François Lamontagne opened the two-week Ottawa Summer Tournaments with a win in the $20,000 Giant Tiger Open Welcome held Thursday, July 7, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
A familiar face in the winner’s circle at Wesley Clover Parks, Lamontagne doubled his chances of winning the Open Welcome by qualifying two mounts, Chanel du Calvaire and Thunderbird vh Scheefkasteel Z, for the jump-off. He was joined by Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON, who went one better, qualifying three mounts for the tie-breaker. Luis Fernandez Saenz Morel of Guatemala was the only other rider from the 18-horse starting field to deliver a first-round clear and join the jump-off riding VDL Maverick.
The jump-off times got steadily faster with the lead changing hands several times. Lamontagne posted the first double clear with Thunderbird vh Scheefkasteel Z, an eight-year-old Zangersheide mare that he has been developing for four years, in a time of 45.73 seconds. Moffatt then took almost five seconds off the leading time, stopping the clock in 40.95 seconds with Amalia, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Ariel Grange.