The Canadian national anthem rang out for the second time in as many days in the International Arena at Wellington International during Week 3 of competition at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). A 2016 Olympian for Canada, Amy Millar rode Christiano to the top of the leaderboard in the $62,500 Hermès CSI4* 1.50 Classic.
Fellow Canadian Peter Grant set the track and welcomed a field of 55 and a sizeable jump-off of 16. Millar put the seasoned Christiano, a 12-year-old Brandenburg gelding (Canoso x Compliment) owned by Future Adventures, to work over the tie-breaking course.
“It was a long way between the first two jumps and I went early,” said Millar, 46. “I was going to do nine which was going to be leaving out two strides from normal. I took off like that was the plan but it was not there. I did a really fast ten and I think if I had had time to watch a whole bunch of other people I probably just would have planned ten and that would have been way slower, but I was off. Same in the last line; it was either seven or eight but I was so short to the vertical that I was wide to the left and I ended up in the eight but it was still fast enough to get it done.”
Millar set the time to chase at 39.36 seconds. Brazil’s Eduardo Menezes and his own 12-year-old Selle Français gelding Calypso des Matis (Padock du Plessis*HN) came close in 36.69 seconds, but settled for second. After a bucket-list victory during ‘Saturday Night Lights’, Tiffany Foster jumped onto the podium once again, this time with 10-year-old Oldenburg mare Com Es Ta (Comme Il Faut S x Caretino 2). They were third in 41.57 seconds for co-owners 5 Roosters.
Of Christiano’s career with Millar, she noted, “He tries so hard and it’s been so fun. I use him in Major League [Show Jumping] events all the time and that’s where he learned to run like this. Now when I light him up like that, he’s a real pro at it and I know it’s the move so it’s really fun.”
Millar will now focus Christiano on WEF 5’s five-star l.50m. “At the end of the season we’ll try to get after some of that big money,” she concluded.
Later on Sunday in the $62,500 CSI2* Florida Coast Equipment Grand Prix, Canada’s Jay Hayes placed 4th riding Hope Va.
The 2024 Hermès 1.50m Championship Jumper Series will take place weekly throughout WEF, culminating during Week 11’s Saturday Night Lights with $150,000 in prize money. Riders who consistently compete in the series will accumulate points towards the series’ title, a $10,000 Hermès store credit and a bespoke Hermès horse rug.
Results here.
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