More than 4,500 fans were in attendance to see CanadaŹ¼s top equestrians face off in a two-round event. The top ten finishers from the first round came back to compete in a jump off to determine the winner in the $150,000 class.
Yann Candele, riding Piterusa, handily won the first Equestrian All-Star Grand Prix that was held in Ottawa on Saturday, October 3, 2009. He bested the second place pair, Amy Millar and Costa Rica Z by 2.91 seconds and topped third place finishers Mac Cone and Ole by a whopping 4.35 seconds, walking away with the first prize purse of $35,000.
It was the culmination of a week-end of excitement and family entertainment dubbed the āAgri-Sport All Star Weekendā. The thrills began on Friday night, October 2nd, with an evening of the hard-hitting action of Professional Bull Riding. Saturday morning the Grand Prix riders competed in the Kubota Canada Speed Challenge. Candele and Pitareusa laid down the gauntlet at 60.65 seconds and captured the win just under 2 seconds ahead of second place finishers Ian Millar and Redefin.
While horses and riders rested and prepared for the evening Grand Prix, spectators were entertained by the ever-popular PresidentŹ¼s Choice Super Dogs in their āRaise the Woofā demonstration.
The combined event was the brain child of Sandra Fraser, founder of Grand Prix Productions, the premiere promoter of Equestrian Events in Canada. Four years earlier Fraser launched the highly successful Canadian Show Jumping Series with title sponsor Kubota Canada. The eight-city coast-to-coast Canadian Tour offered excellent prize money and support from Kubota and the seriesŹ¼ other sponsors. It delivered grand prix show jumping to a wider-than-ever audience from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and garnered support from most local and equine media as well.
The Equestrian All-Star Grand Prix, and the full Agri-Sport All Star Weekend, built on that success, cross-promoting three distinct events and inviting enthusiasts from each to get acquainted with the others. The goal to develop a wider fan base for the Olympic sport of show jumping in Canada was certainly achieved. The event was held at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario. Plans for 2010 include expanding the event to other locations across the nation.
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