May 24, 2006 – Palgrave, Ontario – For the second week in a row, the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON, played host to the 2006 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series.

On May 18 and 19, the rain continued to fall but that didn't stop Sun, piloted by Yann Candele, from winning the Seven and Eight-Year-Old Division of the Young Horse Series with an incredibly quick jump-off time of 36.32 seconds over the track set by Brazil's Guilherme Jorge. Imported by Ashland Stables, Sun is a chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding by Iroko out of a Concorde mare and will be among the five horses that Candele takes to Spruce Meadows in June for the CSI5* "National" and the CSI4* and CSI-W "Continental" Tournaments.

Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill shared her experience with Rhiannon, a Dutch Warmblood by Larino out of a Wolfgang dam, to place second with double clear rounds. Owned by Triple Seal Ltd., Rhiannon enjoyed a successful winter showing on the HITS Ocala circuit in Florida.

The KingRidge Stables entry of Double Diamond was also double clear to take third place under Hugh Graham. The black Belgian Warmblood stallion is by Nabab de Reve out of Black Diamond by Chin Chin. Successfully combining breeding with a competitive career, Double Diamond was the National Five-Year-Old Champion in 2004. King Ridge also owns the fourth-placed entry, Distant Star 3E, a grey Canadian Sport Horse mare by Class Action.

In the Six-Year-Old Division, it was déjà vu as Hyde Moffat and Baron claimed their second consecutive victory. Of the four clear rounds in the jump-off, Moffat's was the fastest, stopping the clock at 35.89 seconds. A selle francais gelding by Ulior des Isles out of a Narcos II dam, Baron was imported in January by owner Mark Hayes.

After finishing fourth in the opening event of the season, Michelle Vandal and Divine Diva were the runner-ups their second time out, just off the pace set by Moffat. A Canadian Sport Horse mare owned by Vandal and Julie van Wieren, Divine Diva was bred by Jim Mackay of Dobbinton, ON, and is by the thoroughbred sire, Vice Chancellor, and out of a Clydesdale mare.

Sancho, bred and owned by Mill Creek Stables of Cambridge, ON, took third place with Dutch competitor Sebastien Kapel. A licensed Canadian Warmblood stallion by the recently-deceased Oldenburg and Hannoverian licensed sire Skorpio, Sancho successfully competed in the Six-Year-Old division at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, earlier this year. Another Mill Creek Stables stallion, Millesime du Valy, took fifth place with Kapel.

>From the 21 horses entered in the Five-Year-Old Division, it was Unbelievable, owned by Susan Grange and Lothlorien Farm of Cheltenham, ON, that emerged victorious under Canadian Equestrian Team member Chris Pratt. A result of Lothlorien's own breeding program, Unbelievable is by the well-known sire, Voltaire, out a dam sired by the thoroughbred, Sit This One Out. Unbelievable did unbelievably well to take home the victory considering that he had only made his competitive debut one week earlier at Palgrave.

Horses owned and bred by Augustin Walch of W. Charlot Farms in Stratford, ON, took the next two positions in the standings. Erynn Ballard piloted Viva's Lightning W, a Hannoverian gelding by Viva Voltaire, to second place and also took third riding Rio's Diorello W*, a Canadian Sport horse gelding by W. Charlot Farms' flagship stallion, Rio Grande, out of a Don Juan dam.

In the Four-Year-Old Division, W. Charlot Farms was the breeder and owner of three of the top four horses. Ballard guided Rio's Lancia W, an Oldenburg mare by Rio Grande out of a Landgraf I dam, to the win while Riolanco W, a Canadian Sport Horse gelding sired by Rio Grande, was the runner-up under Martien van der Hoeven. Fabianna W, a Hannoverian mare by the W. Charlot Farms stallion, Futurist, and out of a Rio Grande dam, was fourth.

The only horse to break-up the W. Charlot Farms domination was Allegro, a German-bred gelding by the Hannoverian sire, All In One. Owned by Mill Creek Stables, Roy Wilton was the rider.

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. This careful development allows the 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 2006 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series will include nine events in Ontario, as well as additional events in Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. The Canadian Young Horse National Championships will then be held September 20-24 during the CSI-W Tournament of Champions in Palgrave, ON. The next event in the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series will take place at the Festival of the Horse in Troy, ON, from June 1-4.

Proud supporters of the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series include Jump Canada, the Ontario Hunter Jumper Association, 4 Star Trailers, TD Waterhouse, Scotia McLeod, Peter Miller, Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association, W. Charlot Farms, Gary Cooper Chev Olds, Henry Equestrian Insurance Brokers Ltd., Dutch Masters Construction Services Ltd., Dr. Alan Manning, Mill Creek Stables, Brubacher’s Harness Shop, KingRidge Stables, Sea Air International, Mr. Charles Ormston, the Hannoverian Breeders Club of Eastern Canada, Mr. Michael Boyd, and Mrs. Elaine Gray.

For more information, please visit the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series website at www.jumperdevelopment.com.

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Horse Owner Rider
1. Sun Ashland Stables Yann Candele
2. Rhiannon Triple Seal Ltd. Beth Underhill
3. Double Diamond KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
4. Distant Star 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
5. Windus Aimee Deluce Erynn Ballard
6. World Cup v/h Lindehof M. Hayes & Hawkestone Farms Hyde Moffat

Horse Owner Rider
1. Baron Mark Hayes Hyde Moffat
2. Divine Diva* M. Vandal and J. Van Wieren Michelle Vandal
3. Sancho* Mill Creek Stables Sebastien Kapel
4. Tampa Elliott Stone Elliott Stone
5. Millesime du Valy Mill Creek Stables Sebastien Kapel
6. Encore 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran

Horse Owner Rider
1. Unbelievable* Susan Grange/Lothlorien Chris Pratt
2. Viva's Lightning W* Augustin Walch Erynn Ballard
3. Rio's Diorello W* Augustin Walch Erynn Ballard
4. Valvoline Mill Creek Stables Sebastien Kapel
5. Simply Ahorn* Turtle Creek Farm Danny Forbes
6. Vasco da Gama Augustin Walch Martien van der Hoeven

Horse Owner Rider
1. Rio's Lancia W* Augustin Walch Erynn Ballard
2. Riolanco W* Augustin Walch Martien van der Hoeven
3. Allegro Mill Creek Stables Roy Wilten
4. Fabianna W* Augustin Walch Erynn Ballard
5. Gaelic Glory* Katie Platt Michelle Vandal
6. Comet* Mill Creek Stables Sebastien Kapel

NOTE – The star * beside a horse’s name denotes that it is Canadian-bred.