Canadian Show Jumping Tournament Update

Palgrave, Ontario – The inaugural Canadian Show Jumping Tournament (CSJT) held at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON, from September 23-27, will begin with a bang this year. With three members of the 2008 Canadian Olympic Silver Medal Team in attendance, including Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze, fans will be watching some of the best show jumping action in the nation.

This year’s CSJT will host two feature show jumping events: the $32,000 Caledon Cup Open Welcome on Friday, September 25, at 3 p.m. and the $100,000 Caledon Cup World Cup Qualifier on Sunday, September 27, at 2 p.m. The World Cup qualifier lets riders gain valuable points towards qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Final in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Canadian Show Jumping Tournament will be one of the premier events on this year’s show jumping schedule, and with three-quarters of the 2008 Canadian Olympic Silver Medal Team in attendance, the atmosphere will be electric. Show jumping legend Ian Millar of Perth, ON, 2008 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze from Schomberg, ON, and Mac Cone of King City, ON, will be competing at the Tournament.

Terrance ‘Torchy’ Millar, the Chair of the Jump Canada High Performance Committee, and chef d’equipe at last year’s Olympic Games, thinks this year’s CSJT will be one of the best.

“It will be nice to have the team together again,” said Millar. “They all bonded, and it was a very good experience. A lot of the good feelings remain for people in Canada, too. The Olympic medals haven’t faded from people’s minds. I think our performance in Hong Kong has given our equestrian community a lot of pride, and proved that we can be good enough. The CSJT is a big event and will draw big crowds. It’s a chance to see our best perform and if you like show jumping, these are the guys to watch.”

Hailing from Orangeville, Millar will be attending the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament this year. As chef d’equipe and one of the guiding forces of show jumping in Canada, Millar feels that last year’s success at the Olympics is just the beginning.

“It was euphoric; that’s the only word to describe it,” Millar said of the Olympic experience. “It was great to have four wonderful riders, all with good horses, and one superstar horse in Eric Lamaze’s Hickstead. That doesn’t always come together for any country, let alone for Canada. It certainly has to be your day, and not only was it our team’s day, it was Eric’s week as well. We have a superstar horse with a superstar rider. They are at the top of their game.”

With a veteran Nations’ Cup team at Calgary’s Spruce Meadows “Masters” Tournament held two weeks before the CSJT as well as a team of up-and-coming riders going to Europe to contest the Nations’ Cup in Barcelona, the Canadian Show Jumping Team is fulfilling the promise shown at last year’s Olympics.

Millar pointed out, “Canada has always had strong group of riders capable of going anywhere, but the issue is horses. No matter whom you are and how well you ride, if you don’t have a good horse, you won’t be competitive. Right now, we’re getting more combinations that have a chance to do well. To get to that level of having four riders going to Calgary and another four to Barcelona is perhaps another step.”

Bringing along young riders and keeping the top ones among the best in the world is a goal that Canada keeps striving for, especially heading into next year’s international competition. Canada hopes to follow a path of success that will lead them to the 2010 World Equestrian Games, which will be held next fall in Lexington, Kentucky.

Along that path of competition stands the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, which will bring together these riders for the appreciative crowds in Palgrave.

“It is certainly a big event and is new to an extent this year,” noted Millar. “It’s in the same place, but it is a new event in quite a few respects. Palgrave is always very well-run and has good management. That’s important to the riders. It has great prize money and is a very nice event. It’s a special show that showcases our top show jumpers. It’s an important event on our calendar.”

There is no doubt that Canada’s top riders will put their best foot forward at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament.

For more information on the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, please visit www.equiman.com. Follow the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CdnSJT.