Two in a Row for Quebec’s Laurie Bucci at Blainville

July 7, 2005 – Blainville, Quebec – For the second day in a row, it was Quebec’s own Laurie Bucci who stood in the winner’s circle at the CSI-W Blainville Jumping International running July 6-10 at Blainville Equestrian Park located just north of Montreal, Quebec.

After opening the five-day international show jumping tournament with a win on Wednesday riding Catesko, Bucci guided Lalelu to the top of Thursday’s Talent Squad, a unique competition designed to identify future members of the Canadian Equestrian Team. 15 entries attempted to master the test set by Conrad Homfeld of the United States, an Olympic Gold Medalist who has turned his hand to course designing. Only three riders were able to rise to the challenge – Bucci of St. Hilaire, QC, Nicolas-Xavier Belanger of Calixa-Lavalee, QC, and New Brunswick’s Deanna Phelan.

First back in the jump-off, Belanger had a rail down half-way through the jump-off course to accumulate four faults riding Now or Never and eventually finish in second position. Phelan, riding Sunshine, also had a jump down and exceeded the time allowed to bring her total to five faults, putting her in third place. Last to challenge, Bucci gave a faultless performance riding Lalelu, a nine-year-old bay Oldenburg mare owned by South Shore Farm, to claim her second victory in as many days.

Over $160,000 in prize money is offered over the five days of competition at CSI-W Blainville Jumping International. Featured events include Friday’s $20,000 Casino de Montreal Welcome Stake and the $25,000 Challenge Desjardins Modified Grand Prix scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The five-day tournament culminates with Sunday’s $65,000 Grand Prix Jumping du Quebec World Cup Qualifier.

Located just north of Montreal, Blainville Equestrian Park features a variety of attractions that ensure all family members enjoy their visit. For more information, please visit www.classiqueblainville.com or contact Blainville International at tel: (450) 434-8202, e-mail: classiqueblainville@videotron.ca.

$2,500 Talent Squad – Final Results

Rider Hometown Horse Faults Time
1. Laurie Bucci St. Hilaire, QC Lalelu 0:0 47:75
2. Nicolas-Xavier Belanger Calixa-Lavalee, QC Now or Never 0:4 43.76
3. Deanna Phelan New Brunswick Sunshine 0:5 52.65
4. Asta Torokvei Toronto, ON Beringer 1
5. Ashley Fleischhacker United States Cycan 1