Felix-Antoine Moulin Claims Jump Canada Talent Squad Final

Felix-Antoine Moulin of Cap-Rouge, QC, claimed the Jump Canada National Talent Squad Championship on November 4 at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.

Paired with Rapsody, his 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, Moulin took the Championship after earning the highest two-phase total, owed to his second place finishes in both the $8,000 Alfred Rogers Memorial National Talent Squad Championship Round I and the $10,000 Round II.

“Rapsody did her job perfectly, she couldn’t have performed better,” said Moulin, who qualified for the National Final after finishing seventh overall in the Eastern Division of the Talent Squad Series. “Our rounds felt really good, she was going forward to the fences and jumping amazingly well.”

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Course designer, 1976 Olympic Silver Medalist Michel Vaillancourt of Canada, built a 12-obstacle course for each of the phases. Tough questions were asked of both horses and riders, including a triple bar and a one-stride combination set at the maximum height of 1.45 meters. Boasting a clear round in Friday’s Phase I speed class, Moulin was then one of three riders to advance to the jump-off in Saturday’s Phase II where he incurred four faults in a fast time of 35.26 seconds.

“I am so happy to have finished Champion,” said Moulin excitedly after the awards presentation. “Everyone wants to win at the Royal because when you do, it means so much. The crowd is huge, and there is a lot of pressure on you when you step into the ring, but it’s such an amazing feeling when you win here. You put so much work into getting here, so it’s nice when it all comes together.”

Carly Campbell-Cooper of Elora, ON, was named Reserve Champion. After posting a clean and quick round for the win in Phase I aboard her 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding Napier, Campbell-Cooper had one rail down in Phase II to finish fifth.

Other notable performances in the Talent Squad National Championship included Melissa Marcotte of St. Nicolas, QC, who put in a clear round in Phase I, placing third, before moving on to Phase II where she advanced to the jump-off, bringing down one rail to finish just behind Moulin in third place. Margie Gayford of Sharon, ON, thrilled the crowd when she and Winston posted the only double-clear round to win Phase II.

The Talent Squad National Final saw the top ten competitors from both the Eastern and Western Divisions coming head-to-head at the Royal Horse Show. Hayley Alfonso of St. Andrews, MB, had been named the Western Champion riding Le Noir while Asta Torokvei of Toronto, ON and Paradigm took the Eastern Championship title. As the Division Champions, both Alfonso and Torokvei are awarded airfare to attend the 2007 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, USA, from April 19-22.

The Jump Canada Talent Squad Series is a means of recognizing up-and-coming riders who are preparing to enter the grand prix ranks and gives them a platform to demonstrate their ability to become future members of the Canadian Equestrian Team. For complete standings, please visit jumpcanada.ca.