Until tonight, no competitor at the Royal Horse Show had won three back-to-back Canadian show jumping titles. Yann Candele (Caledon, ON) changed that this evening, taking the Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championship for an astounding third consecutive year.
By merit of his standing after last night’s competition, Candele earned the right to jump last in the order tonight. By the time the field including Ian Millar (Perth, ON), Jill Henselwood (Oxford Mills, ON), Ainsley Vince (Burlington, ON) and Erynn Ballard (Tottenham, ON) performed, Candele knew he would have to be foot-perfect if he were to have a chance at the title.
“I knew from past experience the winner must be clear all the way. There is no opening,” said Candele tonight. “When you’re leading, it’s for you to lose. I took a little more time to the last jump tonight, maybe almost too much time. But I wanted to be sure to give the horse the best chance at winning.”
