Tiffany Foster of Langley, BC, closed out Major League Show Jumping Ottawa with a win riding Electrique in the $182,000 USD CSI5* RBC Grand Prix on Sunday, August 25, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
A total of 36 challengers took to the grass grand prix field to tackle the track set by German course designer Olaf Petersen Jr. Seven riders jumped clear to advance to the jump-off but in the end, only two managed to once again leave all the rails in place. Foster set the jump-off challenge by jumping clear in a time of 41.34 seconds and while American Bliss Heers also left all the rails in place, she did it in a slower time of 43.52 seconds riding Quality Star Z.
It was an all-female podium with Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, taking third with the fastest four-fault effort in a time of 39.24 seconds riding Gakhir for owner Ilan Ferder. Two Irish riders followed in the final standings with Michael Duffy and Clitschko 17 taking fourth place and Conor Swail placing fifth riding My Lady Lavista.
Foster’s victory came soon after her return from the 2024 Paris Olympics where she represented Canada for the third time, having also competed in London (2012) and Rio de Janeiro (2016). Electrique, her winning partner for the RBC Grand Prix, may have the potential to be her mount for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I love this horse, I think she’s an incredible competitor,” said Foster of the 10-year-old Zangersheide mare (Emerald x Voltaire) she owns in partnership with 5 Roosters. “She’s very intelligent and so far, our success rate in jump-offs have been pretty strong. If I can do a good job in the first round, the minute I pick up that gallop to the first fence in the jump-off, when I send her the signal that we’re going fast, everything just starts going faster and she jumps even better. When you have a horse like that, you feel so much confidence going into these jump-offs.”
Heers, who hails from Las Vegas, NV, was thrilled with her second-place finish riding Quality Star Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Quality Time TN x Cash) that her Bridgeside Farms LLC purchased at the end of 2023.
“I’m really happy to be sitting here with these two amazing riders,” said Heers, speaking at the post-event press conference. “I love my horse, and he loves big grass rings. Olaf builds scopey and technical. It was a really nice course.”
For third-place finisher Ballard, who has also recently returned from making her Olympic debut in Paris, the homecoming to Canada couldn’t have been sweeter.
“This is a show that I’ve been coming to my entire life,” said Ballard, who is the daughter of professional horsemen David and Sandi Ballard. “I rode here when I was a kid on ponies and now I’m riding here in five-star grands prix. I can remember walking across the bridge from the stabling area on Sundays to watch the biggest class of the week, when you used to watch Ian Millar and Big Ben, and it was so cool. Now there are little kids walking across that same bridge to watch us. It’s such an exciting thing for us to be able to give back and give the fans that same experience that I grew up with here at Ottawa.”
Speaking of Ian Millar, Sunday’s competition at Wesley Clover Parks opened with the $25,000 Lynn Millar Memorial National Grand Prix, held in honour of Ian’s late wife. A popular fixture on the annual calendar, this year’s event attracted 27 entries. Following an exciting jump-off, 20-year-old Virginia Bonnie of the United States emerged victorious to take the win over Ballard, who was riding Queen Kinmar Hero. Venezuela’s Luis Larrazabal took third riding Baroness. Jonathon Millar, son of Ian and Lynn, was on hand to present Bonnie and her horse, Heldorado, as the winners.
$182,000 USD CSI5* RBC Grand Prix – Sunday, August 25
Rider / Country / Horse / Faults / Time
1. Tiffany Foster / Canada / Electrique / 0:0 / 41.34
2. Bliss Heers / United States / Quality Star Z / 0: 0 / 43.52
3. Erynn Ballard / Canada / Gakhir / 0:4 / 39.24
4. Michael Duffy / Ireland / Clitschko 17 / 0:4 / 39.27
5. Conor Swail / Ireland / My Lady Lavista / 0:4 / 40.02
6. Kent Farrington / United States / Toulayna / 0:4 / 40.18
7. Elizabeth Bates / Canada / Heartbeat W / 0:7 / 58.32
8. Daniel Bluman / Israel / Hummer Z / 2
9. Hallie Grimes / United States / Karoline of Balmor / 4
10. Ali Ramsay / Canada / Conrado 12 / 4
Giavanna Rinaldi riding Snapchat vd Broekkant Z for owner Ashford Farm won the $31,100 USD CSI2* Kubota Grand Prix on Saturday, August 24. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)
Giavanna Rinaldi Rides to Victory in Kubota Grand Prix
The American anthem rang out as Giavanna Rinaldi celebrated victory in the $31,100 USD CSI2* Kubota Grand Prix on Saturday, August 24, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.
The winning Northern Lights team (l-r) Nicole Walker, Sean Jobin, and Elizabeth Bates with presenters Keean White of MLSJ and Karen Sparks of Wesley Clover Parks. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)
The Major League Show Jumping Ottawa tournament has attracted some of the top-ranked athletes in the world to Canada’s national capital for a weekend of equestrian sport. With 55 horse-rider combinations contesting the Kubota Grand Prix, the international flavour was apparent when five different nations were represented in the eight-horse jump-off.
In the end, none were faster than 25-year-old Rinaldi and her new partner, Snapchat vd Broekkant Z. With a jump-off time of 39.72 seconds, the pair claimed victory over Colombia’s Roberto Teran Tafur riding Iron Maiden, who stopped the timers in 40.57 seconds. Bliss Heers of United States was double clear in a time of 40.97 seconds to take third riding Goodbye while Abdel Said and Calvaro slotted into fourth place representing Belgium. Two-time Canadian Olympian and hometown favourite Amy Millar of Perth, ON, rounded out the top five with a double-clear performance riding Jagger HX.
Ottawa marked only the third competition together for Rinaldi, who rides for Enda Carroll’s Ashford Farm in Belgium, and Snapchat vd Broekkant Z.
“He’s quite young but he definitely doesn’t act his age; he acts like an old soul,” said Rinaldi of the eight-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Hunter’s Scendix x Concorde) owned by Ashford Farm. “This is only the second two-star grand prix he has ever jumped. I wasn’t able to watch any go before me in the jump-off, but I know my horse has a really big stride so thought I would use that to my advantage. I tried not to interfere with him. He knows what he’s doing. To get the win as a young horse just learning the ropes, he’s done a fantastic job. I want to thank Ashford Farm for the opportunity and my groom, Leah, for always taking such good care of the horses.”
To score victory in her first trip to Wesley Clover Parks was an exciting moment for Rinaldi, who is originally from Wayne, IL, and now calls Wellington, FL, home.
“It’s my first season doing Major League Show Jumping and I’m really excited to be out here,” said Rinaldi, who is competing as a member of the Archers team. “The field is amazing. It rides great and I love jumping on the grass. There’s a nice crowd here, nice atmosphere, and we got really lucky with the weather. This venue also really takes care of the horses; there are plenty of places to walk and hand-graze them. I love it.”
The $200,000 USD Major League Show Jumping Team event, presented by ClipMyHorse.TV, was also held on Saturday with the win going to the Northern Lights. The all-Canadian team of Elizabeth Bates riding Heartbeat W, Sean Jobin aboard Coquelicot vh Heuvelland Z, and Nicole Walker riding Atout des Trambles held off the Trailblazers for the win. Team KPF claimed the final spot on the podium with a third-place finish.
Luis Larrazabal of Venezuela won the $62,500 USD CSI5* Steel-Craft Door Products Ltd. Qualifier riding Belle de Muze. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)
Luis Larrazabal Makes Winning Debut
Luis Larrazabal of Venezuela made his first visit to Wesley Clover Parks a winning one by scoring victory in the $62,500 USD CSI5* Steel-Craft Qualifier on opening day of the Major League Show Jumping Ottawa tournament.
A total of 40 of the best show jumping athletes in the world took to the grass grand prix field in the hopes of a win on Friday, August 23. Ten were clear over the track set by Olaf Petersen Jr. to qualify for the all-deciding jump-off. As the final rider to return for the jump-off, Larrazabal knew what he had to do to win riding Belle de Muze, a 14-year-old Moroccan-bred mare he owns in partnership with Driss Ngadi.
Canadian Olympian Erynn Ballard held the lead with a time of 40.33 seconds, but Larrazabal used his mare’s footspeed to his advantage and crossed the timers in 39.68 seconds to take the win. Ballard settled for second with Fave d’Authuit, a nine-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Ilan Ferder while Colombia’s Mark Bluman rounded out the top three with a jump-off time of 41.11 seconds riding a new partner, Concare PS.
“Knowing I was going last in the jump-off was a big advantage for me knowing how fast she is,” said Larrazabal, 31, who made his Olympic debut mere weeks ago in Paris, France. “I didn’t see anybody before me because I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. It’s happened to me before and I’ve learned from my mistakes. I just took my time, believed in her, did my plan, and it went my way.”
Of his first trip to compete at Wesley Clover Parks, Larrazabal noted, “It’s unbelievable here. The show, the people, the hospitality – everything is top, top class. It’s such a nice place and it’s been amazing. I love it.”
Ballard of Tottenham, ON, had made a trip to the winner’s circle earlier in the day after winning the $31,100 USD CSI2* 1.45m Qualifier, presented by CIBC Wood Gundy. A total of 13 riders from a starting field of 60 qualified for the jump-off, but none were faster than Ballard and De Flor 111 Z Santa Rosa. The pair were double clear in a time of 34.75 seconds to take the win over Ali Ramsay of Victoria, BC, and Duke of Doel who stopped the clock in 34.93 seconds. American Ashley Vogel posted a jump-off time of 36.20 seconds riding Birdy du Thot to take third.
For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com. Full results can be found here.
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