West Coast Classic Weekend Wrap

Friday

Prather Prevails in 1.40m Welcome

Long-term partnerships are becoming synonymous with the West Coast Classic in 2022. Friday afternoon, Justin Prather (CAN) took the victory in the $5,000 1.40m Welcome at Thunderbird Show Park aboard EZ Ace, a horse he’s had since it was just three years old.

Over the Peter Holmes-designed track on the Fort Grand Prix Arena, 10 pairs jumped clear first rounds to advance to the jump-off. But it was Prather atop the leaderboard in a time of 38.70 seconds as the class came to a close. Thursday’s U25 victor Hayley Mercer (CAN) and her partner of six years, Crown Royal, took second in 41.26 seconds. Katie Kruger (CAN) rounded out the top three with Goodwill VB in 42.12 seconds.

“He’s really fast across the ground,” Prather said of EZ Ace’s strengths in the jump-off. “He’s always been quick but now he’s quick and paying attention to the jumps, so there are lots of places to jump on an angle — land and go and turn — and that’s kind of his thing. Takeoff and landing never slow him down. As long as you can keep going, it’s pretty fast.”

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EZ Ace is coming off a 1.40m hot streak, winning two consecutive 1.40m Classics at tbird this spring. But Prather didn’t initially get any say in owning the horse. “I was actually told we owned him after he was bought,” Prather recalled. “My dad bought two horses and told us later. [EZ Ace] just showed up and he was kind of cool but also difficult, but now it’s channeled.”

Though Prather has owned the horse for 10 years, he passed the ride to a few other riders until EZ Ace turned eight. Prather admits the 12-year-old gelding (Ace x Heartbreaker) is not the easiest on the ground.

“He’s got a lot of attitude — that’s the PG way to put it,” he said. “He’s hard to handle because he gets excited; he’s like a big dog. He doesn’t realize he’s four times as big as you. But he’s a good dude and he jumps, he’s just annoying a lot of the time. Figuring him out took trial and error and good people giving good advice. The ride isn’t so bad and I’ve ridden him for so long that that part is easy.”

As for his plan for the class, Prather knows he can’t let other riders’ rounds impact the way he approaches the course. “I don’t watch anyone else when I’m on him because half the time I can’t even keep track of his strides because we’re going sideways bucking,” he continued. “I just go ride and see what happens. But everywhere he goes he always knows where he’s going so he’s really efficient. It’s often difficult but it also makes him fast.”

As Prather gears up for Sunday’s $20,000 Grand Prix 1.40m, he knows he has EZ Ace exactly where he wants him. “Over the last few years we’ve tried to jump bigger,” he said. “I tried to take the approach this year to jump where he’s confident and competitive and use him to cover the young horses’ bills. It’s the ‘pay it forward’ plan rather than the selfish plan of just trying to jump bigger.”

$5,000 1.40m Welcome

1. EZ Ace / Justin Prather / CAN / Bradon Equestrian Ltd. / 0/0/38.70
2. Crown Royal / Hayley Mercer / CAN / Hayley Mercer / 0/0/41.26
3. Goodwill VB / Katie Kruger / CAN / Caledonia Stables / 0/0/42.12
4. Milton / James Brennan / IRL / Crooks Show Jumping, LLC / 0/0/42.44
5. Ittolo / Kyle King / USA / Kerri Volek / 0/4/39.74

Rodney Tulloch and Jembey Van’t Eigenlo. (©tbird/Quinn Saunders)

Saturday

Tulloch and Goodwin Top tbird Hunt & Handy

Juniors, amateurs and professionals alike took to the various sections of the $10,000 tbird Hunt & Handy Saturday afternoon in the Grand Hunter Arena at Thunderbird Show Park. Held first at the 3’6” fence height, followed by the 3’ to 3’3” fence heights, competitors tried their hand at a track designed by Kirsten Rodel meant to include elements of a classic hunter round and a handy hunter round in one. Taking the wins in the 3’6” Open section and the 3’-3’3” Junior/Amateur/Green section, respectively, were Rodney Tulloch and Dustin Goodwin.

Tulloch convincingly snagged the top spot in the $10,000 tbird Hunt & Handy 3’6” Open aboard Jembey Van’t Eigenlo. Tulloch and Christine MacLean’s 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Echo Van’t Spievield x Odermus R) put in a score of 91. Second place went to Light My Fire and Ashley Arnoldt for owner Jennifer Arnoldt on a score of 88, while Sloan Betker and Pat Beattie’s Crack took third with a score of 86.

Tulloch’s mount has not always excelled in the hunter rings, however. “He used to do the grand prixs with Gary Brewster,” Tulloch said of Jembey Van’t Eigenlo. “Gary thought the 1.45m might be a little much and maybe he needed a change of pace. He still, every once in a while, thinks he’s a big jumper so we have to be a little careful and manage him. But he just goes forward and always jumps the jump, and you know he’s got the scope. He’s not a classical hunter, but he’s a really fun derby horse.”

“Jembey” isn’t a mount that Tulloch gets quality time with at home. “I always get the catch rides on him because he lives in Kelowna and I live in Calgary,” Tulloch commented. “We just meet at the horse shows. He is such a lovely, straightforward horse. He is really fun to ride and the jump gives you such a good feel.”

The course for the day was designed to encourage the horses to jump well, and Jembey wasn’t the only horse to jump in stylish form and take home a high score. “You had to have a good gallop,” Tulloch remarked about the course. “The turns were really nice, and it just set the horses up to jump well. It really was a lovely course.”

When Tulloch isn’t showing Jembey, his owner, Christine MacLean, shows him in the Adult Equitation classes.

Tulloch will compete with Jembey during next week’s Western Family and the first two weeks of the Summer Fort series at tbird in August before focusing the gelding on bigger prize money. “John Anderson at Rocky Mountain Show Jumping is having a big series with $100,000, so we’re aiming for that,” Tulloch concluded.

As the 3’/3’3” section got underway, Goodwin wowed the crowd early on. Just 11th in the order of 42 with the 6-year-old Dolce’ Dacapo (Westphalian by Diacontinus), he scored a perfect 100. While other scores were still high, none could catch his ultimate victory in the class. The closest effort was that of Tulloch with Gabriel IV, owned by Donna Rooney, taking a score of 98 and second place. Third place honors went to Jordan Scott’s Black Pearl with Katrina Kilmach aboard, scoring a 97.5.

“I actually just met this horse this week,” Goodwin commented about Dolce’ Dacapo. “He’s a young sales horse that the owner offered me the ride on. I showed him in the Green 3’3” Hunters this week and he was champion, and today was his first derby. He’s young and he’s only been to a handful of horse shows, so he has a pretty special brain and seems really well suited for this. He was just a trooper out there.”

Dolce’ Dacapo sports an excellent record for hunter derby classes so far, scoring a perfect 100 in his first ever hunter derby. “I think it’s all about the horse,” Goodwin remarked on what led the pair to their high score. “He has some lovely qualities. He’s really beautiful to look at, he’s a beautiful mover, he’s a great jumper, and he has lovely expressions, so all those things come together and that’s really what it’s all about, those special qualities.”

Goodwin has been competing at tbird since 1998. “I grew up in Vernon, BC, and I basically grew up showing at tbird. I love coming here. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place. It’s really well run and everyone is so nice here. It’s so nice to have this in the Pacific Northwest; we’re very lucky.”

$10,000 Tbird Hunt & Handy 3’6” Open

1. Jembey Van’t Eigenlo / Rodney Tulloch / Christine MacLean / 91
2. Light My Fire / Ashley Arnoldt / Jennifer Arnoldt / 88
3. Crack / Sloane Betker / Pat Beattie / 86
4. Kensington / Sloane Betker / Sloane Betker / 85
5. Casallord / Sofia Schliessler / Kim Ryzak / 84

$10,000 Tbird Hunt & Handy 3’/3’3” Junior/Amateur/Green

1. Dolce’ Dacapo / Dustin Goodwin / Jordan Pierson / 100
2. Gabriel IV / Rodney Tulloch / Donna Rooney / 98
3. Black Pearl / Katrina Kilmach / Jordan Scott / 97.5
4. Darwin / Quinn Partridge / Gillian Baird / 97
5. Out Of The Blue / Georgia Hunt / Ellen Brown / 95

Keith Captures MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m

Kassidy Keith is making waves with Cheryl Keith’s Havana. The pair, proving their incredible bond established over six years, sped to the win in Saturday’s $5,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m.

Over Peter Holmes’ speed track, the young athletes adapted their game plans to ride for the quickest first-round time in an effort to jump clear. Only four were able to do so, and the quickest ride was awarded to Keith, who scored a clear ride in 73.33 seconds aboard the 10-year-old mare (Cardento x Judgement). Just off the winning time and in second was Carly Stevens with VIP Des Majuros in 73.60 seconds, and Stevens also claimed third with Dento, both owned by Grant & Susie Stephens.

“She is naturally fast and I can leave a stride out when I need to,” Keith said of Havana’s strengths in today’s class. “I left a stride out in the line across the middle; it was an option and I did eight instead of nine. I did the same thing to the combination. She’s always game to do whatever I ask. Today’s course fit her because it was flowing and it allowed me to do some inside turns and leave a couple strides out to help me win.”

Continuing the trend of long-term partnerships, Keith has had Havana since the mare was only four years old and has developed her into the top horse she is today. “We have built a partnership,” she continued. “I’ve jumped a couple CSI5* classes on her, and I just finished showing at Spruce Meadows in the CSI2*. We’ve just gone from the 1.0m jumpers together all the way up. We have a really good partnership and, while I have a girl helping me, but I do most everything on my own.”

At 10, Havana isn’t slowing down. Last year, Keith captured the MarBill Hill U25 Championship aboard the mare as well as a CSI2* Grand Prix. “She’s got bigger things to come,” Keith continued. “I’m going to show FEI on her in the fall and hopefully eventually make Nations Cup teams on her.”

Like most competing at the West Coast Classic, Keith considers tbird one of her favourite shows. “I’ve been showing at tbird since I was really little,” she reminisced. “It’s a great facility to have right in our backyard and it allows us to bring all the clients, plus my young horses all the way to grand prix horses. There’s something for everybody and they really put on a great show. They have great hospitality, great staff, and they’re always so friendly.”

(Hayley Mercer won the MarBill Hill U25 with Crown Royal on Thursday at tbird; read the report here.)

$5,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m

1. Havana / Kassidy Keith / CAN / Cheryl Keith / 0/73.33
2. VIP Des Majuros / Carly Stevens / CAN / Grant & Susie Stevens / 0/73.60
3. Dento / Carly Stevens / CAN / Grant & Susie Stevens / 0/78.99
4. Fenelon WF / Kassidy Keith / CAN / Cheryl Keith / 0/82.06
5. Chief / Ella McCaw / USA / Highland Stables, LLC / 8/81.00

Kyle King and Dustin 254. (©tbird/Quinn Saunders)

King Is Crowned in Grand Prix 1.40m

Nine pairs jumped clear in the $20,000 Grand Prix 1.40m Sunday afternoon at Thunderbird Show Park. Hometown hero Kyle King (USA) made up one third of that lineup. With three attempts to top the class come jump-off time, King sealed the deal with the final horse on course, Dustin 254.

“He was probably my most experienced horse in that class today but I was not expecting him to be the fastest,” King said of Dustin 254, a 15-year-old Westphalian gelding (Dollar Du Munier x Falkenhof’s Lancer). “He was my last horse to go and I thought I was even a little conservative at the beginning but he stepped up the last few jumps and we ended up winning it.”

King’s first ride, Sig Chiari, set the pace to catch in the jump-off on a double-clear effort in 42.37 seconds. Samantha Buirs-Darvill (CAN) caught him with Chic D Emma Z in 40.27 seconds, but he still had two shots to reclaim the lead. He fell just short with Kerri Volek’s Ittolo in 41.39 seconds, then put it all on the line with Dustin 254, owned by Aren Ozker, securing victory in 39.27 seconds. Buirs-Darvill claimed second place honors and King’s mount Ittolo took third.

Sunday’s win was proof that good things can come from less than ideal situations in this sport. “I owned this horse for a couple years with Stuart Belkin and I had some good results on him,” King said of his past with Dustin 254. “About a year ago I sold him to a client, Aren Ozker, a young rider with U25 dreams. Unfortunately, he had a slip on his other horse about a month ago and broke his foot, so I took him [Dustin 254] back over.”

Ozker was present to watch his horse win the biggest class of the week, hopefully a strong omen for the future when he is back on board.

For King, the week served as an ideal opportunity to gain more mileage on his younger mounts. “It turned out to be quite a marathon for me; I had six in the Welcome the other day and had four jump off, and today I rode five and had three in the jump-off, so it was a lot of work. But it was a nice course, a typical Peter [Holmes] course on a beautiful field with good footing. It was really nice to get all the younger horses and inexperienced horses into the big ring.”

Coming off wins up to the CSI5* level over the past year, King feels confident in his current string of horses. With a farm just down the street, tbird is like home to King and his entire operation.

“My string is great; I feel awesome,” he expressed. “I was at Spruce Meadows [in Calgary] but it made more sense with this string I have right now to come home and try to develop some young ones. It worked out perfectly. All my young riders are doing great, the weather’s been nice here, and this is my local spot. It’s a great show.”

$20,000 Grand Prix 1.40m

1. Dustin 254 / Kyle King / USA / Aren Ozker / 0/0/39.27
2. Chic D Emma Z / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / CAN / Samantha Buirs-Darvill / 0/0/40.27
3. Ittolo / Kyle King / USA / Kerri Volek / 0/0/41.39
4. Milton / James Brennan / IRL / Crooks Show Jumping, LLC / 0/0/41.51
5. Sig Chiari / Kyle King / USA / SIG International, Inc. / 0/0/42.37

Ella McCaw Captures MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m

Chief is taking Ella McCaw (USA) to heights she never thought possible. Sunday afternoon at Thunderbird Show Park, the pair jumped to the win in the $15,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m during Thunderbird Show Park’s West Coast Classic.

Clear rounds weren’t abundant in the difficult class, with only McCaw and Thursday’s U25 winner, Hayley Mercer, navigating the course fault free. “I think he really knew today was a big day,” McCaw said of the 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Verdi x Argentinus). “He really tried his heart out to jump clean and gave his best effort ever. He took me around my first 1.40m and he was the best.”

McCaw improved with each round aboard Highland Stables, LLC’s Chief in the U25 division. Thursday she took home a top 10 finish, moving into fifth place on Saturday, and taking the win Sunday to close out a stellar week.

The pair has been together for close to a year and a half thanks to a connection from her trainer, Lauren Crooks. This week saw their debut in the MarBill Hill U25 League. McCaw scored the win after Mercer, aboard Crown Royal, dropped two rails on the short course, relegating her in second. Third place went to Sonny Brigade and Jennifer Clark as the fastest four-faulters.

“My mom, my grandma, and my sister all rode and I’ve followed in their footsteps,” McCaw said of her journey through the sport. “I’ve been riding since I was four or five, and I’ve been showing at Thunderbird the last 10 years moving up the ranks. I did my first .70m here and now all the way up to the U25. It’s the best feeling ever, especially to have Chief with me. He’s my main man and he’d do anything for me. I feel like anything’s possible that I never thought I could do, especially winning a U25.”

With big goals to move into senior classes, McCaw focuses on having fun while also trying her best. “I just love to ride and have fun,” she continued. “Winning is so fun and I would love to do some bigger classes like the Welcome and Grand Prix classes in August. I rode today with crystals in my pocket that I bought at the crystal shop in Fort Langley. The crystals are supposed to wash away negative energy and help manifest your dreams, so I had those in my pocket today and it worked!”

Points from this week’s MarBill Hill U25 League will contribute to overall standings, and riders will compete for top honors in the MarBill Hill U25 Final at tbird in the fall.

$15,000 MarBill Hill U25 League 1.40m

1. Chief / Ella McCaw / USA / Highland Stables, LLC / Highland Stables, LLC / 0/4/48.82
2. Crown Royal / Hayley Mercer / CAN / Hayley Mercer / 0/8/51.35
3. Sonny Brigade / Jennifer Clark / CAN / Jennifer Clark / 4/85.86
4. C’Diam De Ste Anne / Jarne Francken / USA / Patti Kits / 4/90.39
5. Princessa / Shaelynn Enders / CAN / Joyce Enders / 4/90.45

Complete results here. The Western Family kicks off Wednesday with another week of national competition on the west coast of Canada, culminating in Sunday’s $20,000 Odlum Brown Ltd Grand Prix.