Canadians made great strides on eventing cross-country day at the 2019 Adequan/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by Gotham North, held July 27 at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, MT.
Team Ontario/British Columbia Climbs Up the Ranks
Three excellent cross-country performances from Junior Team Ontario/British Columbia resulted in a total of 136.0 penalty points, which secured sixth place heading into June 28’s show jumping phase. Elise Hicks, 17, of Trenton, ON, and Sierra Hincks, 16, of Roberts Creek, BC, each executed double-clear CCIJ 2*-L rounds with their horses, Hick’s seven-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Max Power (Philanthropist x Explosive Red), and Hincks’ 13-year-old Canadian Warmblood mare, Velocity (sired by Vulcaan).
“This is our first year competing at the CCI 2* level and our first time at NAYC,” said Hincks. “I was super happy with my mare’s performance today – I concentrated on her fitness this spring, and was impressed by her recovery after today’s track and how easily she made the time. We have been together for the past four years and have developed a great partnership. I’m really looking forward to our future together.”
The final member of Team Ontario/British Columbia was Olivia Terdik, 17, of Windham Centre, ON, who added a mere 4.4 time penalties with her 13-year-old Trakehner mare, Vanya GS (Heling x Voltaire).
“We were really proud of how the girls stepped up to the plate under pressure today,” said Kendal Lehari of Uxbridge, ON, who is a Chef d’Équipe of Team Ontario/British Columbia alongside Maeve Drew of Duncan, BC. “They all rode really well and professionally, and acted as a team with great sportsmanship. It’s been a pleasure working with them.”
Team Alberta sits in ninth place after the unfortunate eliminations of Megan Yakiwchuk, 17, and Anna Rekrutiak, 16, of Calgary. Mikayla Hoffman, 15, of Tees pulled off another double-clear round for the red and white on Eli (Fisher Pond x Dr. Adagio), her 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. Jada Graham, 16, of Sturgeon County, rounded out the team performance with her 12-year-old Anglo-European gelding, Cilano (Sunny x Calypso), incurring 10.8 time penalties to contribute to a total team score of 1,094.3 penalty points.
US Area VIII has claimed the top spot heading into show jumping on a score of 90.2 penalties, with US Area II following second with 104.2 penalties. US Area IV is close behind on a current total of 105.2 penalty points.
Hicks and Max Power remain the top-placed Canadian combination in the individual standings, securing 13th place after cross-country on their dressage score of 35.0 penalty points. Overnight leaders, Charlotte Babbitt and 2 A.M. of US Area VI, kept their hold on first with a score of 24.0 penalties.
Tosca Holmes-Smith Surges Forward in Young Rider Standings
Tosca Holmes-Smith, 19, jumped three spots into seventh place in the CCIY 3*-S individual standings after the cross-country phase. The Chase, BC, native breezed through the course double-clear to maintain her dressage score of 35.2 penalty points riding Ali Holmes-Smith’s Tom Riddle, a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding sired by Towkay, in the combination’s second consecutive year at NAYC.
“I was really happy with Tom today – he felt super all the way around the course,” said Holmes-Smith. “We had a few bobbles at some of the harder combinations, but he’s so honest and always tries his hardest to get over the jumps, which is a great feeling out on course. The course rode quite similarly to last year for us. Time was definitely a bit harder to make than I expected, but Tom’s very fit and has a great gallop, so we managed to come in double-clear even with an option early on in the course. He’s a great cross-country horse and I’m really lucky to be able to run around these big, hard courses with him!”
US Area II’s William Kidwell and Tremolo have held onto first through cross-country and are leading the Young Riders on their dressage score of 28.0 penalty points.
Final Show Jumping Phase Coming Up Next
NAYC 2019 will conclude for eventing after the show jumping phase on July 28 for both the CCIJ 2*-L and CCIY 3*-S divisions.
For live results from the eventing portion of NAYC 2019, click here. More information on NAYC 2019, including the full schedule for eventing, can be found at www.youngriders.org.
Top 30 Canadian Results – NAYC 2019
CCIJ 2*-L Junior Team Standings after Cross-Country
Placing / Team / Score
6th / Team Ontario/British Columbia / 136.0
9th / Team Alberta / 1,094.3
CCIJ 2*-L Junior Individual Standings after Cross-Country
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
*denotes an individual athlete
13th / Elise Hicks / Max Power / Elise Hicks / 35.0
22nd / Mikayla Hoffman / Eli / Mikayla Hoffman / 39.6
24th / *Elise Hicks / Glendening Avis / Callie Evans / 41.8
29th / Sierra Hincks / Velocity / Sierra Hincks / 46.3
CCIY 3*-S Young Rider Individual Standings after Cross-Country
Placing / Athlete / Horse / Owner / Score
7th / Tosca Holmes-Smith / Tom Riddle / Ali Holmes-Smith / 35.2
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