Canadian Olympian Hawley Bennett-Awad of Aldergrove, BC, nabbed a top-10 CCI 4*-L finish aboard her Eventing National Team Program National Squad partner, Jollybo (Jumbo x Danzig Connection), at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event, held Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 2020, in Temecula, CA
Bennett-Awad and the 16-year-old British Sport Horse mare that she co-owns with the Jollybo Syndicate LLC kicked off the competition on Oct. 29 by recording 35.20 penalty points in the dressage phase. A clear cross-country round with 6.80 time penalties brought the combination’s total to 42.00 penalties on Oct. 30 before the final show jumping round the next day. There, 12 faults and 0.40 time penalties tallied for a final score of 54.40 penalty points to place Bennett-Awad and Jollybo in seventh.
Bennett’s success matched that of other Canadians competing around the world in October. Kathryn Robinson, a resident of Kettering, GBR, also cracked the top 10 at the Strzegom October Festival in Strzegom, POL, held Oct. 8-11. The Canadian Olympian rode her seven-year-old gelding, Cloud K, to 46.1 penalties for sixth place in the CCI 3*-S division for their second-ever FEI level competition as a team.
Karl Slezak of Tottenham, ON, and his seven-year-old mare, Hot Bobo, emerged victorious in the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event CCI 2*-L, held in Lexington, KY, from Oct. 14-18. Picture-perfect cross-country and show-jumping rounds led the pair to end on their dressage score of 29.3 penalty points for the win.
Dasha Ivandaeva, a Canadian residing in Middleburg, VA, took up a large chunk of the CCI 2*-S leaderboard at the Virginia Horse Trials International, held Oct. 29-Nov. 1. She placed fourth with her eight-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Kingcarra Cooley Diamond (Jack of Diamonds x Coevers Diamond Boy) on a final score of 32.90 penalty points. Ivandaeva also claimed fifth with her six-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, MHS Instant Karma (sired by Toulon), with a score of 33.30 penalties.