Frankie Chesler guides Picolien Zeldenrust to victory in the $75,000 World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix at the CSI-W Canadian Country Classic held at Halton Place in Halton Hills, ON. Photo by Michelle C. Dunn 2006

A total of 20 horses lined up to attempt the track set by course designer Danny Foster. When the first round was over, only four had qualified for the jump-off. First to challenge was Amy Millar, 29, of Perth, ON. Millar incurred four faults in a time of 53.58 seconds with Sweet Dreams, a 15-year-old selle francais gelding owned by Jebb's Creek Investments.

Michael Grinyer of Campbellville, ON, was next into the ring with his 15-year-old partner, Alcatraz. The pair posted the first clear round of the jump-off in a time of 54.32 seconds to move into the lead. His time at the top was short-lived, however, as Chesler-Ortiz of Orangeville, ON, posted a clear and efficient round in a time of 52.65 seconds riding Picolien Zeldenrust, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare.

As the final challenger, it was all up to two-time Canadian Show Jumping Champions Ainsley Vince and Catch 22. As the hometown favourite, Vince of Milton, ON, had the crowd behind her and the clock on her side, but when her 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding knocked a rail, Chesler-Ortiz was assured the victory.

"I went in and went pretty fast, but not blazing because I wanted to make sure that I jumped a clear round," said Chesler-Ortiz, 25, of her jump-off strategy. "I thought being efficient everywhere was going to do it. By being clear and efficient, I figured I would put a little pressure on Ainsley and that's exactly what happened."

For her victory, Chesler-Ortiz took home $22,500 in prize money for owner Sher-Al Farms of Orangeville, ON. In addition, the win proved that her work with Picolien Zeldenrust, a horse she purchased two years ago while training in Europe, is paying off.

"She has just been getting better and better, she is really coming into her own," praised Chesler-Ortiz who remains the youngest competitor to ever ride on the Canadian Show Jumping Team. "She went in and jumped fantastic, she just cantered around beautifully, and I was really happy with her. This is my first big Sunday win of the year. I am really proud of her."

Chesler-Ortiz also had four faults with her first ride of the day, Ranville, an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, to place eighth overall.

"Danny Foster built a nice course, and I think the course rode a little more difficult than we thought it would when we walked it," assessed Chesler-Ortiz. "Overall, I thought that Timur Leckebusch ran a fantastic show. It is a beautiful field to jump on, and the footing held up nicely - all the horses jumped well. It is nice to see a new facility hosting international competition, and it is very refreshing to see people like Timur trying to make things happen for our sport."

Timur Leckebusch, President of the CSI-W Canadian Country Classic, intends to make the World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix an annual event at Halton Place, his 200-acre world-class equestrian facility in Halton Hills, ON. For more information on Halton Place, please visit www.haltonplace.com.

 
$75,000 World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix - CSI-W Halton Place, Halton Hills, ON