Eric Lamaze will headline the top equestrian athletes competing at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament from September 23-27 at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON. Photo by Shoot Photographic

September 23, 2009 – Palgrave, Ontario – The best show jumping athletes in the country have arrived in Palgrave, ON, for the inaugural Canadian Show Jumping Tournament running September 23-27 at the Caledon Equestrian Park.

Olympic Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze of nearby Schomberg, ON, is a favourite to win the Tournament’s featured event, the $100,000 Caledon Cup Final, on Sunday, September 27, at 2 p.m. Lamaze, currently ranked number two in the world, has been based in Europe this summer. Outside of the Spruce Meadows Tournaments held in Calgary, AB, the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament will mark Lamaze’s only other Canadian appearance in 2010.

“It will be great to ride in front of a hometown crowd, and competing at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament is special for me,” said Lamaze. “The Children’s Wish Foundation is also a charity that is close to my heart.”

Lamaze and his 2008 Olympic Silver Medal teammate, Ian Millar, will assist in the presentation of a pony to 11-year-old Anna Edwards of Tisdale, SK, on Saturday afternoon on behalf of the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament’s charity partner.

In addition to Lamaze and Millar, other local Canadian Olympians competing include Mac Cone of King City, ON, who was also a member of the Olympic Silver Medal Team, Beth Underhill and Hugh Graham, both of Schomberg, ON, and Jay Hayes of Orangeville, ON.

Several top grand prix riders from western Canada have made the trek east to compete at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament including Gary Brewster of West Vancouver, BC, Tamie Phillips of Strathmore, AB, and John Anderson of Calgary, AB. Anderson, who represented Canada at the 1986 World Championships and the 1988 Olympic Games, was a member of Canada’s Nations’ Cup Team at the Spruce Meadows “Masters” Tournament held two weeks prior to the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament.

“My horse has been jumping so well lately, and I wanted to take the next step with him by competing in a different venue,” said Anderson, who will ride Terrific in the $100,000 Caledon Cup Final. “I have heard great things about the Caledon Equestrian Park, and I am really looking forward to competing there.”

In addition to hosting several equestrian events throughout the year, the Caledon Equestrian Park has been selected as the equestrian venue by the 2015 Pan American Games/Para Pan American Games Bid Corporation.

Alongside world-class show jumping competition, the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament will feature family entertainment such as the Horse Sport Performing Dogs, the Birds of Prey exhibition, and the Foxbury Farm Horseless Horse Show judged by Connor Jessup, star of TVO’s popular ‘The Saddle Club’ television show. Families can also enjoy the Home Depot Kids Workshop where children can build their own toolboxes, a jumping castle, and face painting.

For more information on the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament, please visit www.equiman.com.  Follow the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CdnSJT.