Tina Busse-Irwin Tops Grand Prix at the CDI-W Blainville International Classic

Blainville, Quebec — In the opening dayâ€™s competition at the CDI-W Blainville International Classic taking place June 26 to 28 north of Montreal, QC, Tina Busse-Irwin of Lakefield, ON, and Amicelli bested a field of six to win the Grand Prix with a score of 64.542%.

Busse-Irwin, 27, was pleased with the performance she received from the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Ute Busse and Wendy Beresford.

â€œI had great energy in the ring,â€ she said. â€œI was very happy with the piaffe and the passage, and the transitions between.â€

Scroll to continue with content

Simone Williams from Navan, ON, and her 10-year-old Hannoverian gelding Wunder Ein were second with 62.917%. A mistake in the one tempi changes was the only hiccup in an otherwise harmonious test. Cindy Ishoy of Lynden, ON, was a close third with 62.583%. Placing fourth, Armand Valkenborg of Ste. Marthe, QC, and Seigneur scored 60.167%. Fifth and sixth went to Jessica Costello on Litmanen (59.583%) and Alexandra Hossein on Lucky Star (57.625%).

Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, topped the FEI Prix St. Georges class with Anton, owned by Trussellâ€™s mother, Robyn Eames. Trussell was the unanimous choice for first place among the three FEI judges, earning a score of 67.667%.

â€œI have hopes for him,â€ said Trussell, a Canadian Olympian, of her eight-year-old Saxon-bred gelding. â€œI hope heâ€™ll be my next Grand Prix horse.â€

Julie Watchorn of Schomberg, ON, and Quintesse were second with 65.583%. Making the long journey from Calgary, AB, was worthwhile for Bonny Bonnello and Pikardi; the pair was third with 64.750%.

The CDI-W Blainville International Classic is a qualifying event for the 2008 North American Junior and Young Ridersâ€™ Championship, and a number of riders between the ages of 14 and 21 were on the hunt for ribbons and scores. Winning the FEI Young Ridersâ€™ team test with an impressive 67.037% was Amy Jager of Breslau, ON, riding Jive. First place in the FEI Junior team test went to Megan Lane from Collingwood, ON, who earned 63.083% with Dolany. The top pony in the FEI Pony team test was Miss Honey Church, ridden by Mathilde Blaise-Tetrault of Montreal, QC, for a score of 63.246%.

Some of Canadaâ€™s top young horse talent also showed their paces to the FEI judges in Blainville. Harma Germs of Montague, PEI, started her second week at Blainville where she left off – at the top of the FEI Five-Year-Old division. A score of 7.6. put Germs and the Dutch Warmblood mare Whiscalina (Redford x Gribaldi) easily at the top of the field of four horses. Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, rode Marilyn Dietrichâ€™s Freixenet, a Westfalen gelding by Florestan I, to the top of the FEI Six-Year-Old preliminary test with a score of 7.18.

The highlight and grand finale of these historic back-to-back CDI-W World Cup qualifying competitions will be the Freestyle Gala which commences at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. Spectators will enjoy the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle and Grand Prix Freestyle performances. Tickets for the event, which has been a sell-out since it was first introduced, can be purchased by contacting Karin Ouellette at 450-434-5261 or info@parcequestreblainville.com.