Canadian Riders Finish in the Top 10 at Spring CIC 3*s The Fork and Galway Downs

Ottawa, ON—Canadian National Eventing Team members Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch, Selena O’Hanlon and Hawley Bennett-Awad all recently finished in the top 10 in CIC 3* competitions leading up to the CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, which will be held April 22-25, 2010 in Lexington Kentucky.

Competing in the CIC 3* The Fork Horse Trials in Norwood, NC, held April 1–4, Rhodes-Bosch, 22, of Summerland, BC, and her partner Port Authority, a Canadian-bred 12-year-old Selle Français/Thoroughbred gelding, finished in eighth place against stiff competition. A dressage score of 53.9 put the pair in 22nd place. They added just 0.4 time faults on the cross country course designed by Captain Mark Phillips, and had a double clean show jumping effort to move up the leaderboard finishing on a penalty score of 54.3.

“I am so happy with my horse. He was fantastic on cross country despite the very hot conditions,” said Rhodes-Bosch, who improved her final placing up from 20th spot last year at The Fork with Port Authority. “My dressage score was almost eight points better this year as well. I have been working hard with our International Technical Advisor David O’Connor and it has really paid off.”

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O’Hanlon, 29, riding her 2008 Olympic mount Colombo, a 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, owned by Elaine and Michael Davies, performed an outstanding dressage test, scoring 45.9, which put them in seventh place. The pair then navigated the cross country course adding only 1.2 time faults but two costly rails in show jumping added eight faults for a final score of 55.1 for ninth overall.

Chelan Kozak of South Surrey, BC finished in 24th place with her Tasman Sea, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding on a score of 81.5. Jessica Hampf, 24, originally of London, ON, and currently based in Auburn, AL, and her partner, High Society III, a 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, finished just behind Kozak in 25th place on a score of 82.6.

Diana Burnett of Blackstock, ON and Manny, 10-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred gelding owned by Burnett and Eventing Canada finished with a score of 82.6, which was good for 27th place.

Other Canadians completing the CIC3* The Fork included Burnett and Wild T’Matter (30th) and Micheline Jordan and Irish Diamonds (36th).

Buck Davidson, of the United States, claimed the CIC 3* win aboard My Boy Bobby for the second consecutive year.

At Galway Downs International Horse Trials in Temecula, CA, held March 26–28, Canadian Olympian Hawley Bennett-Awad of Langley, BC and Gin & Juice, a 10-year-old Thoroughbred mare owned by Bennett-Awad & Linda Paine, was one of only two entries to finish on their dressage score in the CIC 3* division. The pair stood in eighth place following dressage with a score of 54.6, but their fault free show jumping followed by a clean cross country performance moved them up to finish third overall.

“We started the last phase cross country tied for fifth place, and ran in reverse order of standing which is a little different. I left the box and stuck to my plan. I had talked with my trainer Buck Davidson the night before, and he told me to stay relaxed and ride each jump. Ginny was unbelievable. She did not put a foot wrong over the big, challenging course that Ian Stark designed. I could not have asked for a better ride,” said Bennett-Awad. “I feel like we are prepared and ready to make the trip to Kentucky.”

American Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister won the CIC 3* division with a score of 42.3.

In the CIC 1* division Jennifer Miller, who currently resides in Cave Creek, AZ, finished in 11th place, with a score of 79.0, riding her 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Jeepers.

Canadian Olympian Kyle Carter, originally of Calgary, AB and currently residing in Sparr, FL, and Final Watch, Billie Sue Jensen’s 10-year-old Hanoverian mare, were the top placed Canadian entry at Poplar Place March Horse Trials, held March 19–21, in Hamilton, GA, in the CIC 2* division. Carter and Final Watch sat in third following dressage with a score of 54.8, and added only 13.6 cross country time penalties to their final score to finish in fourth with 68.4.

Samantha Elsenaar of Brooklin, ON, and her 12-year-old Canadian-bred Thoroughbred cross gelding, Armon, finished in 10th place on a score of 93.4.

Clark Montgomery of the US and Loughan Glen won the CIC 2* on a score of 58.7.

In the CIC 1* division, Penny Rowland of Orangeville, ON, and H.S. Flying Finn, the rider’s nine-year-old Hungarian-bred gelding, finished in sixth place on a score of 69.9. Rowland also rode her horse Amazing Grace, a nine-year-old Canadian Thoroughbred to 11th place.

Canadian Eventing riders and horses Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin & Juice, Diana Burnett and Manny, Kyle Carter and Madison Park, Sandra Donnelly and Buenos Aires, Jessica Hampf and High Society III, Chelan Kozak and Tasman Sea, Michelle Mueller and Amistad, Selena O’Hanlon and Colombo, Ian Roberts and Napalm, Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch and Port Authority and Karl Slezak and Charley Farley are all in their final stages of preparation for the CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, held at the Kentucky Horse Park, in Lexington, KY—the site of the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG). As the only CCI 4* competition held in North America, it is one of the competitions used to select the 2010 Canadian Eventing Team that will represent Canada at WEG, which will be held September 25 – October 10, 2010.