First to go in the $25,000 Braeburn Farms Canadian Hunter Derby, Kristjan Good and Swahili van den Dries set a bar that ultimately couldn’t be matched Sunday afternoon at the Royal Horse Show.
The pair jumped to victory over a field of 18 combinations, receiving a score of 103 in the first round of the Canadian Hunter Derby Championship. Good made up two-thirds of the podium, also finishing third with Quirocks (101), while Denis Sweeney and Lytton Park were second (102).
The Royal Horse Show, which runs Nov. 6-15, is part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition in the world. A nine-day showcase of equestrian sport, the show features a wide variety of disciplines, from international show jumping and dressage to national show hunters, indoor eventing, and an array of unique horse breeds, with the marquee event, the CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto, set for Saturday, November 14.
“I like going first,” Good confessed. “I tend to have very good luck going first.”
Good put his full confidence in Swahili van den Dries’ bravery, opting immediately for the handiest options on course; that confidence carried forward to a bold, mistake-free round. The judges rewarded the pair with a base score of 86 and 7 handy points. Ten additional points were awarded to the winning pair for jumping all five of the high option fences available on course.
“He’s brave and he can do anything,” Good said of 8-year-old Swahili van den Dries. “Both horses (Swahili van den Dries and Quirocks) followed me everywhere I wanted to go. We were on the same page, and that doesn’t always happen.”
Swahili van den Dries and Quirocks are also competing at the Royal with their respective owners, Sara Struk and Jennifer Lecluse, in the Amateur Owner Hunter division. The geldings stable in Burlington, Ontario at JFK Farms and meet up with Good at horse shows.
“I know I can count on them. That’s the special part,” Good said. “You know if it’s going to be [a tough course], they’ll do the job for you.”
The Canadian Hunter Derby Championships conclude Tuesday, Nov. 10 with the $25,000 Knightwood Hunter Derby, after which scores from both competitions will be combined to determine the overall champion.
Results here.
Nella and Adare Ya To Win Jr/Am 1.40m Canadian Championship
Ruby Nella and Adare Ya To received the Junior/Amateur Jumper National Championship Award, Presented by Champion Shavings Corporation. All photos by Ben Radvanyi Photography
After three rounds of jumping, Toronto native Ruby Nella was named the Junior/Amateur Jumper National Champion with Adare Ya To.
Ruby Nella and Adare Ya To received the Junior/Amateur Jumper National Championship Award, Presented by Champion Shavings Corporation. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)
Nella, 17, and Baystreet Equestrian’s Adare Ya To were rewarded for their consistency across the division, winning the Welcome Stake Saturday and finishing among the top four in both the Speed Challenge and $10,000 Royal Final.
“This is my last show with my horse, so it was definitely emotional,” said Nella, who trains with Yann Candele out of Caledon, Ontario.
Nella was one of four athletes to jump clear in Sunday’s Final, but things didn’t go to plan in the jump-off. Returning first of the quartet of competitors, Nella and Adare Ya To became separated after the combination. Still, it was enough to finish among the top four, with those final points proving crucial in the championship race. The pair edged Isabella Erlick and Charmeur for the top tricolor, with Erlick earning Reserve honors.
A 16-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Adare Ya To is similar in age to his rider, who describes him as “hilarious.” Horse and rider shared that sense of humor as they left the arena together for the last time, but a few tears may also have been shed.
“I’ve had him for two years. I feel like we know each other and we trust each other,” Nella said. “To finish as Champions is so special.”
Nella will next turn her focus toward the 1.30m Junior/Amateur division with her newer partner, the 10-year-old Lalanda van de Kapel.
Avery Clune saved her best for last at the Royal Horse Show, riding to victory in the $10,000 Junior/Amateur Royal Final with Karamba.
The pair topped a compact four-horse jump-off, crossing the timers of Olympic level course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral’s (POR) short course in 33.17 seconds. Camille Ducap Harnois finished second (34.40 seconds), with Isabella Erlick and Charmeur third with a single knockdown (4/33.35s).
Results here.
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