Jacqueline Brooks and Balmoral won the Intermediaire I at the CDI-W Ottawa Summer Dressage Classic. Photo by Linda Scott Harris, www.equisportphoto.com

June 23, 2007 – Ottawa, Ontario – For the second day in a row, Jacqueline Brooks of Mount Albert, ON, claimed victory at the CDI-W Ottawa Summer Dressage Classic held June 21-24 at the Nepean National Equestrian Park.

Having claimed the Prix St. Georges on Friday, Brooks returned to the ring riding Balmoral to win the Intermediaire I. Her score of 69.750% gave her the victory over Ottawa's Simone Williams, who earned 68.650% with Wunder Ein. Brooks has been riding Balmoral, an eight-year-old Canadian-bred gelding, for the past three years.

"He's one of those horses that, over the years, has always been very consistent throughout the whole test," said Brooks, 39, who was a member of the Canadian Dressage Team that claimed the Silver Medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. "Every year, he ups it a notch in terms of his strength and balance. He has a very strong work ethic."

Williams, who placed third in Friday's Prix St. Georges test, moved into the runner-up position in Saturday's Intermediaire I with a fluid ride aboard Wunder Ein, her nine-year-old Hannoverian gelding. The first competitor into the main ring on Saturday morning, Williams set the standard with her impressive score of 68.650%.

"I was very happy with my horse," said Williams, who purchased Wunder Ein as a two-year-old in Germany. "This is his first year at this level and with each competition, he feels more confident in the movements and I am able to add more power to our performance. He is a dynamic horse with expressive gaits and has the ability for tremendous power so as he becomes more confident, I look forward to earning even higher marks."

Finishing third was Ute Busse of Breslau, ON, with a score of 67.950%. Busse, whose daughter Tina Busse-Irwin is competing in the Grand Prix division, earned a scored of 66.050% riding Lindor's Finest, a 10-year-old Canadian-bred gelding owned in partnership with Sylvia Carlton. Busse also took sixth place with her 11-year-old Canadian-bred Belgian-cross gelding, Maximus.

Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, easily claimed victory in the Grand Prix Special. Riding Quantum Tyme, Strasser's test featured flowing trot half-pass, accurate pirouettes, and an active piaffe to earn a score of 66.440%. The win was a fitting send-off for Strasser and her 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding as they depart on Monday for Germany where they will represent Canada as at the famed CHIO Aachen horse festival.

Nancy MacLachlan of Terra Cotta, ON, earned second place with a score of 61.600% riding Ariston, an 11-year-old Ukrainian Warmblood gelding. Third place went to Jessica Costello of King City, ON, and Judy Elliott's Litmanen who scored 57.440% while Halifax's Cheryl Meisner, 25, took fourth place with Hesperos, a 13-year-old Trakehner gelding owned by Lobster Point Farms.

In the FEI Young Rider division, Leah Wilson of Caledon, ON, topped an 11-horse field riding Westside Lady. Wilson and the 12-year-old black Hannoverian mare owned by Susan Platz earned a score of 67.450% to stay ahead of Julie Watchorn of Schomberg, ON, who earned 67.100% riding Quintesse, her 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. The competition is an opportunity for Young Rider candidates to qualify for the upcoming North American Young Riders' Championship in Lexington, VA.

For the second day in a row, local competitor Jade Deter of Kemptville, ON, won the FEI Junior Individual test with a score of 65.050% riding Mastermind, her 10-year-old chestnut Westphalian gelding. Deter trains with Level 3 coach, Ruth Koch, at her Oxford Ridge Stables in Oxford Mills, ON.

Vivian Cornell of Kingston, ON, won the FEI Children Individual test with a score of 64.600% riding Heidschnucke, her 16-year-old Trakehner mare, while Tatianna Turcotte of Mount Royal, QC, won the FEI Pony Individual test with 63.650% riding the Connemara gelding, Serenity's Dream On.

In a North American first, Alexandra Hosein of Nova Scotia rode the Young Rider Grand Prix test, a competition incorporating all the Grand Prix movements and open to riders aged 16 to 21. In her debut, Hosein scored 61.463% riding Lucky Star.

Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, claimed victory in the FEI Young Horse Six-Year-Old Finale. Riding Viva's Salieri, a flashy liver chestnut stallion bred in Canada by owners Augustin and Christine Walch, Dvorak earned a score of 76.000%. In the FEI Five-Year-Old Finale, Neil McIntosh of Ste-Adele, QC, emerged the winner with a score of 76.800% riding Argo Conti Tyme, a horse owned by Evi Strasser.

More than 250 of the best dressage horses in the country have gathered in the Nation's Capital for the CDI-W Ottawa Summer Dressage Classic, which is sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and also acts as a qualifier for the 2008 World Cup Final. Competition on Sunday, June 24, features the Musical Freestyles, which sees riders choreograph required technical movements to the music of their choice to give the illusion of 'dancing' with their horses. Action will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Nepean National Equestrian Park located at the 417 and the Moodie Drive Exit. Admission is free.

For more information on the Ottawa Summer Dressage Classic, organized by Equivents, Inc., please visit www.equivents.com. Complete results can also be found at www.foxvillage.com.

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Rider Hometown Horse Score
1. Evi Strasser Ste-Adele, QC Quantum Tyme 66.440%
2. Nancy MacLachlan Terra Cotta, ON Ariston 61.600%
3. Jessica Costello King City, ON Litmanen 57.440%
4. Cheryl Meisner Halifax, NS Hesperos 56.320%


Rider Hometown Horse Score
1. Jacqueline Brooks Mount Albert, ON Balmoral 69.750%
2. Simone Williams Ottawa, ON Wunder Ein 68.650%
3. Ute Busse Breslau, ON Lindor's Finest 67.950%
4. Armand Valkenborg Hudson, QC Seigneur 64.500%
5. Linda Robert Terrebonne, QC Wedding Surprise 63.700%
6. Ute Busse Breslau, ON Maximus 63.150%
7. Chris Von Martels Ridgetown, ON Korenbloem Charmeur 62.650%
8. Liz Steacie Brockville, ON Mikayla 61.200%
9. Jaimey Irwin Lakefield, ON Primo Sony 60.800%
10. Ruth Crawford Brockville, ON Sambuka 60.500%
11. Rebecca Schoenhardt Erin, ON Pele 59.850%
12. Lee Tubman Dunnville, ON Tygo B 58.900%
13. Francine Bell Vercheres, QC Royal Senna 57.100%