July 11, 2004 – Blainville, Quebec – Belgian Olympian Eric Flameng emerged victorious in the $60,000 Grand Prix Jumping du Quebec World Cup Qualifier held Sunday, July 11, to cap off the CSI-W Blainville Jumping International in Blainville, QC.

From a starting field of 22 riders, five mastered the track set by Belgian course designer Eugene Mathy to advance to the jump-off. First to challenge, Chris Pratt stopped the timers at 41.14 seconds in the jump-off, a time that would prove to be the fastest, but a rail down cost the 35-year-old rider from Terra Cotta, ON, four faults. Pratt was aboard the 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Markant, for owner Susan Grange and would finish in eventual third place.

Keean White, 21, of Cambridge, ON, was the next to challenge riding Arriscraft Cassius owned by Randy White and Elinor Ratcliffe. After incurring eight faults, White slowed up to bring the promising eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding home in a time of 51.29 seconds, a result that would put him in fifth position.

Ainsley Vince was next in the ring in an attempt to defend the title won in 2003 riding Catch 22. Mounted on Uno, a horse purchased this winter, Vince posted the first double clear in a time of 45.58 seconds.

The next challenger, Summer Bruington of Texas who trains with Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill, incurred four faults on course riding VDL Mercedes, leaving Vince in the top position with just one challenger to go.

As always, the final rider on the course has the advantage, and Flameng made good use of it. Riding Roxanne, a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, Flameng managed to post a clear round in a time of 43.15 seconds to take the victory and an $18,000 paycheque.

“I was lucky to be the last rider, and Ainsley is always hard to beat,” noted Flameng, a native of Belgium who makes his summer home near Ste-Adele, QC. “My horse has a long stride, and I believe she has everything to become a real superstar.”

Flameng has been competing on the summer circuit in Quebec for many years, but Blainville marked his first World Cup Qualifier win. A professional rider, Flameng represented Belgium at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and has also been a member of the Belgian Show Jumping Team at the European Championships as well as numerous Nations’ Cup competitions.

While disappointed to finish second, Vince, 27, was optimistic about the development of her horse, Uno, an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding purchased for her this winter in Florida by the KMA Group.

“My horse has been so good, he has been in the jump-off in every class he’s entered in this week,” noted the two-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion. “This was only his second World Cup Qualifier, and I just wanted to be fast enough to put the pressure on the two horses still to follow in the jump-off. We were beaten, but sometimes it goes that way.”

Pratt, 35, had claimed victory in Wednesday’s Open Jumper competition as well as Saturday’s $20,000 Desjardins Challenge, but a win eluded him in the $60,000 Grand Prix Jumping du Quebec World Cup Qualifier.

“In hindsight, maybe I didn’t have to go quite so fast, but I love to go fast, the horse loves to go fast, and maybe I just got greedy!” laughed Pratt. “He was ready to win today, but going first you never know what can happen.”

A total of 10 horses had four faults to keep them out of the jump-off, tying them for sixth position under International Equestrian Federation (FEI) rules.

The $60,000 Grand Prix Jumping du Quebec World Cup Qualifier will be broadcast in French on Sunday, August 1 at 2 p.m. on RDS, and in English on Saturday, August 7 at 2 p.m. on Global television.

For more information, please contact Blainville International at tel: (450) 434-8202, fax: (450) 434-8209, or e-mail: info@classiqueblainville.com.

Rider , Hometown, Horse, Faults, Time
1. Eric Flameng, Belgium, Roxanne, 0:0, 43.15
2. Ainsley Vince, Milton, ON, Uno, 0:0, 45.58
3. Chris Pratt, Terra Cotta, ON, Markant, 0:4, 41.14
4. Summer Bruington, United States, VDL Mercedes, 0:4, 46.81
5. Keean White, Cambridge, ON, Arriscraft Cassius, 0:8, 51.29