Zeidler Farm won two out of three divisions when the Jump Canada Young Horse Series was held August 17-21 during the Summer Fort Classic at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC.
In the Five-Year-Old Division, it was a one-two finish for horses bred by Zeidler Farm of DeWinton, AB. Darragh Kenny rode Lavender ZF to victory and placed second with India Blue ZF. Lavender ZF’s sire is Laurinn while India Blue ZF is by Mr. Blue.
“Lavender was really, really good,” explained Kenny, 23, who represented his native Ireland at the 2010 World Cup Final. “For a five-year-old mare, she is really rideable and very scopey. She has a lot of quality to her.”
Owned and bred by Zeidler Farm, Lavender ZF and India Blue ZF are half-siblings on the dam side and represent the talented prospects being produced by Zeidler Farm’s breeding program. Registered Canadian Sport Horse mares, both horses were bred using embryo transfers from Zeidler Farm’s mare Illusion, who enjoyed great success in international grand prix competition under Tani Zeidler. The results were exactly the same as they had been in May during the Canadian Premier Tournament, also held at Thunderbird Show Park, when Lavender ZF won the Five-Year-Old Division while India Blue ZF placed second under rider Nicole Simpson.
Zeidler Farm also emerged victorious in the Six-Year-Old Division, where Kenny rode Incognito to a clear jump-off performance in a time of 28.20 seconds.
“He was super,” said Kenny of the German-bred Oldenburg gelding by Continue. “I was really happy with his performance. He’s really scopey and very intelligent, just a really great horse.”
Thunderbird marked the first time that Kenny had sat on any of the three Zeidler Farm horses. The Irishman has been based with John Brennan and Missy Clark of Warren, Vermont, since May of 2009. As Clark trains Tani Zeidler’s daughter, Julia Tops, Kenny got the call to come to Thunderbird.
All three Zeidler Farm horses will now head east to compete under Kenny in the Jump Canada Young Horse Series National Finals at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held from September 21-25 in Palgrave, ON.
Zeidler Farm is home to one of Canada’s premiere sport horse breeding programs. Its roster of mares is comprised of former grand prix competitors, bred to exceptional stallions. The resulting offspring are already making their mark in the show ring, as demonstrated by their outstanding success in the Jump Canada Young Horse Series.
“The program is going exceptionally well,” said Kenny of Zeidler Farm’s breeding program. “Both Lavender ZF and India Blue ZF are great quality horses. They are very nice to ride and have a lot of talent.”
Chris Surbey rode Armus G.S. to second place in the Six-Year-Old Division for owner Bradon Construction. Surbey and the Dutch Warmblood gelding also jumped clear in the jump-off, but their time of 29.40 seconds wasn’t fast enough to catch Darragh and Incognito. Bred in the Netherlands, Armus G.S. is by Germus S and out of a Voltaire mare.
Finishing third with another clear jump-off round was Georgia Hunt and Kenzo, owned by Foxstone Stable. They stopped the clock in 30.16 seconds. The Dutch Warmblood gelding is by Kupido K and out of a Calido dam.
Georgann Gregory of Vancouver, BC, won the Seven and Eight-Year-Old Division aboard Phlush, owned by Jackie Magno. Bred in Belgium, the eight-year-old selle francais mare is by Kannan out of a Vetiver de Gamet dam.
The purpose of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series is to encourage the development of young show jumping talent and to give Canadian breeders additional incentives to breed superior show jumping prospects. Competing on a level playing field, the horses are divided according to age and jump at a level suited to their development. This careful development allows the horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Jump Canada Young Horse Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.
The 2011 Jump Canada Young Horse Series is truly national in scope with competitions being held from coast to coast. The National Young Horse Finals will take place at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held from September 21-25 in Palgrave, ON.
For more information on the Jump Canada Young Horse Series, please visit http://equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=88&Itemid=3&lang=en
Summer Fort Classic, Thunderbird Show Park – Langley, BC
Seven and Eight-Year-Old Division
Horse Owner Rider
1. Phlush Jackie Magno Georgann Gregory
Six-Year-Old Division
Horse Owner Rider
1. Incognito Zeidler Farm Darragh Kenny
2. Armus G.S. Bradon Construction Chris Surbey
3. Kenzo Foxstone Stable Georgia Hunt
Five-Year-Old Division
Horse Owner Rider
1. Lavender ZF* Zeidler Farm Darragh Kenny
2. India Blue ZF* Zeidler Farm Darragh Kenny
NOTE – The star * beside a horse’s name denotes that it is Canadian-bred.
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