Ottawa, ON—Canadian Olympians Christilot Boylen and Evi Strasser and Olympic hopeful Cheryl Meisner competed at the second week of the CDI3* Sunshine Tour held March 6–9 in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain.

 

Strasser of Sainte-Adele, QC, rode her longtime partner Quantum Tyme, a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Quattro x Argentinius), to a score of 65.042%, which gave them a 13th place finish out of 56 entries in the Grand Prix.

 

Riding John Risley’s Paganini, an 11-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood stallion Paganini (Havidoff x Statuar), Meisner, who hails from Halifax, Nova Scotia, received 64.833% in the Grand Prix test for 14th place in the large competitive field. The duo moved up in both their Grand Prix score and standings from the previous week. The pair then moved up 10th place in the Grand Prix Special on a score of 64.360%.

 

Boylen, riding the 14-year-old Baden-Wurttemberger gelding Gachino (Gardez x China Town), owned by Mr. and Mrs. Hermosilla, were awarded a score of 64.583% to place in 16th position in the Grand Prix class.

 

All three riders also competed  in the Advanced division. Meisner, riding John Risley’s 15-year-old KWPN gelding Lucky Strike (Ferro x Hestia), placed in the top 10 with a ninth place finish in the large Prix St Georges class of 54 entries on a score of 66.417%. The pair then continued the trend of climbing the leader-board in successive classes by placing fifth in Intermediaire I class with a score of 67.083% in class of 47 entries.

 

“Lucky Strike was great. He always gives 100 per cent and tries his best,” noted Meisner of her longtime partner. “He is a very experienced horse, so I think that makes us competitive. I plan to show him in the third week of sunshine tour in the Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I. Hopefully we will make the freestyle, because he absolutely loves to do his freestyle!”

 

Boylen and Alec Murray’s 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Don Valentino 5 (Don Primero x Corina) achieved a 10th place score of 66.333%, which placed two Canadian riders in the Prix St. Georges top 10. Strasser and her eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion Action Tyme (Aktuell x Aleksander) finished in 12th place with a score of 66.000%.

 

In the FEI 6-year-old division, Strasser continued her success with the Oldbenburg gelding Argo Conti Tyme (Argentinus x  Alina), who is related to Quantum Tyme. The judges awarded their ride in the Preliminary test with third place and a score of 73.60%.The pair also placed third in the more difficult Final test with 78.00%.

 

All three riders will wrap-up competing on the Spanish Sunshine Tour this week during the last of the three back to back CDI3* competitions, which will be held March 13–16th, 2008.

 

The international judging panel at this FEI competition included Yvonne Visser (FEI I— ESP), Jan Peeters (FEI O— NED), Francisco Cancella de Abreu (FEI C—  POR), Barnabas Mandi (FEI O— HUN), Marian Cunningham (FEI I— PER), Francisco Guerra (FEI I— ESP), Peter Engel (FEI I— GER), Bernard Maurel (FEI O— FRA), Victoire Mandl (FEI I— AUT), Francisco Guerra (FEI I— ESP) and Maria Colliander (FEI I— FIN).

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