October 2, 2007 – Palgrave, Ontario – The Eastern Canadian Finals of the 2007 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series were held over two days, September 19 and 20, during the CSI-W Tournament of Champions in Palgrave, ON. Competing against horses of the same age, points were earned during both days of competition and added together to produce the winners.

A total of 18 horses contested the Seven and Eight-Year-Old Division with only one point separating the top three finishers. With a fifth place finish on Wednesday and a second place finish in Thursday's comeptition, Triton earned the Eastern Canadian Championship title with a total of 27 points. Ridden by Frankie Chesler-Ortiz, the seven-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Indoctro out of an Ahorn dam was imported by owner Sher-Al Farms in January of 2007.

"Triton is a brave and scopey seven-year-old that has a lot of potential, plus he is really fun to ride," said Chesler-Ortiz who bought the horse, untried, in Holland. "This year's Young Horse Series gave him an opportunity to jump against other horses at the same level, and to jump in a lot of different venues. The Series has helped us to prepare him for his upcoming career, and we hope that he has a long future."

Between the Ontario Championships, Eastern Canadian Finals, and National Finals, which were all held during the CSI-W Tournament of Champions, the Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series committee and its sponsors offered a total of $52,000 in prize money.

"As usual, the Tournament of Champions was one of the best shows of the year, and it was great way to end the outdoor season," noted Chesler-Ortiz who makes her home in Orangeville, ON. "The Young Horse Committee deserves a big round of applause for raising such a large amount of prize money. It makes showing in the Young Horse Series worthwhile, and it gives the owners an extra bonus when their horses do well."

With a total of 26 points, the Reserve Championship title went to last year's winner, Wembley 234. Owned by Chadburn Holdings and ridden by Mac Cone in the Eastern Canadian Championships, Wembley 234 is an eight-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood gelding by Capital. Mark Samuel of Chadburn Holdings purchased Wembley 234 in the winter of 2006.

Finishing third overall in the Eastern Canadian standings with 25 points was Atlanta van de Padenborre, a seven-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Ahorn Z out of a Quidam de Revel dam. Purchased in Belgium, Atlanta van de Padenborre is owned by Mark Hayes and ridden by Hyde Moffatt.

A total of 22 horses contested the Six-Year-Old Division of the Eastern Canadian Finals. The clear winner with a total of 37 points was Frieda, who had placed second in Wednesday's class before claiming victory in Thursday's competition. The mare had jumped double clear on both days to win the title.

Owned by the KMA Group and ridden by Ainsley Vince, Frieda is a chestnut mare that is registered with the German-based Sachsen-Anhalt studbook. Bred in Germany, Frieda is by For Future by the great show jumping horse, For Pleasure, and out of a Graf Anhalt E dam. The KMA Group purchased Frieda in the winter of 2006 when she was first imported to North America, and the pair spent last year showing successfully in the Five-Year-Old division, winning the National Championship as well as taking the reserve championship titles in both the Ontario and the Eastern Canadian Championships.

Mac Cone claimed another Reserve Championship title, this time for owner Laura Kelk and Strathfield Farm. Consistent results over the two-day competition gave Unanimous second place with a total of 27 points. Unanimous, a chestnut Dutch Warmblood gelding imported in the fall of 2006, is by Andiamo and out of a Libero H dam.

With 26 points, Ariana placed third overall, helped by a second-place finish in Thursday's class. Ridden by Yann Candele for owner Susan Grange of Lothlorien Farm, Ariana was purchased in Holland as a four-year-old and is currently used in Grange's breeding program. A Dutch Warmblood mare, Ariana is by Oklund out of a Damiro dam.

In the Five-Year-Old Division of the Eastern Canadian Finals, Augustine took top honours, just as he had one day earlier in the Ontario Championships. Owned by Aubrie DeSylva and ridden by Rob Carey, Augustine is a Canadian Sport Horse by the Hannoverian sire, Rio Grande, and out of Santa Lucia by Sergej. Bred by Augustin Walch of W. Charlot Farms in Stratford, ON, his owner named Augustine in tribute to his breeder.

The Reserve Championship title went to Mystical M, ridden by Jonathon Millar and owned in partnership by Ann Matthews and Millar Brooke Farm. A Canadian Warmblood mare, Mystical M was bred by Millar Brooke Farm in Perth, ON. Sired by the well-known hunter champion Popeye K, Mystical M's dam is Mistral, the mare that carried Ian Millar to numerous grand prix victories in the mid-1990's.

Placing third was Venlo, ridden by Yann Candele and owned by Susan Grange. The grey Dutch Warmblood gelding is by Celano out of a Farmer dam and was purchased by Grange in the spring of 2007, having already started his career at local shows in Holland.

Marking a huge victory for Canadian breeding, eight of the top 10 finishers in the Four-Year-Old Division were bred in Canada. The winner of the Eastern Canadian Championship title was Riga, owned by Sherri Hunt-Serazia and ridden by Yann Candele, who took over the reins from regular rider Carly Campbell Cooper who was sidelined with an injury. Riga won both days of competition, jumping clear and receiving the highest scores from style judges Mac Cone and Francis Berger to emerge the undisputed champion. A registered Hannoverian mare, Riga was bred at Mill Creek Stables in Cambridge, ON. Her sire is Raphael, the Westphalian stallion that has produced numerous international grand prix show jumping horses, while her dam is Chanel by Carte d'Or.

In addition to being named the Ontario Four-Year Champion, Rio's Lovestory W also claimed the reserve championship title in the Eastern Canadian Finals. Ridden by Erynn Ballard, Rio's Lovestory W was bred by owner W. Charlot Farms. A grey Canadian Warmblood mare, Rio's Lovestory W is by Rio Grande and out of Lavinia by Laval I.

Placing third was the KingRidge Stables entry of Head's Up 3E, ridden by Roberto Teran. A Canadian Sport Horse mare, Head's Up is a product of KingRidge's breeding program, featuring Jamestown by Quidam de Revel as her sire while her dam is Shooting Star 3E by the Dutch Warmblood stallion, Class Action.

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 2007 Canadian Young Horse Jumper Development Series included events across the country with the Western Canadian Finals held August 22-27 at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, BC, and the Eastern Canadian Finals taking place September 19-23 at the Tournament of Champions in Palgrave, ON.

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

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

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Horse Owner Rider
Champion Triton Sher-Al Farms Frankie Chesler-Ortiz
Reserve Wembley 234 Chadburn Holdings Mac Cone
3. Atlanta van de Padenborre Mark Hayes Hyde Moffatt
4. Kinsale Burmonds & Wetmore Yann Candele
5. Navarre Mikali Farms Alison Moore
6. (tie) Game Ready Susan Grange Yann Candele
6. (tie) Showgirl Wingberry Farms Margie Gayford
8. Assini Eastwood Group Angela Lawrence
9. Baron Mark Hayes Hyde Moffatt
10. Brooklyn Susan Grange Yann Candele

Horse Owner Rider
Champion Frieda KMA Group Ainsley Vince
Reserve Unanimous Laura Kelk Mac Cone
3. Ariana Susan Grange Yann Candele
4. (tie) Fifth Estate 3E* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
4. (tie) Utah Hannah Anderson Hannah Anderson
6. Accabello Paige and Gord Munro Ben Murphy
7. (tie) Quizical Kid Susan Grange Yann Candele
7. (tie) Vasco da Gama Augustin Walch Martien van der Hoeven
9. Fancy Talk* Amy-Lee Gunter Paul Halpern
10. VDL Upsala H Liam Dumont-Walker Michelle Vandal

Horse Owner Rider
Champion Augustine* Aubrie DeSylva Rob Carey
Reserve Mystical M* Ann Matthews & Millar Brooke Jonathon Millar
3. Venlo Susan Grange Yann Candele
4. Taboo's Charlie Brown Taboo International Inc. Robert Sharpe
5. J.R. Gord and Paige Munro Ben Murphy
6. Capriato Windy Hill Farm Angie Temelini
7. Grand Finale 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
8. (tie) A.R.S. Shakyra Carlo Zimmer Alex Rohling
8. (tie) Grand Slam 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
8. (tie) Granite 3E* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
8. (tie) VDL Viper H* Michelle Vandal Michelle Vandal

Horse Owner Rider
Champion Riga* Sherri Hunt-Serazia Yann Candele
Reserve Rio's Lovestory W* Augustin Walch Erynn Ballard
3. Head's Up 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
4. Holiday 3E* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
5. Holy Smoke 3E* KingRidge Stables Roberto Teran
6. (tie) Privilege* Sarah Bates Hyde Moffatt
6. (tie) Bale Par Mill Creek Stables Yann Candele
8. Viking Ferro Richard and Meryl Cannon Chris Sorensen
9. Elusive* Wendy O'Leary Rob Carey
10. High Star 3E* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham

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