Caledon’s Yann Candele was the hometown hero, claiming the $50,000 Caledon Cup Grand Prix, Presented by Omnivex and Ram Equestrian, on Sunday, September 26, at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON.
Course designer Christa Hiebach of Germany built a track that tested the 30 horses entered with five jumping clear to return for the all-deciding jump-off. Defending champions Hugh Graham and Executive Privilege 3E, a 10-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding bred and owned by KingRidge Stables of King City, ON, got the jump-off started by posting a clear round in a time of 52.80 seconds.
Candele was next into the grand prix ring with Carolla Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide mare owned by Elizabeth Currie. Known for his daredevil style, Candele took all the risks and they paid off when he stopped the clock more than three full seconds faster than Graham in a time of 49.43 seconds.
Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, was next up with George. The eight-year-old Hannoverian gelding gave his best effort, but the final time of 51.56 seconds was not fast enough to catch Candele.
Amy Millar of Perth, ON, and Piccobello du Val de Geer, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned in partnership by Millar Brooke Farm and Irish Oaks, then had two rails down on course to eventually finish fourth.
As the final jump-off challenger, Henselwood had the advantage of having two horses in the jump-off as well as knowing exactly what she had to do to win. When IV Ever, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Juniper Farm and Stacie Ryan, had the first jump down, victory belonged to Candele.
“I went early in the jump-off and I thought that the other three riders behind me could be fast, so I wanted to put some pressure on them,” explained Candele of his jump-off strategy. “I had a good pace; I actually ended up going faster than I wanted to. I knew I had to make some tight turns because there were a lot of long gallops, and both Amy and Jill’s horses are faster across the ground than mine. I had to take chances in the turns, and that was what made the difference. I was very pleased with the end result.”
Candele has been riding Carolla Z for the past three years, and said, “She has won some smaller Grand Prix and she has been competitive at the lower level. We have been trying to move her up a bit, and today Carolla jumped so well. It was a great day to win.”
Candele, who will represent Canada next week at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, riding another mount, Pitareusa, was especially pleased to win at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament.
“It was a special to win at Tournament, where we are raising money for the Children’s Wish Foundation,” said Candele. “The weather always makes it difficult for a special event like this – we have experienced every type of weather in the past five days, but a lot of people attended and, in my opinion, it was a great success. It is so special that this year’s Children’s Wish recipient, Mirja, had her wish granted and gets a horse that she can ride. That is the whole concept of the Tournament, and we are so pleased to be a part of it.”
While Candele won Sunday’s Grand Prix event, the overall winner of the Caledon Cup was Henselwood and IV Ever. Comprised of three events held Thursday, Saturday as finally Sunday’s Grand Prix, the Caledon Cup rewarded the most consistent horse-rider combination over the three phases of competition. Henselwood was especially pleased to win with IV Ever, as he is just starting his career at the Grand Prix level.
“To win an established competition like the Caledon Cup is fantastic!” said Henselwood, who was a member of Canada’s silver medal team at the 2008 Olympic Games. “I had horses that were basically intermediate horses in the format, they are new to any grand prix level, and they have never jumped three test days in a row. What a learning curve for them to jump tracks by a course designer like Christa Hiebach. She had a lot of different tests that we don’t see in North America, and it was great that they had the opportunity to get that experience. George is eight years old and IV Ever is nine, but they are both at the same level in competition. George jumped out of this world today, I don’t know if I have ever sat on a horse that jumps like him, but IV Ever said, ‘Hey, don’t forget about me!’ and just stepped right past everybody. When they jump like they did today, it makes it very exciting for us.”
Henselwood, who is the traveling alternate for Canada’s four-man team at the World Equestrian Games, went on to say, “The Canadian Show Jumping Tournament is the last chance that we have to jump outside in Canada, and what a way to finish! I look forward to taking the experience given to me this week and carrying it forward.”
As the final outdoor event of the season in eastern Canada, the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament played host to several year-end championship events including the $56,000 Jump Canada National Young Horse Finals, the Eastern Regional Finals of the CET Medal for riders aged 21 and under, the $5,000 Jump Canada Eastern Division Talent Squad Final, and the $5,000 OHJA Ultimate Hunter Challenge.
Combining a charity element with show jumping, the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament is a fundraising event for the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. On Saturday night, the annual Children’s Wish Celebration was held, featuring live and silent auctions and a charity casino.
$50,000 Caledon Cup Grand Prix, Presented by Omnivex and Ram Equestrian
Rider/Hometown/Horse/Faults/Time
1. Yann Candele Caledon, ON Carolla Z 0:0 49.43
2. Jill Henselwood Oxford Mills, ON George 0:0 51.56
3. Hugh Graham Schomberg, ON Executive Privilege 3E 0:0 52.80
4. Amy Millar Perth, ON Piccobello du val de Geer 0:8 52.43
5. Jill Henselwood Oxford Mills, ON IV Ever 0:12 55.81
6. Roberto Teran Colombia Distant Star 3E 4
7. Ainsley Vince Milton, ON Frieda 4
8. Erynn Ballard Tottenham, ON Robin van Roosendael 4
9. Jay Hayes Orangeville, ON Livarot 4
10. Lauren Hunkin Kemptville, ON Larry 0146 4
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