The stage has been set in Langley, BC, Canada, as five teams have assembled to contest the $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada. As the final leg of the Nations Cup’s North and Central America and Caribbean division, it’s the final opportunity for Canada, Mexico, and the United States to earn valuable qualifying points toward the Nations Cup Final in Barcelona, Spain, in October. Defending champion Ireland and newcomer Israel complete the lineup in the feature event of the week’s CSIO5* competition.
Leading the division with 200 points, Team Mexico returns to Langley as the event favourites after achieving back-to-back victories in Wellington, FL, in February and on home soil in Coapexpan, Mexico, in May. Led by Chef d’Equipe Stanny van Paesschen, Mexico will put forth its third different team this year: Manuel Gonzalez Dufrane, Salvador Oñate, Francisco Pasquel, Nicolas Pizzaro, and Juan Jose Zendejas Salgado.
Team USA sits second in the division with 170 points after finishing third in the USA leg and second in Mexico. Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland has tapped Lucy Deslauriers, Eve Jobs, Jenni Martin McAllister, Richard Spooner and Andrew Welles to compete for the red, white and blue.
With 140 points, Canada is third in the division standings, having finished fifth and third in the first two legs, respectively. The Canadian team needs a victory in Langley and for lady luck to frown upon the Americans to secure their ticket to Barcelona. Tiffany Foster, Mario Deslauriers, Lisa Carlsen, Nicole Walker and Vanessa Mannix make up Chef d’Equipe Mark Laskin’s team.
While not competing for divisional points, Ireland will have plenty of eyes on them, as the team returns to tbird as defending champions. Thunderbird Show Park’s winningest rider Conor Swail anchors Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake’s team. His teammates are Jonathan Corrigan, Cormac Hanley, and brothers Jordan and Daniel Coyle. Daniel also won last year’s CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix at tbird.
Team Israel makes its first appearance in the Canadian Nations Cup competition after debuting with a runner-up finish in the U.S. leg in Wellington. Brothers Daniel and Steven Bluman, Saree Solanki Gordon, and Alberto Michan make up the team. They’ll compete under the tutelage of Chef d’Equipe Hans Horn.
The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada gets underway Sunday, June 2, at 2:00pm PT. Tickets start as low as CA $5.00 and can be purchased at tbird.ca. All the action from the Fort Grand Prix Ring will also be streamed live on tbird TV. Those in Canada can watch Sunday’s Nations Cup competition there, while the international broadcast will stream exclusively on FEI TV.
Running concurrent five- and two-star competitions, the Odlum Brown BC Open features four days of international competition. Leading up to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada are four five-star classes: the $8,500 CSIO5* tbird Happy Welcome 1.45m and the $36,500 CSIO5* Artisan Farms Nations Welcome 1.50m on Thursday; the $235,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix on Friday; and the $36,500 CSIO5* North West Rubber Cup 1.50m on Saturday. Two-star competition is highlighted by Saturday’s CSI2* $36,500 Jump for Uyradis Village Grand Prix. Child and junior competitors will also get their moments to shine Saturday in the CSIOCh Children’s Nations Cup and CSIOJ Junior Nations Cup.
For more information, visit Thunderbird Show Park’s website at tbird.ca.
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