Ainsley Vince Wins Opening Leg of Caledon Cup

Ainsley Vince of Milton, ON, and Frieda won the $20,000 Aviva Elite/Peel Maryborough Caledon Cup Phase I held Thursday, September 23, at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON.

A large starting field of 38 horses attempted the first round track set by German course designer Christa Hiebach with 12 jumping clear to advance to the jump-off. As the sixth jump-off challenger, Vince laid down a clear round in a time of 40.03 seconds to take over the lead. None who followed were able to catch her time while still leaving the rails in place, giving Vince the victory.

“I thought the first round course was good,” said Vince. “When there are 38 horses, it’s a $20,000 purse and a lot of the horses and riders are well qualified to jump, it is hard not to have a lot clean. I don’t think rails were isolated to one place, and that is the sign of a good course designer. No one had a bad experience, and that is good as well.”

Of her jump-off strategy, Vince explained, “Because it was the first leg of the Caledon Cup and there are still two big classes still to come, I didn’t want to go too fast. I was trying to efficient and clean and end up in the top five. I was a bit lucky that no one else caught me.”

A two-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion in 2001 and 2002 with Catch 22, Vince has been developing Frieda as her next grand prix horse.

“Frieda was great,” Vince said of the nine-year-old German-bred mare owned by the KMA Group. “Because it was a little late in the day and it got cool and windy, Frieda was very strong today. She was amped up. She was strong, but she was super in the jump-off.

“Frieda’s been great this season, she’s right where she needs to be for her age,” Vince continued. “She’s had a really consistent year. I have missed winning a few classes by one rail, but she’s very fast and she tries really hard. She’s still green, but I don’t think that I could ask any more of her. She’s been super. I am very excited about her. It has been a while since I have had a horse to jump the bigger classes, and I am really enjoying it. I am really thankful for the support of my owners, who believed in me and in Frieda when we bought her as a five-year-old.”

Vince, 34, has been showing at the Caledon Equestrian Park since she was a teenager, and said of the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, “I like this show, I think it is wonderful that it has the charity aspect to it. It is really a community show, and it is so well-attended. It is great for the sport to have people come out to watch and also enjoy the trade fair and entertainment area. It can be hard to get support and sponsorship for riders, and this show plays a big role in showcasing the sport. It is wonderful.”

Olympic team silver medalist Jill Henselwood took the next three spots in the final placings. Hailing from Oxford Mills, ON, Henselwood jumped clear in the jump-off with all three of her mounts. Beau Soleil stopped the clock in 41.56 seconds to place second, George was only slightly slower than his stablemate to slot into third with a time of 41.93, and IV Ever placed fourth after tripping the timers in 42.46 seconds.

Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, had the fastest four fault performance in the jump-off, stopping the clock in 38.01 to finish fifth with Redefin, owned by Susan Grange of Cheltenham, ON.

In hunter competition, Jackie Tattersall of Caledon, ON, won the OHJA Ultimate Hunter Challenge. Riding Sunday Punch, owned by Joanne Nicholson, Tattersall won the Four and Five-Year-Old Division of the OHJA Ultimate Hunter Challenge, and also emerged as the overall winner. Anne McKay of Georgetown, ON, guided WKM Nash to the top of the Six and Seven-Year-Old Division. WKM Nash was bred by Wilf McKay and is owned by Laura Krumpek of Oakville, ON.

The CSJT plays host to the Eastern Regional Finals of the CET Medal for riders aged 21 and under, as well as the $5,000 Eastern Canadian Final of the Jump Canada Talent Squad. The CSJT will also offer the $2,500 1.40m Classic, the $2,500 1.30m Classic, and Hunter Classics for all divisions.

The annual Children’s Wish Celebration will be held on Saturday, September 25, and will feature live and silent auctions, dinner and live music, and an expanded charity casino with a Monte Carlo theme.

For more information on the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, please visit http://www.equiman.com/. Follow the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CdnSJT.
$20,000 Aviva Elite/Peel Maryborough Caledon Cup Phase I

Rider/Hometown/Horse/Faults/Time
1. Ainsley Vince/Milton, ON/Frieda/0:0/40.03
2. Jill Henselwood/Oxford Mills, ON/Beau Soleil/0:0/41.56
3. Jill Henselwood/Oxford Mills, ON/George/0:0/41.93
4. Jill Henselwood/Oxford Mills, ON/IV Ever/0:0/42.46
5. Yann Candele/Caledon, ON/Redefin/0:4/38.01
6. Amy Millar/Perth, ON/Costa Rica Z/0:4/39.74
7. Yann Candele/Caledon, ON/Arrazo van’t Hagenhof/0:4/39.93
8. Angela Covert-Lawrence/St. Lazare, QC/Unica/0:4/41.30
9. Mark Samuel/Toronto, ON/Wembley 234/0:4/47.49
10. Erynn Ballard/Tottenham, ON/Robin van Roosendael/0:4/55.55
11. Yann Candele/Caledon, ON/Carolla Z/0:8/43.34
12. Victor Segovia/Venezuela Romeo/0:8/43.79