September 29, 2004 – Palgrave, Ontario – Three up-and-coming show jumping talents were crowned Ontario Champions at the CSI-W Tournament of Champions held Thursday, September 23, in Palgrave, ON, as part of the 2004 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.

The eighth event in the Series marked the Ontario Finals with the three horses that had accumulated the greatest number of points – Kaiser de le Cour, Double Diamond and Pour Patrice W – being crowned the 2004 Ontario Champions in the Six, Five and Four-Year-Old Divisions.

With a total of 62 points, Kaiser de le Cour topped the Six-Year-Old Division to earn an Ontario Champion title for the second year in a row. Ridden by Simon McCarthy and owned by Mill Creek Stables of Cambridge, ON, Kaiser de le Cour is a chestnut selle francais stallion by Verdi, a son of Narcos II, and out of a Kayack dam. Bred in Normandy, France, by Michel Couetil, Mill Creek Stables imported the handsome stallion in 2001.

Last year’s Five-Year-Old National Champion, Kaiser de le Cour is on track for back-to-back victories in the Six-Year-Old Division. He will be among the top 15 horses invited to contest the Six-Year-Old National Championships at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show on November 7 and 8.

Finishing as runner-up with 58 points was Ruben, a Dutch Warmblood gelding by Concorde out of an Obrecht dam. Ridden by Hyde Moffat for owner Scanmar Portfolios, Ruben won the second event in the Series at Palgrave, ON. As a five-year-old, Ruben was shown to great success by Marni Von Schalburg.

There was a tie for third place in the standings between Archie Bunker and VDL Roger. A win at the Tournament of Champions was not enough to move Archie Bunker to the top of the leader board, but it was enough to put him third in the standings, impressive considering that he only competed in four events, when points from the five best out of eight shows are counted towards the final placings. Ridden by Sydney Olympian John Pearce and owned by his Forestview Farms of Stouffville, ON, Archie Bunker is an Oldenburg gelding by Contender that Pearce purchased last fall in Germany.

VDL Roger and Peter Gisborne were riding a hot streak late in the Series, winning the two events prior to the Ontario Finals. Bred in the Netherlands and imported one year ago by owner Hogendoorn Sport Horses, VDL Roger is a Dutch Warmblood by Indoctro out of a Landgraf I mare.

With a total of 35 horses collecting points, the Five-Year-Old Division was the most competitive in 2004. It was the KingRidge Stables entry of Double Diamond who came out on top with 86 points. Ridden by long-time KingRidge Stables resident rider, Hugh Graham, Double Diamond is a Belgian Warmblood stallion by Nabab de Reve and out of a Chin Chin mare. Double Diamond had the distinction of winning the first event of the Series, held in Ancaster, ON, as well as the Fox Run Horse Show one week prior to the Ontario Finals where he placed second to his stablemate, Distant Star.

The Canadian Warmblood stallion, Rio’s Ricardo, was the Reserve Ontario Champion in the Five-Year-Old Divison, earning 75 points throughout the season. Bred and owned by W. Charlot Farms of Stratford, ON, Rio’s Ricardo is by Rio Grande and out of Gambia, who is by the influential Holsteiner stallion, Landgraf I. Erynn Ballard of Hornby, ON, showed Rio’s Ricardo.

Distant Star placed third with 71 points under Roberto Teran of Colombia. Bred by KingRidge Stables through embryo transplant, Distant Star is a registered Canadian Sport Horse by the KingRidge stallion, Class Action, and out of Betwixt, a former grand prix show jumper ridden to international success by Graham. In total, KingRidge Stables of King, ON, owned five of the top 15 horses in the Five-Year-Old Division.

In the Four-Year-Old Division, there was no disputing the victory of Pour Patrice W. Having won five of the seven events he contested, Pour Patrice W claimed his division with 76 points, a full 19 points ahead of his nearest competitor. Bred by W. Charlot Farms, Pour Patrice W started his four-year-old season under the ownership of his breeder but was sold mid-season to Charles Ormston, the founder and past Chair of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series. However, the reins remained in Ballard’s capable hands, guiding the Canadian-bred Hannoverian stallion by Pour Gagne and out of a Rio Grande mare to his first major championship title.

Another KingRidge Stables entry, Encore, took the Reserve Ontario Championship title. Under Graham, the Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Class Action and out of the Grand Prix show jumping mare, Alley Cat, earned a total of 57 points this season.

Millesime du Valy, owned by Mill Creek Stables, was close behind with 56 points. The selle francais stallion is a half-brother to the newly-crowned Ontario Six-Year-Old Champion, Kaiser de le Cour, sharing the same sire, Verdi. Imported from France this year, Millesime du Valy was ridden by Mill Creek resident rider, Simon McCarthy.

The Ontario Championships held at the CSI-WTournament of Champions in Palgrave, ON, saw the best young horses compete for a total of $12,000 in prize money - $5,000 each for the Five and Six-Year-Old Divisions, and $2,000 for the Four-Year-Old Division. The courses were set by 2000 Olympic course designer Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela while Canadian Olympian Mac Cone acted as the style judge.

In the Four and Five-Year-Old Divisions, horses are judged solely on their performance and style. In the Six-Year-Old Division, the top eight horses return for a jump-off, carrying forward any faults accumulated in the first round. Points in the overall Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series are tabulated according to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Cup system with the number of points given being based on the number of horses entered in each class.

The purpose of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development 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 as four, five or six-year-olds. This careful development allows the young horses to gain valuable experience and advance to the higher levels of show jumping competition with confidence. The Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development 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 2004 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series is comprised of nine events. Following the Ontario Championships, the top 15 qualified horses in the Five and Six-Year-Old Divisions advance to the National Championships, held Sunday, November 7 at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON. Prize money totaling $16,000 will be offered in addition to two saddles that have been generously donated for the winning entries at the National Championships - Cavalier will award an Amerigo saddle while Running Fox will present a Luc Childeric saddle.

Proud supporters of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series include the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association, Cavalier, 4 Star Trailers, Gary Cooper Chev Olds, Tim Grubb, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., Horseware Ireland, KingRidge Stables, Kim Kirton, Dr. Alan Manning, Peter Miller, the Ontario Hunter Jumper Association, Charles Ormston, Running Fox, Scotia McLeod, TD Canada Trust and W. Charlot Farms.

Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series – Ontario Championships

Six-Year-Old Division

Horse , Owner, Rider, Points
1. Kaiser de le Cour, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy, 62
2. Ruben, Scanmar Portfolios, Hyde Moffat, 58
3. Archie Bunker, Forestview Farm, John Pearce, 54
3. V.D.L. Roger, Hogendoorn Sport Horses, Peter Gisborne, 54
5. Louvre, W. Charlot Farms, Erynn Ballard, 50

Five-Year-Old Division

Horse , Owner, Rider, Points
1. Double Diamond, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham, 86
2. Rio’s Ricardo, W. Charlot Farms, Erynn Ballard, 75
3. Distant Star, KingRidge Stables, Roberto Teran, 71
4. Kinsale, Burmonds and Wetmore, Beth Underhill, 54
5. Déjà vu, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham, 50.5

Four-Year-Old Division

Horse , Owner, Rider, Points
1. Pour Patrice W, Charles Ormston, Erynn Ballard, 76
2. Encore, KingRidge Stables, Hugh Graham, 57
3. Millesime du Valy, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy, 56
4. Concorde’s Tiantha, Sentinel Hill Farm, Hyde Moffat, 51
4. Rin Tin Tin, Mill Creek Stables, Simon McCarthy, 51

For further information on the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series, please contact Dale Hawerchuk, Chair, at tel: (519) 938-8637.

2004 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series Show Schedule

Festival of the Horse – Ancaster, ON, June 6
Summer Classic – Palgrave, ON, June 18
Cornerstone Farms Show – Barrie, ON, July 2
Capital Classic – Ottawa, ON, July 16
Collingwood Horse Show – Collingwood, ON, August 13
Halton Valley Summer Tournament – Milton, ON, September 4
Fox Run Horse Show – Troy, ON, September 19
Ontario Championships, September 23
Tournament of Champions – Palgrave, ON
Five and Six-Year-Old National Championships, November 7
Royal Agricultural Winter Fair – Toronto, ON