Langley, British Columbia, Canada – May 30, 2019 – Tiffany Foster (CAN) recorded a hometown win for Canada Thursday evening in the $36,500 Artisan Farms Nations Welcome CSIO 5* at Thundebird Show Park, topping the first international jump-off competition of the 2019 Odlum Brown BC Open, featuring the $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada CSIO 5*.

Foster, who has represented Canada in team competition on numerous occasions, grew up showing at Thunderbird and posted a popular victory. Topping a 12-horse jump-off, she posted an unbeatable time with Artisan Farms’ Brighton, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Contendro II x Quick Star) crossing the timers of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened course in 32.74 seconds.

Arturo Parada Vallejo (MEX), looking to win his third international class of the day, finished second aboard Tarzan d’Ivraie (Kannan KWPN x Fol Avril) backed by a penalty-free performance in 33.59 seconds.

Nicole Walker (CAN) finished third with Excellent B  (Berlin x Heartbreaker) after registering no penalties and stopping the timers in 34.59 seconds during the tiebreaker.

“I had a good draw,” Foster explained. “I went late in the order, so I could see how fast the class ended up getting. I know my horse really well, and he’s very fast, very competitive, and very dependable. He’s just the coolest, best horse.”

Despite recording countless hunter and equitation wins at tbird in her junior career, Thursday’s win marked the first for Foster in a jumper class of any kind at the venue. With her mother Lynn Foster presenting her with the winner’s prizes, it was a sentimental victory.

“I really wanted to win this class,” Foster said. “It’s Andy and Carlene [Ziegler, of Artisan Farms’] class. They own the horse, and they’re my amazing supporters. They love this venue so much and really support it. My groom really wanted this cooler, so I had a lot of people that really wanted me to win this class!”

Foster attributed her victory to her horse’s quickness over the jumps and an affinity for left hand turns. She set the tone with a fast start over the jump-off’s first three fences: a long gallop from a square oxer to the Artisan Farms vertical, followed by a sweeping left turn in a leave-out seven strides to an oxer.

Tiffany’s mother, Lynn Foster, Tbird president Jane Tidball and Tbird COO Chris Pack present the winning cooler to Tiffany Foster (CAN) & Brighton 

“My horse is so fast over the jumps,” Foster said. “That first line—I know him really well, and anything gets going to the left gets his stride exponentially longer! [World No. 8 Kent Farrington] was here, and I told him that I thought I could get seven [strides to the oxer], and he [wasn’t sure], but by the end, he said, ‘You’re going to have to do seven if you want to win!’

“I knew Brighty could do it. I got there slowing down at the end! I started fast and kept going! He spends zero time in the air. He’s a fast horse anyway, and if I can deliver, he can definitely win!”

Running concurrent five- and two-star competitions, the Odlum Brown BC Open features four days of international competition. Leading up to the  $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada CSIO5*, two more five-star events will take place: the $36,500 North West Rubber Cup CSIO5* 1.50m on Saturday. Two-star competition is highlighted by Saturday’s $36,500 Jump for Uyradi’s Village Grand Prix CSI2*, while child and junior competitors will get their moments to shine Saturday in the  Children’s Nations Cup CSIOCH and Junior Nations Cup CSIOJ .

The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada gets underway Sunday, June 2, at 2:00pm PT. Tickets start as low as CA $5.00 and can be purchased at tbird.ca. All the action from the Fort Grand Prix Ring will also be streamed live on tbird TV. Those in Canada can watch Sunday’s Nations Cup competition there, while the international broadcast will stream exclusively on FEI TV.

For more information, visit Thunderbird Show Park’s website at tbird.ca.

For full results, please click here.

Source: Press release by Chris Pack for Thunderbird Show Park

Photos: © Cealy Tetley