David Arcand won the $50,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix, the feature event of the Ottawa Summer Tournament I, on Saturday, July 6, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
The win marked the second time in a week that the professional athlete from Boisbriand, QC, led the victory gallop. On Thursday, Arcand and Phil v/d Wezelse Heihoeve also topped the $15,000 Open Welcome, beating out Paul Halpern of Saint Anne des Plaines, QC, riding Esra for the win.
Halpern would once again prove to be Arcand’s biggest competition in the $50,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix when both riders jumped clear over the course set by Steffen Buhling to advance to the jump-off. They were joined by three other riders – Mac Cone, Ashley McInnis, and Katerine Drapeau in that order – to set the stage for an exciting finale.
Cone of King City, ON, was the first rider to return for the jump-off riding Ogandros PS, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, for owner Chadburn Holdings Inc. The pair were clear over the shortened track, turning in a time of 43.50 seconds to set the early time to beat. They were quickly overtaken when Arcand moved into the lead with a clear round in a time of 39.56 seconds.
Up next, Ashley McInnis of Barrie, ON, gave it her best shot with Pacifica, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Optimal Performance Inc., with another clear round in a time of 45.16 seconds that would hold up for eventual third place.
Katerine Drapeau of Chambly, QC, dropped a rail at the final fence riding her own Freestyle du Shamrock, leaving Arcand at the top of the leaderboard with only one challenger remaining. When Halpern and Esra, a 12-year-old Canadian-bred Holsteiner mare owned by Vanessa Lee, had a rail down mid-way through the course, the win went to Arcand.
“The course was great with the perfect number of people in the jump-off,” said Arcand, 34, who was at a disadvantage after his horse lost a shoe in the rollback following the double combination. “The jump-off course was really open so you could really canter. I went second after Mac. I saw his round and it was competitive but, knowing my horse, it’s naturally faster than his, so my plan was to beat the time and put pressure on the next three still to come. When I lost a shoe, I went a bit slower than I would have normally; I played it safe. Paul can be fast on Esra, but I got lucky when he had a rail.”
Despite having won Thursday’s $15,000 Open Welcome, Arcand didn’t want to get his hopes up for another win in the $50,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix.
“I don’t like to think that things will be easy because then I have a rail,” explained Arcand. “There were a couple of tricky spots on the course, and I didn’t want to take anything for granted.”
Arcand purchased Phil v/d Wezelse Heihoeve when the Belgian Warmblood stallion (Cornet Obolensky x Mr. Blue) was a seven-year-old. Now that he’s nine, Arcand feels the horse is coming into its own, noting, “He is in top form. That is what I expected from this horse. He was quite green when I got him. In the jump-offs, he can get worried, but today he was really taking me to the jumps. He is understanding that you need to go fast to win, and to win is a good feeling!”
In addition to his pair of victories during the Ottawa Summer Tournament I, Arcand and Phil v/d Wezelse Heihoeve also won the $25,000 Grand Prix held back in May at Wesley Clover Parks. It’s a favourite venue of Arcand’s as well as his students. For next week’s Ottawa Summer Tournaments II, Arcand plans to bring 17 or 18 horses from his Santos Stables in Boisbriand, QC, to compete.
The second week of competition comprising the Ottawa Summer Tournaments runs from July 10 to 14, highlighted by the Grand Prix on Saturday, July 13, at 4 p.m. International competition will be showcased at CSI5*/CSI2* Major League Show Jumping Ottawa from August 21-25 while the Ottawa National rounds out this season’s top show jumping competition from September 12-15.
Wesley Clover Parks is hosting a Grand Prix party on July 13 as well as offering three days of first-rate hospitality during Major League Show Jumping Ottawa in August. Tickets and tables are available for purchase at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/hospitality.
For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit HERE.
$50,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix – Saturday, July 6, 2024
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Faults / Time
1. David Arcand / Boisbriand, QC / Phil v/h Wezelse Heihoeve / 0:0 / 39.56
2. Mac Cone / King City, ON / Ogandros PS / 0:0 / 43.50
3. Ashley McInnis / Barrie, ON / Pacifica / 0:0 / 45.16
4. Paul Halpern / Saint Anne des Plaines, QC / Esra / 0:4 / 39.14
5. Katerine Drapeau / Chambly, QC / Freestyle du Shamrock / 0:4 / 42.87
6. Sarah Tindale / Campbellville, ON / Elco van hof ter Naillen / 4
Isabelle Lapierre of Lévis, QC, guided Carrera S to victory in the $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)
Isabelle Lapierre Lands Hunter Derby Win
Isabelle Lapierre of Lévis, QC, claimed victory in the $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby on Friday, July 5, during the Ottawa Summer Tournament I held at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
The $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby, part of the Canadian Hunter Derby Series, attracted 38 entries to compete on Wesley Clover Parks’ grass grand prix field. Horse-and-rider combinations faced a challenging track set by course designer Pierre Burch and beautifully decorated by Levko Malyna that featured hunter classic, handy hunter, and field hunting obstacles. Held in a single round format, riders competed at the 3’ height with 3’3” options or at the 3’6” height with options set between 3’9” and 4’3”. Only those competing at the 3”6” height earned points towards the Canadian Hunter Derby Series Final to be held at Toronto’s iconic Royal Horse Show in November.
Having won the Canadian Hunter Derby Series Final in 2018 and been the reserve champion in 2023, Lapierre and Carrera S have all but secured their starting place at this year’s Royal with a win in the $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby. Despite their numerous accomplishments together over the years, Lapierre and Carrera S had never before won the hunter derby in Ottawa.
“It was a check on the bucket list!” said Lapierre following her win. “I’ve won so many derbies with him but to finally do it on grass at Ottawa, it’s special. To ride on the grass makes it feel like a real hunter derby. That’s how hunter derbies should be, but we don’t have many grass fields anymore. It’s a real class in Ottawa, and I needed to win it with this horse.”
With a base score of 85 points, Lapierre was awarded 10 bonus points for taking higher fence options and earned nine bonus points for handiness to bring their final total to 104 points.
“We had a triple that we don’t see normally in hunter derbies as well as a double,” said Lapierre in describing the course, which included a rare two-stride to a two-stride triple combination. “There were lots of bending lines. We went everywhere on the course; it was nice and flowing. There was nothing that changed the rhythm. The triple was a bit difficult for some horses and the last line by the VIP tent was challenging because the horses wanted to look at the tent instead of focusing on the jumps. You had to be on the job everywhere. In the end, it was a nice hunter derby course.”
Lapierre was especially excited to win partnered with Carrera S, a 14-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding sired by Carrado.
“We’ve known each other for a long time,” said Lapierre of the horse owned by Johannie Légaré. “I first started with him in 2017 and then he had colic surgery and then the pandemic. I think he’s back to his best self. At 14, he knows when it’s important. He likes his job, it’s easy for him, and he’s a happy horse.”
As the winner, Lapierre was awarded the Gladys Adam Memorial Trophy, presented by the Oswald family. Established in 2004, the trophy commemorates the life of legendary horsewoman and Jump Canada Hall of Fame member, Gladys Adam.
Second place went to Maude Belanger Bouchard of Calixa Lavallée, QC, who rode Simon to a total score of 101 points followed by third-placed finishers Emily Wulff of Claremont, ON, and I’m Very Special Z who earned a score of 100 from judges Tamara Hall and Gail Prest.
Ribbons were also awarded to the top junior/amateur competitors with Raphaelle Brassard of Lac Brome, QC, coming out on top with a score of 88 points riding Heliant BP. RoseZalie Jutras of Bromont, QC, was second with 87 points riding State of Mind while Carlyn Hartwick of Kingston, ON, riding Harley rounded out the top three with 80 points.
Full results here.
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