Tiffany Foster & Electrique Bring the Heat in CSI3* ATCO Cup Grand Prix
Tiffany Foster (CAN) knows as well as anyone that it’s not over until the last horse crosses the timers in show jumping. Fortune played in her favour Sunday, Aug. 17, in the $75,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup Grand Prix 1.50m to close the Summer Fort Classic at Thunderbird Show Park, and she successfully took home the win aboard Electrique, a horse owned by 5 Roosters.
With two mounts qualified for the jump-off, Foster returned first to the Fort Grand Prix Arena on Battlecry, owned by Artisan Farms, LLC, and set the early standard in 43.01 seconds, but was quickly topped by Kara Chad (CAN) aboard Corinna Z, who posted a quick double-clear effort in 41.75. On her second mount, Electrique, Foster retook her lead in 40.89, but one rider still remained, and it was Chad on her second ride.
Chad and Igor GPH, owned by Fordville Farm Inc, gave it everything they had but came up just short, missing Foster’s winning time by a mere four one-hundredths of a second. Foster took the victory, but Chad still rode away with both second and third, on Igor GPH and Corinne Z, respectively.
“I think I was quite fast on the way back to the double and for sure across the arena,” Foster remarked about where she made up the time around the short course. “This horse has a huge stride and she is a very fast-moving horse. This jump-off really suited her because there was no short turn. I could use the straight-line speed she has.”
Watching from the sidelines as Chad went back in for her final attempt, and all the way up until she crossed the finish timers, Foster had to hold back nerves. Ultimately, it was an all-female and all-Canadian podium, and Foster would prefer it no other way.
“[I was] pretty nervous,” she said about awaiting that last ride. “[Kara] has been on such good form, she’s riding so well right now, and both of those horses she had are really fast and specialists at this, so I knew there was no chance to let up a little bit. There was nothing for free today and I got very lucky.”
Foster has been paired with Electrique, an 11-year-old Zangersheide mare (Emerald x Voltaire) since early 2023, and they’ve jumped up to the highest level the sport offers. Prior to the Summer Fort Classic, the pair jumped clear in the Million Dollar Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Spruce Meadows for a top-six finish.
“She was a horse that was developed by good friends of mine in Germany, Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann and Christoph Zimmermann,” Foster said of Electrique. “Then she was sold to my friend Kent Farrington, and he developed her from seven until the very beginning of her nine-year-old year. He thought so highly of the horse and knew her really well. He knew she’d be my type.”
The mare has been an extremely versatile horse for the Canadian Olympian.
“She’s been incredible since I’ve gotten her,” Foster continued. “I’m so grateful to the Coxe family and 5 Roosters who bought her for me. She can win five-star grand prixs and she can win at a lower level. She’s such a versatile horse and such a nice thing to have in your string.”
Foster’s next stop is to return to Spruce Meadows for the “Masters,” where she’ll compete with both Electrique and Battlecry, who both had stellar preparation in Langley.
$75,000 CSI3* ATCO Cup Grand Prix 1.50m
1. Electrique / Tiffany Foster / CAN / 5 Roosters / 0/0/40.89
2. Igor GPH / Kara Chad / CAN / Fordville Farm Inc / 0/0/40.93
3. Corinna Z / Kara Chad / CAN / Kara Chad / 0/0/41.75
4. Chakkalou PS / Patricio Pasquel / MEX / Patricio Pasquel / 0/0/42.45
5. Battlecry / Tiffany Foster / CAN / Artisan Farms, LLC / 0/0/43.01
6. Carmela Z / Vanessa Mannix / CAN / Vanessa Mannix / 0/8/47.22
7. Kannandine / Braden James / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co LTD / 4/73.99
8. Connador / Braden James / CAN / Stump Lake Ranch and Cattle Co LTD / 4/74.21
9. Gazelle SM / Patricio Pasquel / MEX / Patricio Pasquel / 4/74.92
10. Kayenne Z / Kyle King / USA / Kyle King / 4/75.71
***
Carly Stevens Rocks Solaris U25 with Springsteen
Four years ago, Carly Stevens (CAN) took a shot at producing a young horse, and on Sunday of the Summer Fort Classic, her hard work paid its biggest dividend yet. She and the horse, seven-year-old Springsteen, topped the $20,000 Solaris U25, presented by MarBill Hill U25 and protected by Western Pacific Emergency.
Springsteen was only three when he joined the Stevens’ family. The now 22-year-old rider spotted him at an online auction, and she was encouraged by her parents to take a risk on the Belgian Warmblood (Diarado x Acorado).
“Me and my mom were looking through [auction videos] and just thought he was super pretty,” she said about what initially caught her eye. “He was just super flashy. I had just broken my collarbone, so I was going to be out for a while. But my parents talked to me about it, and they were still okay to [purchase him].
“I started riding him as a four-year-old, and he’s been a really good young horse for me,” Stevens shared about their early days. “He’s naturally very balanced, and was just very easy to get along with.”
Stevens had no prior experience with horses quite that young, but says she and Springsteen have learned the ropes together.
“The youngest horses I’ve ever ridden were six, so I had no idea what I was doing,” she shared. “But we clicked right away. Obviously, we had ups and downs. That’s what happens when you have young horses, but he answered every question I asked. If I made a mistake, he was okay with it and helped me out, and when he made a mistake, I was able to help him out. We just got along super well, and it’s been super fun bringing him along.”
In Sunday’s class, Stevens was one of six to navigate the first round fault free. Returning for the jump-off, she had an early draw, setting the time to beat at 36.95 seconds and held onto the lead throughout. Coming in second was Isabel Coxe (USA) with One Whisper for 5 Roosters in 38.68, and in third was Maison McIntyre (USA) and Northern Light for Clover M Sporthorses LLC in 39.53.
“It’s definitely his biggest accomplishment, and I’m so proud of him,” Stevens continued. “I had some happy tears when I found out we won. It’s just an amazing result to get when you’ve done everything with the horse yourself.”
While Springsteen is new to the U25 ranks, only jumping 1.40m twice prior, Stevens has been competing in U25 since she was 16 and has high hopes for her young horse.
“I think he could jump the world,” Stevens continued. “He gives me such an amazing feeling, but I’m not going to put any pressure on him.
“I’d just like to stay consistent at the three-star level,” she shared about her own personal riding goals. “I like bringing up young horses, so maybe I’ll keep doing that in the future. But I just want to be consistent and just have fun with it at this point in my life.”
$20,000 Solaris U25, presented by MarBill Hill U25 and protected by Western Pacific Emergency
1. Springsteen / Carly Stevens / CAN / Susan Stevens / 0/0/36.95
2. One Whisper / Isabel Coxe / USA / 5 Roosters / 0/0/38.68
3. Northern Light / Maison McIntyre / USA / Clover M Sporthorses LLC / 0/0/39.53
4. Lattino / Katrina Komitsch / CAN / Katrina Komitsch / 0/0/39.76
5. Mr. Balue BR Z / Lilah Nakatani / USA / Lilah Nakatani / 0/4/37.76
6. Flinton M / Cameron Brown / USA / Cameron Brown / 0/8/40.25
7. Grand Blanc De Villa D’Arto / Declan Talla / USA / Molly Talla / 4/68.08
8. Crown Royal / Hayley Mercer / CAN / 4/71.32
9. Lien / Colby Winther Konig / CAN / Sorine Winther / 4/72.77
10. Ashtin’s Fabulas / Payton Roux / CAN / Payton Roux / 4/73.33
Results here.
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