British Columbia’s Alicia Gadban-Lewis topped a field of 22 horse-and-rider combinations in the $75,000 Truman Homes Cup on the final evening of Royal West, and was crowned the 2021 Canadian Show Jumping Championship.
Gadban-Lewis’s first round clear round aboard Beneficial helped secure her the gold medal along with an additional $12,500 rider bonus. The title was last won by Canadian Team member Beth Underhill in 2019; there was no Championship awarded in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I was thrilled with how my horse jumped tonight and thought that she got better every day of the Championship,” said Alicia. “I was able to push her to the next level tonight in the jump-off, which really helped with the competitive field of riders in the class. I’ve had her since she was four years old, and the last time she was here at Royal West, she won the five-year-old Championship,” added Alicia about her now nine-year-old mare. “It has been a childhood goal of mine to win the Canadian Championship, so I am extremely happy. I now hope to be able to represent Canada on a Nation’s Cup Team and consider that my 2022 goal.”
Royal West, which concluded Saturday, played host to the Canadian Show Jumping Championships in a variety of divisions for all levels of riders. This marked the first time in over 20 years that the Championships were hosted in Western Canada, largely in part to the cancellation of the 2021 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario.
“It was truly an honour for my company, Rocky Mountain Show Jumping, to be given the right to host the Championships in Calgary,” said John Anderson, host of the event. “Silver and bronze medalists in the Championships, Vanessa Mannix and Jim Ifko, both from Calgary, along with Alicia, also expressed to me their pleasure in seeing the Championships hosted in the West after so many years back East. I look forward to seeing this happen on a more regular basis in future years as well. The riders really want it, and I certainly enjoy hosting events that showcase the talents of our Canadian athletes. I can’t thank my friend George Trutina and Truman Homes enough for helping me make this possible for our great sport.”
The next Royal West is scheduled for October 19th-29th, 2022, once again at Calgary’s Stampede Park.
Complete results here.
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