heart out for Canada and I’m very proud. What impressed me the most about this group is how they came together as a team and supported each other; the four of them have been like sisters. To have them bring home team gold for Canada for the first time in so many years is incredible.”
But Irwin wasn’t quite finished with her time in the Lima limelight: along with Moreira Laliberté and Kellock, she returned to the stadium on July 31 determined to return to the podium as an individual. Irwin and Laurencio showed off countless hours of work and training for an Intermediate I Freestyle score of 77.780%, capturing the silver medal behind the United States’ Sarah Lockman and First Apple (78.980%). Bronze went to Jennifer Baumert and Handsome of the United States, who scored 75.755%.
“It’s amazing to get the silver medal. I was obviously thrilled with the team gold, and now to be on the podium individually is fantastic, so I’m thrilled,” said Irwin. “It was definitely my goal, I was coming to win a medal. I was hoping for gold, but that’s okay. My horse was amazing through the whole competition. We did our best and they’re not machines. At the end of the day, one little mistake can cost you first position, potentially. I’m okay with that, my horse tried his heart out. Now, my plan is to go back to grand prix. We’re going to take a little break after Pan Ams and then we’ll make a new plan for 2020.”
Moreira Laliberté and Kellock concluded their first major games experiences with impressive top 10 placings in the individual final: Moreira Laliberté earned 73.565% in the Grand Prix Freestyle for sixth place, while just .015% behind her in seventh was Kellock, who earned 73.550% in the Intermediate I Freestyle.
Canadian Eventing Team Busts out Bronze
The Canadian Eventing Team – comprised of Dana Cooke of Merritt, BC, Colleen Loach of Dunham, QC, Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, and Karl Slezak of Tottenham, ON – stepped up to the plate against stiff competition and an exceptionally daunting cross-country course to pull off a bronze medal finish.
Phoenix, a two-time Canadian Olympian, spearheaded the charge riding her 17-year-old Westphalian gelding, Pavarotti (Pavarotti van de Helle x Foxiland). Together, the unstoppable pair boasts the distinction of most decorated eventing combination in Canadian history and is the proud owner of individual gold and team silver medals from the 2011 Guadalajara Pan Ams, and individual silver and team bronze from Toronto 2015.
Predictably, Phoenix and Pavarotti stepped off on strong footing after the dressage phase on Aug. 2 with a desirable score of 27.4 penalty points. But their true talent was on display during a cool, calm and clear cross-country performance on Aug. 3, where the pair only added 9.6 time penalties across a difficult course that saw just 59.5 per cent of athletes cross the finish line. A masterful double-clear show jumping performance on Aug. 4 left Pheonix’s final score at 37.0 penalties for a final placing of fifth.
“I could not be happier with Pavarotti’s performance,” commented Phoenix. “He’s such a competitive horse that knows all three days of this sport, and it’s just so incredible to be on a horse that is as competitive as I am.”
Slezak was next best on the individual Canadian leaderboard with Fernhill Wishes (Chacoa x Gildawn Diamond), the 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding he co-owns with Kirk Hoppner. A personal best dressage score of 27.7 penalty points set the combination up well to start, but an unfortunate mishap in a tricky combination brought Slezak’s score to 58.9 penalties after cross-country. He maintained that score after a double-clear show jumping round to close out his inaugural major games in 12th place.
Loach brought a wealth of knowledge to her fourth consecutive major games and second Pan Am appearance, this time piloting the rising talent FE Golden Eye (Goldfever x Contendro I), a seven-year-old Hanoverian gelding that she owns in partnership with Amanda Bernhard. The youngest horse on the Canadian Equestrian Team at Lima, Loach expertly guided FE Golden Eye to 20th place overall. The duo posted an impressive dressage score of 26.2 penalty points and Canada’s third double-clear round in show jumping, but a costly refusal on cross-country bumped her final score to 87.8 penalties.
The Canadian Eventing Team’s final team member was Cooke, who ranked 13th in dressage and successfully finished the cross-country course in 23rd place in her major games debut. However, her horse Mississippi (Cassini II x Legaat), a nine-year-old Württemberger mare owned by the FE Mississippi Syndicate LLC, incurred a scrape at a challenging corner obstacle with narrow flags on cross-country, and Cooke opted to withdraw before the show jumping phase on Aug. 4.
With the remaining three scores to count for the Canadian Eventing Team, their final score of 183.7 clinched the bronze medal. The top two spots on the podium, and therefore the two qualifications for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, went to the United States (91.2) and Brazil (122.1). Individually, American Boyd Martin won gold with Tsetserleg on 25.6 penalties, with teammate, Lynn Symansky piloting RF Cool Play to silver on 29.2 penalties. Brazil’s Carlos Parro earned bronze aboard Quaikin Qurious on a score of 34.9 penalties.
“I think overall, it was a very good experience for the team,” commented Canadian Eventing Team Chef d’Équipe, Rob Stevenson. “It’s very unfortunate not to get the silver, which would have established our qualification for Tokyo. That was clearly the goal, but I think we should realize that it was perhaps a tougher competition than might have been expected and we should be thankful to finish a team in the bronze medal position. Even though silver was our goal, we have to be thankful to be here, to have competed successfully enough to win a medal in a Pan American championship, and then to look forward to what’s next.”
Four is the Lucky Number for the Canadian Show Jumping Team
The Canadian Show Jumping Team took the stage as the final equestrian discipline to compete in Lima. The consistency and resolve of team members, Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, Lisa Carlsen of Okotoks, AB, Mario Deslauriers of Bromont, QC, and Nicole Walker of Aurora, ON, successfully achieved the goal of qualification for Tokyo 2020.
To determine individual scores, times were converted to faults, with the fastest clear given a perfect zero and every other horse-rider combination receiving a score representing the difference between their time and the leader. For team scoring, only the top three scores were combined, allowing teams with four riders to drop their highest score in each round.
Canada’s Tokyo dream was realized through the one-round first team and individual qualifier on Aug. 6, as well as the two-round team final on Aug. 7. Ballard proved to be a huge boon to the Team, fresh off of her major games debut at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Mill Spring, NC. Partnered with Fellini S (Vermont x Rash R), a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Ilan Ferder, she achieved three consecutive clear rounds to finish the first two days of competition second individually on a score of 3.26 faults.
Walker held up her part of the bargain with Falco van Spieveld (Toulon x Lys De Darmen), her 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding with whom she holds the current title of Canadian Show Jumping Champion. With just time penalties on day one and three rails over the two challenging rounds on day two, the pair accumulated a total score of 13.38 faults to place 12th individually.
Due to an unfortunate elimination during day one of competition, Carlsen was not eligible for individual competition. However, the Canadian Olympian, who helped bring home team gold from the 1987 Indianapolis Pan Am Games, contributed valuable rides to the team final, limiting herself to four rails for a total score of 59.24 faults on her 13-year-old Brandenburg mare, Parette (Passoa VDL x Barinello).
Canadian Olympian and anchor rider, Deslauriers, rounded out Canada’s performance with Amsterdam 27 (Catoki x Acord II). He jumped the nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Wishing Well Farm LLC and Luga LLC to a final score of 21.57 faults to finish in 19th place.
Canada finished on a final score of 30.21 for a fourth place finish that qualified the team for Tokyo. Brazil won a decisive gold on a score of 12.39 faults. Mexico made a strong move up from their fourth place standing on day one to take silver with 22.97, while the United States lost their leading foothold to land in the bronze medal position (23.09).
“It would have been nice to have a medal, but really our goal and our priority was coming down here to qualify for the Olympics, so I am extremely happy. Mission accomplished,” said Canadian Show Jumping Team Chef d’Équipe, Mark Laskin.
The scores were then wiped clean for the individual final on Aug. 9, and a tough two rounds meant that the podium placings were anyone’s for the taking. Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Sirene de la Motte wrapped up the gold medal on a perfect score of zero, and José Maria Larocca and Finn Lente of Argentina took home silver with a single time fault. But determining the bronze medal wasn’t so straightforward, and a four-way jump-off was needed to decide the winner.
Walker earned a spot in the jump-off tied on four faults with Americans, Beezie Madden and Eve Jobs, and Eugenio Garza Perez of Mexico. A time of 44.18 seconds with four faults ultimately landed her and Falco van Spieveld in fourth place.
“I’ve had most of my career highlights on Falco,” said Walker. “He’s the only one I’ve ever ridden on the senior team. We have such a strong bond; I think we just really trust each other, and he gives me the confidence to do those tight turns and jump those big jumps. It’s definitely been a week to remember.”
Ballard capped a fantastic week jumping Fellini S to finish 13th individually with 12 faults. Deslauriers and Amsterdam 27 also made it through to the individual final, finishing 15th on 13 faults.
For the full list of daily news releases from the Lima 2019 Pan Ams – plus behind-the-scenes and insider coverage through the CET on the Go blog – visit www.equestrian.ca/events-results/games/ridetolima.