Toronto, Ontario, Canada – November 04, 2022 – Ali Ramsay of Victoria, British Columbia, (CAN), opened the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the 100th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, by winning phase one of the $125,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship on Friday, November 4, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
National pride is on the line along with the title of Canadian Show Jumping Champion. Ramsay led the opening phase of competition from start to finish as the first rider on course over the speed track set by Canadian Olympic individual silver medalist Michel Vaillancourt (CAN). Laying down a fault-free time to beat of 60.52 seconds riding Bonita vh Keizershof Z, Ramsay simply could not be caught.
Susan Horn of Bolton, Ontario, (CAN) came the closest with Kirlo van den Bosrand, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding (Cardento 933 x Utrillo Z) owned by Kingsfield Farm. She produced the only other clear round in a time of 62.52 seconds.
Francois Lamontagne of St. Eustache, QC, (CAN), and Chanel du Calvaire, his own 14-year-old Belgian Sport Horse mare (Luccianno x Kashmir van Schuttershof), completed the top three with one rail for a three-second penalty in the faults-converted format and a resulting total time of 65.67 seconds.,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship on Friday, November 4, in Toronto, ON.
“She felt amazing,” said Ramsay of the 11-year-old Zangersheide mare (Bustique x For Pleasure) that she has been partnered with for five years. “She’s usually amazing but I didn’t know what to expect because she’s never been indoors before and it’s quite the atmosphere here. She stepped in, she took it all in, and then she was ready to go.”
Having competed for $25,000 in prize money during the opening round, riders will return to the Coca-Cola Coliseum in reverse order of standing to tackle the $100,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship – Round 2 on Saturday evening, November 5. Ramsay will switch from being first on the start list to the advantageous position of going last in her bid for her first Canadian Championship title.
“You have to stay consistent in this championship to make the first-round result mean anything,” said Ramsay of Friday night’s competition. “It feels great to be back at the Royal. Everybody is excited to be here.”
Though pleased with the day’s result, Ramsay has her sights set firmly on the Royal Horse Show’s international division, hoping to be one of two Canadians to qualify with a top performance in the Canadian Show Jumping Championships. Mario Deslauriers, Tiffany Foster, Amy Millar, and Sam Walker have already secured their starting places based on their world rankings.
Final Reuslts – $25,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship – Round 1
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Time
1. Ali Ramsay / Victoria, BC (CAN) & Bonita vh Keizershof Z – 0 – 60.52
2. Susan Horn / Bolton, ON (CAN) & Kirlo van den Bosrand – 0 – 62.52
3. Francois Lamontagne / St. Eustache, QC (CAN) & Chanel du Calvaire – 0 – 65.67
Source: Press Release from Jump Media for the Royal Horse Show
Photos: © RHS / Ben Radvanyi Photography
Categories: CSN, English, Jumper News Canada
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