Eric Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 second in Scotiabank Cup
Friday of the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ CSI5*, presented by Rolex held the Scotiabank Cup (1.55m) – the only qualifying competition for this Sunday’s $400,000 Grand Prix. Fifty-eight horse/rider combinations took part in the first round of competition with nineteen going clear and qualifying for the jump off.
Ireland’s Darragh Kenny was in the lead for a brief moment, but Canada’s Eric Lamaze and his Olympic mount Fine Lady 5 took a commanding lead with a clear ride and time of 37.22s.
With three rides left, Lamaze held the lead but Kent Farrington (USA) had been itching for a win this Summer Series and he wasn’t leaving anything on the table. Farrington, aboard the 12-year-old chestnut gelding Creedance, made it look easy. The pair laid down an unbeatable time of 35.51s.
“Creedance has been a four-year project here at Spruce Meadows and at times it didn’t go very well. It feels great to come out tonight and beat the best in the world,” said Kent Farrington on his first win of the 2019 Spruce Meadows Summer Series.
Day 2 Win for Maria Gabriela Brugal (DOM)
The second competition of the FEI U25 division at the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ presented by Rolex brought 18 up and coming riders into the North American Ring. The one round competition pushed riders to be fast and clear over the track laid out by FEI Course Designer Tom Holden (IRL).
Maria Gabriela Brugal (DOM) was third into the ring and laid down a fast clear round with a time of 71.13s. Spruce Meadows Rider Kylie Figueira (CAN) gave it her best shot, but settled for second with a clear round and time of 72.41s with Spruce Meadows owned mare Kayenne Z.
A One-Two Punch for the Irish
Luck seems to have nothing to do with it when it comes to the Irish winning at the 2019 Spruce Meadows Summer Series. The forty-three athletes representing eleven nations took to Meadows on the Green for the AltaGas Cup (1.45m). Among them were five Irish riders, each with multiple top placings from this year’s Summer Series Tournaments.
Nine horse/rider combinations made it through round one with no jumping faults and proceeded to the jump off. The competition was tough with riders taking risks hoping they would pay off and land them at the top of the leader board. Dermott Lennon (IRL) was third last to go in the jump off and was itching for a win. Aboard MJM Pursuit, the paired posted a clear round with a quick time of 35.11s. Teammate Darragh Kenny (IRL), who has had multiple trips to the winner’s circle this summer, did his best to catch Lennon but came up short with a time of 35.69s.
Luiz Francisco de Azevedo Takes Win for Brazil
Forty-four riders came through the portal for the Friends of the Meadows Cup (1.45m) at the Meadows on the Green to start Day 2 of the Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ CSI5* presented by Rolex. The track designed by FEI Course Designer Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) tested both horse and rider through a series of technical elements.
Thirteen riders made it through to the jump off round including Canadian Tiffany Foster and her mount Brighton. Luiz Francisco de Azevedo (BRA) was forth to go in the jump off order and laid down a quick clear ride with a time of 39.26s. Foster and Brighton did their best to catch him, but fell short less than one tenth of a second with a time of 39.32s finishing them in second place.
“It’s my first time here at Spruce Meadows, to win one class here is really something special for me.” ~ Luiz Francisco de Azevedo (BRA) and his feelings on his first Spruce Meadows victory.
Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Amalia take Friends of the Meadows Cup (Young Horse)
Throughout the Summer Series,Spruce Meadows has offered a specific Young Horse division in which these four-legged rising stars can improve and develop over the four weeks. Today’s two-phase (Power & Speed) competition saw twenty seven year-olds and and thirty-five eight year-olds start in the early morning competition on the North American Ring.
Ireland has seen a lot of success at the 2019 Spruce Meadows Summer Series and Daniel Coyle (IRL) would continue building on that with his seven year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Amalia. The duo completed FEI Course Designer Tom Holden’s (IRL) two-phase track with ease and left all the fences up. Coyle produced a quick time of 24.82s that could not be caught.
Full results here.
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