Jill Henselwood Overtakes Lead in Pan Am Games Show Jumping Selection Trials

Calgary, Alberta — Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, moved into top spot in the Pan American Games Selection Trial standings with a clear round in Wednesday night’s $25,000 ATB Financial Cup at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, AB.

The Canadian Show Jumping Team is hosting its final three of five Selection Trials during the Spruce Meadows “National” Tournament taking place June 6 to 10. Adding Wednesday’s scores to those earned at the first set of Selection Trials held three weeks earlier in Palgrave, ON, there was a shake-up on the leader board with Henselwood emerging the leader with the best score to date, 5.486 faults, riding Special Ed. The top three riders in the Selection Trials, which conclude on Saturday, will be named to the Canadian Show Jumping Team for the Pan American Games while the Selection Committee will name an additional two riders subjectively.

“I hoped to jump clear rounds, consistently, with Special Ed and wait and see what everyone else did,” said Henselwood of her Selection Trial strategy with the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Juniper Farms. “I am a team player and if Special Ed is on his game and I am able to help my team, I’ll be there.”

In addition to leading the Selection Trial standings with Special Ed, Henselwood also holds down fourth place with Black Ice. Henselwood was a member of Canada’s Pan Am Team in 1995 and 1999.

Karen Cudmore was also clear in the $25,000 ATB Financial Cup, which featured fences set at a height of 1.60m by course designer Anthony D’Ambrosio, who was setting the tracks in the International Ring for the first time. Cudmore, a native of Victoria, BC, who makes her home in Omaha, Nebraska, was riding Southern Pride, an American-bred Holsteiner stallion owned by her husband, Blair Cudmore. A member of the 2003 Pan American Games Team, Cudmore currently has a total score of 8.157 following the first three Trials.

With an uncharacteristic eight faults in Wednesday night’s competition, Ian Millar of Perth, ON, who had been leading the Selection Trial standings coming into Spruce Meadows, dropped to third position with a total score of 9.426 riding In Style, owned by Susan Grange.

Alberta native Darrin Dlin, riding the only Canadian-bred horse competing in the Selection Trials, posted a clear round to move into fifth position with Catwalk. Incurring four faults riding Melinda, Canadian Olympian Mac Cone of King City, ON, maintained sixth position in the standings.

Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, won the $25,000 ATB Financial Cup riding Hickstead, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Ashland Farms. Lamaze also won Wednesday’s two other featured competitions, the $30,000 1.50m Enbridge Cup and the $10,000 1.45m Mercer Cup. Lamaze opted not to compete in the first set of Selection Trials in Palgrave, ON, making him ineligible for the Pan American Games Team based on points. Instead, he will hope to be one of two subjective choices available to the Selection Committee headed by Terrance Millar.

“Hickstead has been great, he jumped clear in all four Grand Prix classes we entered in Europe,” said Lamaze, 39, who competed in Belgium, France and Spain over the past month. “With all the European mileage, he is confident coming here to Spruce Meadows, he is sharp in the ring and looking for the next jump. I hope to be going to the Pan Am Games. I told Torchy from the beginning that I would be there if they needed me, but my plan was to go to Europe, like I did last year, and that meant missing the Trials at Palgrave. You only get a horse like Hickstead once in your career, maybe twice if you are really lucky, and I wanted to take advantage of being able to compete in the best venues in the world against the best riders in the world. I don’t think there is anything left to prove with Hickstead.”

The final two Selection Trials take place on Thursday evening with the $35,000 1.60m Spectra Energy Open and conclude on Saturday afternoon with the $200,000 1.60m CN Reliability Grand Prix.

Selection Trial Standings following Trial #3

    Athlete             Hometown          Horse                         Score

1. Jill Henselwood  Oxford Mills, ON Special Ed                  5.486

2. Karen Cudmore Omaha, NE         Southern Pride            8.157

3. Ian Millar           Perth, ON           In Style                      9.426

4. Jill Henselwood  Oxford Mills, ON   Black Ice                    9.65

5. Darrin Dlin        Wellington, FL      Catwalk                     10.031

6. Mac Cone          King City, ON      Melinda                      11.639

7. Erynn Ballard     Hillsburgh, ON     Robin van Roosendael 13.156

8. Chris Lowe        Burnaby, BC      Jackpot                      19.434

9. Kim Farlinger     Annan, ON          Cordoba                    29.255

10. Margie Gayford Sharon, ON        Stuntman                   29.613

11. Jenn Serek      Calgary, AB        Shin Shin                   30.377