Beatrice Daviault of St. Damase, QC, won the $5,000 Modified Grand Prix, presented by Greenhawk, to close out the two-week Ottawa Summer Tournaments on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
It was a classic case of the student beating the teacher as the 23-year-old Daviault went head-to-head with her trainer, François Lamontagne, in a two-horse jump-off. Daviault was first to return for the tie breaker riding her partner of five years, Levaro Z. The pair were looking good until they missed their distance coming home to the final fence, resulting in a score of four faults in a time of 41.10 seconds.
Lamontagne of Saint Eustache, QC, knew exactly what he had to do to win but when a rail fell at the ‘b’ element of the double combination for a four-fault penalty, he turned on the gas in an effort to beat Daviault’s time. He was close, but not close enough, stopping the clock in 41.12 seconds to narrowly miss out on the win riding Tinka’s Soldier, an 11-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding (Tinka’s Boy x Graphix) that was bred by Bob Henselwood and is owned by Groupe Zacar Inc.
“I know François is really fast, but I tried my best,” said Daviault. “I tried to cut the corners a little bit. I’m still not quite like François but we’re getting there.”
Daviault’s winning mount, Levaro Z, is an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Levisto Z x Calvaro Z).
“I’ve had him since he was six-years old,” she said. “We did a little bit of young horse classes with him, and I’m really proud of what he’s become. He’s a bit of a pony ride; he is super easy.”
A medical student at the University of Montreal, Daviault has only been showing on the weekends during the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments.
“It’s one of my favorite shows,” she said. “It’s well organized, the footing is great, and I love showing here. There are also a lot of people showing here, so we can see how the competition is.”
Ottawa native Rayne Dubois missed qualifying for the jump-off when she and Eristos de l’Heribus exceeded the time allowed of 76 seconds set by course designer Shane Wooley to incur one time penalty. Heather MacInnis of Burlington, ON, also fell victim to the clock, picking up three time faults riding Candescent. Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON, produced the fastest four-fault effort to round out the top five riding Onslow for owner Genevieve Di Perna.
The Ottawa Summer Tournaments once again featured the $10,000 Under 25 MarBill Hill Farm Jumper Bonus and Circuit Award. When the points were tabulated following the Modified Grand Prix, Sutton Friesen of Kelowna, BC, had the highest total riding Ilanca to claim a $5,000 bonus. Daviault and Levaro Z took second in the points standings to earn $3,500 while Taylor Wood of Manotick, ON, was third riding New York’s Joy to earn $1,500.
Earlier in the day, the fun-filled $5,000 Royal LePage Team Realty Dog and Pony Challenge saw agility dogs from Dogz Canine Sports Center partnered with horse-rider combinations. After the horses and riders jumped their course, their canine partners completed their run of the agility course with the fastest combined time declared the winner. Ottawa’s own Hannah Maley riding Eskalina paired up with Pebbles, a Border Collie, to produce the fastest combined time and secure the win.
In the $5,000 CHDS Open Hunter Derby, presented by Apple Saddlery, Sarah Drapeau of Blainville, QC, came out on top riding Athos van het Poeleind Z. Isabelle Lapierre of Lévis, QC, riding Carrera S took second place while PierreKarl Provencher of Blainville, QC, rounded out the top three partnered with Galeo di Giacomo.
Next on the show jumping calendar at Wesley Clover Parks is Major League Show Jumping competition running from August 23 to 27, 2023. Offering CSI5* and CSI2* divisions sanctioned by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and offering more than $800,000 in prize money, Major League Show Jumping Ottawa will attract some of the highest-ranked show jumping athletes in the world to the Nation’s Capital.
For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com.
$5,000 Modified Grand Prix, presented by Greenhawk – Sunday, July 16, 2023
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Faults / Time
1. Beatrice Daviault / St. Damase, QC / Levaro Z / 0:0 / 41.10
2. François Lamontagne / Saint-Eustache, QC / Tinka’s Soldier / 0:0 / 41.12
3. Rayne Dubois / Ottawa, ON / Eristos de l’Heribus / 1
4. Heather MacInnis / Burlington, ON / Candescent / 3
5. Hyde Moffatt / Brantford, ON / Onslow / 4
6. Sophia Nihon Millar / Perth, ON / Deja Vu / 4
7. Lauren Hayes / Mono, ON / Icon NR / 6
8. Hyde Moffatt / Brantford, ON / Kaspian / 8
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