Angela Lawrence of St. Lazare, QC, rode Unica to victory in the $40,000 Grand Prix Jumping Quebec held Sunday, July 12, at the Classique Internationale Blainville horse show in Blainville, QC. Photo Credit by Cealy Tetley, www.tetleyphoto.com

July 15, 2009 – Blainville, Quebec – Angela Covert-Lawrence of St. Lazare, QC, won the $40,000 Grand Prix Jumping Quebec on Sunday, July 12, at the Classique Internationale Blainville horse show in Blainville, QC.

Covert-Lawrence is a Rider Ambassador for JustWorld International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children in the developing world, and has visited its project sites in Honduras and Guatemala. In addition to having a Rider Ambassador take the win in Blainville, Amateur Ambassador Paris Sellon of Los Angeles, CA, placed second riding Troyes and third with Charmeur A. Professional Rider Ambassadors Erynn Ballard of Hillsburgh, ON, riding Rio’s Rhapsody was sixth while Francie Steinwedell-Carvin of Burbank, CA, took ninth place with Twistar.

Covert-Lawrence had three horses entered in the $40,000 Grand Prix Jumping Quebec and, incredibly, qualified all three for the jump-off after successfully negotiating the first round track set by FEI ‘O’ course designer Robert Jolicoeur of Montreal. From the original starting field of 33 entries, 13 advanced to the jump-off.

Covert-Lawrence was the first rider to attempt the shortened jump-off track and produced a clear round on Utan, an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by the Eastwood Group. On May 30, the pair won the $25,000 Grand Prix of St. Lazare but, on this occasion, their jump-off time of 36.87 seconds would prove good enough for fifth place.

With her second jump-off entry, Unica, Covert-Lawrence went for the win, leaving all the rails in place and stopping the clock in a time of 35 seconds flat. None of the riders that followed were able to catch her time and when Covert-Lawrence returned to the grand prix ring with her third and final entry, the nine-year-old Quercus, there was no pressure as she already knew she had won. Although rails fell at the final two jumps on course, Covert-Lawrence was smiling as she had not only won with Unica, but also placed fifth and 12th.

“In the jump-off, I ran with Unica,” said Covert-Lawrence, 33, who claimed the winner’s share of $12,000 in prize money for her victory. “She is really fast across the ground, and she did not even rub a rail. The only main turn in the jump-off was to the left and she turns better to the right, so I was a little worried about losing time there, but she turned really well. I could not have been happier.”

Covert-Lawrence has been riding the 12-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood mare for the past three seasons after discovering her in Belgium with business partner, Koen Aerts. The $40,000 Grand Prix Jumping Quebec was Unica’s first grand prix event since sustaining an injury while competing in Florida this winter.

“I am so happy to have her back,” said Covert-Lawrence of the quirky mare, who sticks her tongue out when she is competing. “After having five months off, I had done three 1.35m classes leading up the grand prix in Blainville. She was super, and she jumped really well.”

In addition to her success in the grand prix, Covert-Lawrence also excelled in the hunter ring, winning 12 of the 15 professional hunter classes offered at the show. In only his second horse show, Karma, a five-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Rhodium, won all five of his classes to take the Baby Green Hunter Championship title. Silhouette, a six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding also sired by Rhodium, won four out of his five classes to earn the Pre-Green Hunter Championship. And crowd favourite Oxford, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood by Burggraaf that is also a popular breeding stallion, won three of his classes to take the Combined Hunter Reserve Championship title for owner Quo Vadis Stable.

In addition to Covert-Lawrence’s three hunter titles, working student Isabel Jolicoeur, 17, of Wellington, FL, also a JustWorld Amateur Ambassador, guided Poker Face to the Junior Hunter Championship. Covert-Lawrence imported the five-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding in May of this year.

“We had a good week, and it was especially nice because everyone from the barn did well,” said Covert-Lawrence, who had a total of 20 horses competing at the Classique Internationale Blainville under the Eastwood Equine Inc. banner.

Covert-Lawrence and her husband, Mike Lawrence, operate Eastwood Equine Inc. in St. Lazare, QC. Each May, the couple hosts the popular Pépinière and St. Lazare Horse Shows at their farm.