In a thrilling showdown in the sand tbird Arena on the final day of the Spring Festival, Australia’s Rowan Willis captured the $10,000 tbird Grand Prix, but not before hometown star Kassidy Keith left the crowd gasping with the fastest jump-off round of the day — undone by a single rail.
Willis piloted For Dilando PS to victory in 39.02 seconds, holding off New Zealand’s Katie Laurie, who claimed second and third aboard Pretty Women (39.95) and ZF Chacco Rio (40.38). Willis added fourth place with Cape Town (40.8), sealing a dominant lock on the top four from the Down Under.
But the electric moment of the 13-horse jump-off belonged to Langley’s own Kassidy Keith. Aboard her fleet-footed Havana, she stopped the clock at an astonishing 37.53 seconds — a second and a half faster than Willis’s winning time — but a single rail third fence from last dropped her to eighth place.
“He’s a naturally very fast horse, and I knew with who was in the jump-off that it would be fast,” Willis said of For Dilando PS, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding (For Pleasure x Chacco-Blue) that has been in his string for just one year.
“I had to do one less from [fences] two to three and be tight back to the double. I was a bit lucky on the [tbird] vertical, but luck was on our side and he was great.”
The national grand prix drew an international start list featuring Ireland, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, but the battle narrowed to an Antipodean duel between Willis and Laurie.
Willis is currently laying over in Langley as he prepares for back-to-back weeks of international jumping at tbird in May, when competition moves to the grass Fort Grand Prix Arena for the highly anticipated CSI4* Canadian Premier, May 20–24 and CSIO4* Odlum Brown BC Open, May 26–31.
“We’re looking forward to the four-stars here and then Spruce Meadows,” Willis added. “I think he’s hopefully going to jump better on grass, and I love jumping on grass, so I’m really looking forward to these shows in the summer.”
$10,000 tbird Grand Prix
Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Score
1. For Dilando PS / Rowan Willis / AUS / Just a Cheeky One / 0/0 39.02
2. Pretty Women / Katie Laurie / NZL / Highland Farms Ltd / 0/0 39.95
3. ZF Chacco Rio / Katie Laurie / NZL / Carissa McCall / 0/0 40.38
4. Cape Town / Rowan Willis / AUS / Patricio Pasquel / 0/0 40.8
5. Clan de Nyze Z / Ashley Papalia/ CAN / Ashley Papalia / 0/0 41.53
6. Olydo vd Bisschop / Katie Laurie / NZL / Highland Farms Ltd / 0/0 45.14
7. BP Lady Masterpiece / Tracey Epp / CAN / Tracey Epp / 0/0 47.92
8. Havana / Kassidy Keith / CAN / Kassidy Keith / 0/4 37.53
9. Dominard / Anne-Sophie Levesque / USA / Anne-Sophie Levesque / 0/4 41.75
10. Connecticut / Amanda Sinnett / CAN / Amanda Sinnett / 0/4 43.4
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