Waylon Roberts of Port Perry, ON, broke his own record with a remarkable ninth win in the $20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on Saturday evening, November 8, at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
Roberts had only ridden his winning mount, Lakeside Park, for the first time 48 hours prior to Saturday night’s final. Roberts was sitting second after the opening round on Friday, nipping at the heels of leader Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON. He made good use of the up-and-coming talent of Lakeside Park, an eight-year-old Canadian-bred Thoroughbred gelding owned by Penny Rowland, to go penalty free again on Saturday and finish on a combined winning time of 186.29 seconds.
The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge is a title Roberts last won—for a record eighth time on that occasion—in 2015. This year, he was hopeful but set few expectations.
“I was only trying to do right by Penny, but what a horse,” he said of the horse regularly ridden by fellow Canadian eventer Jamie Kellock. “Jamie and Jessica [Phoenix] worked together this week to prepare him. I showed up Friday morning, rode him at Jamie’s, then rode him a little here in the afternoon, and we did the class. I was trying to draw on all the good training I’ve had from my great coaches over the years, and that’s all you can try to do.
“Indoor eventing always gets your heart racing,” continued Roberts, a member of Canada’s bronze medal eventing team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. “It gets your blood pumping, and this atmosphere is second to none.”
The Coca-Cola Coliseum welcomed record numbers on opening weekend of the Royal Horse Show.
“It’s great to see this place jam-packed, and I think the horses love it,” said Roberts, who has been coming to The Royal with his family since he was a child. “They see all those eyes on them, and they hear people cheer for them. I know it gets the riders going but the horses love it too.”
The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge returned to the Royal Horse Show this year to deliver the adrenaline-pumping thrills of cross-country to an indoor setting. Featuring a combination of show jumping and cross-country obstacles, the course designed by world-renowned Captain Mark Phillips of Great Britain challenged horses and riders to be both daring and accurate to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd in the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
After her opening night win, Jacks held on for a second-place finish. She piloted Ontario-bred Josephine for owner and breeder, Donna Van Beek, to a penalty-free finish just fractions of a second behind Roberts in 186.87 seconds. Three-time Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, rounded out the top three with a clear performance and total time of 195.37 seconds on ESI Nixon, also owned by Penny Rowland.
The number one eventing rider in the world, Harry Meade (GBR) concluded his Royal Horse Show debut by placing eighth riding borrowed mount BDE Olympic Royale, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare usually campaigned by 18-year-old Avery Tallman.
“It’s amazing to see the work that goes in behind the scenes at the Royal,” concluded Roberts, who is now based in Aiken, SC, after taking in some of the other sights and sounds of The Royal on Saturday afternoon. “I sat and watched the cow show a little bit this afternoon. You get to see things here that you wouldn’t in your daily life. It’s great!”
$25,000 Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby
Hunter derby competition was showcased on Sunday afternoon, November 9, in the $25,000 Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby, presented by Rosemary Phelan. Kristjan Good of Campbellville, ON, topped a field of 21 entries on a leading score of 108 riding Levi VDL for owner John Kimmel.
After finishing second in the Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby during the 2024 Royal Horse Show, Good combined the leading base score of 88 with 10 high performance and 10 handy bonus points to take the victory this year. Diana Dionisio of Waterdown, ON, finished second riding Caran 5 to a total score of 104.5 for owner Breana Zielonka. Isabelle Lapierre of Lévis, QC, rounded out the top three riding Carrera S, owned by Johannie Legare, a single point behind Dionisio on a final score of 103.5.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the 2025 Royal Horse Show, visit HERE.
$20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge – Final Standings
Saturday Evening, November 8, 2025
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Penalties / Time
1. Waylon Roberts / Port Perry, ON / Lakeside Park / 0 / 186.29
2. Holly Jacks / Hillsburgh, ON / Josephine / 0 / 186.87
3. Jessica Phoenix / Cannington, ON / ESI Nixon / 0 / 195.37
4. Melissa Boutin / Sherbrooke, QC / Penny GS / 0 / 213.93
5. Selena O’Hanlon / Kingston, ON / Ten Lakes / 5 / 213.43
6. Diana Burnett / Blackstock, ON / Whatsyourproblem / 5 / 219.23
7. Megane Sauve / St. Paul, QC / Nuance / 10 / 190.83
8. Harry Meade / South Gloucestershire, GBR / BDE Olympic Royale / 25 / 213.14
$25,000 Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby
Sunday, November 9, 2025
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Score
1. Kristjan Good / Campbellville, ON / Levi VDL / 108
2. Diana Dionisio / Waterdown, ON / Caran 5 / 104.5
3. Isabelle Lapierre / Lévis, QC / Carrera S / 103.5
4. Olivia Groenewegen / Elginburg, ON / Chatsworth / 103
5. Kristjan Good / Campbellville, ON / Casalluna / 101
6. Denis Sweeney / Keene, ON / Lytton Park / 97
7. Hyde Moffatt / Brantford, ON / Cassias 6 / 93.5
8. Emily Wulff / Claremont, ON / I’m Very Special Z / 93
9. Courtney Bacso / Kitchener, ON / Nitecap / 91.5
10. Allison Lagan / Cobble hill, BC / Oxo van de Bien / 89
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