Melissandre Lincourt of Montreal, QC, riding Candidate de Marquet won the $10,000 Omnivex Modified Grand Prix on Saturday, September 26, at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament from September 23-27 at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, ON. Photo by Cealy Tetley, www.tetleyphoto.com

September 26, 2009 – Palgrave, Ontario – A total of 55 horses attempted to win the $10,000 Omnivex Modified Grand Prix held Saturday, September 26, at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament in Palgrave, ON, but it was Montreal’s Melissandre Lincourt who emerged victorious riding Candidate du Marquet.

>From the large starting field, 12 horses posted clear rounds over the difficult first round track to advance to the jump-off where speed became the deciding factor. Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, had posted a clear round in a time of 35.68 seconds riding Game Ready for owner Sue Grange. Lincourt then made her way around the track in an impressive time of 35.43 seconds to edge Candele out of top spot.

Even more impressive was the fact that Lincourt’s horse, Candidate de Marquet, was competing over obstacles set at a height of 1.40m for the first time. On Thursday, the pair had claimed victory in the 1.35m competition.

“We decided to compete today to give her a little mileage and see how she would react over a bigger course,” said Lincourt, 30, of the seven-year-old grey Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Emmanuelle Bolduc. “She obviously thought it was not that hard! I was smiling for five minutes afterwards. She is amazing.”

While Candele settled for second, Colombia’s Roberto Teran was third with a clear round in a time of 36.29 seconds riding the Canadian-bred Grand Slam 3E for owner KingRidge Stables of King City, ON. Margie Gayford of Sharon, ON, was the only other rider to jump double clear, guiding Showgirl home in a time of 39.21 seconds for owner Wingberry Farms.

The Canadian Show Jumping Tournament concludes Sunday with the $100,000 Caledon Cup Final at 2 p.m. Featuring the best of the best, Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, will be looking for victory, but will face stiff competition from his 2008 Olympic Silver Medal teammates, Mac Cone and Ian Millar, among others. In addition to offering $30,000 in prize money to the winner, the $100,000 Caledon Cup Final also acts a World Cup Qualifier for the 2010 World Cup Final to be held in April in Geneva, Switzerland.

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 Home Depot Kids Workshop.

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.

Rider/Hometown/Horse/Faults/Time
1. Melissandre Lincourt Montreal, QC Candidate du Marquet 0:0 35.43
2. Yann Candele Caledon, ON Game Ready 0:0 35.68
3. Roberto Teran Colombia Grand Slam 3E 0:0 36.29
4. Margie Gayford Sharon, ON Showgirl 0:0 39.21
5. Miranda Travers-Cavill Claremont, ON The Air Up There 0:4 35.03
6. Hugh Graham Schomberg, ON Fifth Estate 3E 0:4 35.23
7. Tiffany Foster Schomberg, ON Carlos de Noel 0:4 36.25
8. Joelle Froese Abbotsford, BC Condor 0:4 37.56
9. Susan Horn Toronto, ON Playboy du Trichot 0:4 39.71
10. Erynn Ballard Hillsburgh, ON Simply Ahorn 0:8 36.97