Ottawa, Ontario — In her first competitive appearance at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Rachel Bingham of Oakville, ON, took top honours in the Jump Canada Medal Championship held Tuesday, November 10, in Toronto, ON.
Following both regional and provincial Jump Canada Medal Finals, the top finishers from across Canada were invited to contest the Jump Canada Medal Final Championship. At the Royal, Bingham came out on top following skillful rides in both the jumping and flat phases aboard her horse Matchmaker, her nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding.
“I was so nervous when I made the top four,” said Bingham, 17, who prepared for the Jump Canada Medal by competing south of the border in the Maclay Regional Championships and the USEF Equitation Finals. “Chris prepared us really well which made the class go very smoothly.”
Her coach, former Olympian Chris Delia, noted, “Rachel is the hardest-working student I have ever had. We have trained really hard to get her horse to where it is today.”
All of the Jump Canada Medal Championship riders competed over a course set at a height of 1.09m (3’6”) that rode forward while incorporating broken lines, tight rollbacks and natural jumps. Out of the 28 starting entries, 10 riders were invited back for the flat phase where riders are required to show a sitting trot and counter canter, as well as the three gaits of walk, trot and canter in both directions. For the final test, the top four riders were kept in the ring to complete a ride-off over fences to determine the overall placings. Heading in to the ride-off, Bingham was sitting in second, but a flawless performance in the final four test, which included counter canter, a trot fence, a rollback and a halt, saw Bingham become the judges’ top pick.
Finishing in second position was defending champion Quincy Hayes of Aurora, ON, with SS Antony, owned by Chris Sorensen. Lauren Gue of Vancouver, BC, earned third place riding Toronto, owned by Barbara Bell, while Jessica Rooks of Pitt Meadows, BC, and Borneo, owned by Caitlin Ziegler and Artisan Farms, rounded out the top four.
Jump Canada Medal Championships
Placing / Rider/ Hometown
1 / Rachel Bingham / Oakville, ON
2 / Quincy Hayes / Aurora, ON
3 / Lauren Gue / Vancouver, BC
4 / Jessica Rooks / Pitt Meadows, BC
5 / Laurence Addison / Lorraine, QC
6 / Cassandra Kahle / Langley, BC
7 / Zoe Beckerman / Toronto, ON
8 / Isobel Richardson / Palgrave, ON
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