Toronto, Ontario – Canada’s Mario Deslauriers closed out the 84th edition of the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, with a win in the $60,000 ‘The Ricoh’ Big Ben International Challenge.
Deslauriers, who also stood in the winner’s circle on opening night after claiming the first leg of the $70,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championships, found himself back where he started at the conclusion of this year’s Royal Horse Show. As the final competitor in the Ricoh Coliseum, Deslauriers thrilled the sold-out crowd by topping a 10-horse jump-off with an incredible time of 35.68 seconds to win the $60,000 ‘The Ricoh’ Big Ben International Challenge for the first time in his career. Deslauriers was aboard Paradigm, his 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.
“A good horse goes a long way, and Paradigm has had a great year!” smiled Deslauriers of Bromont, QC, who pocketed $20,000 for the win. “It feels great to finish the week on a good note. It is fun to come to the Royal which has such a great ambiance – there are not many shows like it anywhere in the world.”