Hayley Alfonso is presented as the winner of the $15,000 Cymric Brae Grand Prix during the Bow Valley Classic I held Saturday, May 15, in Calgary, AB. Photo by Elle Hayes www.ellehayesphotography.com
Katie McVean of New Zealand guided Delphi to victory in the $25,000 ‘Gail Turns 50’ Grand Prix on Saturday, May 22, during the Bow Valley Classic II in Calgary, AB. Photo by Elle Hayes www.ellehayesphotography.com

May 24, 2010 – Calgary, Alberta – Rocky Mountain Show Jumping opened its summer season by hosting back-to-back show jumping tournaments at Anderson Ranch in Calgary, AB. Hayley Alfonso of St. Andrews, MB, was victorious on May 15 in the $15,000 Cymric Brae Grand Prix while New Zealand’s Katie McVean emerged victorious in the $25,000 ‘Gail Turns 50’ Grand Prix on May 22.

Competitors were eager to get the outdoor show season underway with the first week of competition, the Bow Valley Classic I held May 12-16, attracting 29 entries for the $15,000 Cymric Brae Grand Prix. A total of eight advanced to the jump-off and, despite only being the second rider in, Alfonso set a target time of 37.29 seconds that proved to be unbeatable. She emerged the winner with Lennox 157, a 10-year-old grey Holsteiner gelding owned by Tyndall Wood Farms.

“I wanted to be double clean and as fast I could as I knew there were some good horses coming after me,” said Alfonso, 23, who recently moved back to Manitoba after being based in Calgary for two years. “I wasn’t sure if my time would hold up. I did think we had a good chance, and I was really relieved, and excited, when we won.”

Alfonso spent three weeks this winter competing at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and the Bow Valley Classic I marked her first outdoor show on Canadian soil this season.

“It was my first time there this year, and the entire facility looks great,” said Alfonso of Anderson Ranch. “It is definitely going to draw in a lot of competitors. It is a nice horse show to go to, and we love coming! It is very casual, and lots of fun.”

Trained by her mother, Patty Alfonso, as well as Dayton Gorsline, Alfonso began riding Lennox 157 last October and noted, “He has a really good mind, and he is really fun and really focused. Generally, he is pretty straightforward. He is definitely a competitor; he wants to go!”

For the win, Alfonso beat out two up-and-coming Calgary competitors. Alexander Grayton, 24, placed second riding Henry 225 while Emily George, 25, was third riding Ferrari.

The Bow Valley Classic II saw yet another talented young female show jumping athlete emerge victorious. New Zealand’s Katie McVean topped a starting field of 22 horses to win the $25,000 ‘Gail Turns 50’ Grand Prix, held in honour of 1986 World Champion and Alberta native Gail Greenough, who celebrated her 50th birthday earlier this year. Ironically, McVean’s father, three-time Australian Olympian Jeff McVean, used to compete against Greenough regularly in the 1980’s.

A total of six riders advanced to the jump-off, with McVean being the second rider back.

“The first rider was quite fast, so I thought I might as well give it a go,” said McVean, 23, who has travelled from her native New Zealand to Calgary to compete at the Spruce Meadows summer tournaments. “I have only been in Calgary for two weeks, so I didn’t know the horses or how fast anyone was going to go. My horse can go pretty fast, and as I didn’t know anybody here, I was hoping I was fast enough.”

Her time of 37.29 seconds would prove to the winning time as the closest anyone could come was Tamie Phillips of Strathmore, AB, who stopped the clock at 39.25 for second place riding the Canadian-bred Lucas. McVean’s partner, Delphi, is an eight-year-old bay New Zealand Sport Horse mare bred in New Zealand by Katie’s family and owned by Jeff, Vicki and Katie McVean.

“We have had her at home her whole life,” said McVean. “She won our World Cup League and the National title, as well as the Horse of the Year, which is another big deal for us, all in her first year at grand prix. She is a very cool horse.”

As for her first Canadian competition at Anderson Ranch, McVean reflected, “It was a great show, and a very nice place. It was quite a lot like a New Zealand show, relaxed with lots of nice people.”

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping has strived to create a laid-back atmosphere at its competitions, and Manager/Owner John Anderson used the Bow Valley Classic tournaments to launch two new initiatives. The first, ‘Rocky Mountain Jump Off,’ is a series of two-and-a-half-minute television clips that feature the various aspects of horse sport. Aired approximately 60 times per week on Shaw Direct, each segment aims to educate the general public about show jumping competition, whether it is saddle fitting, grooming, or preparing for a tournament.

The second initiative is the creation of the 2010 Rocky Mountain Show Jumping Coffee Table Book, a full-colour book which includes various feature articles and photographs celebrating the history of the sport, with a strong focus on Alberta accomplishments. Retailing for $10, proceeds from the sale of the 2010 Coffee Table Book will be donated to the Children’s Wish Foundation in a special presentation during the Rocky Mountain Classic Tournaments in August.

With the conclusion of the first two outdoor tournaments of the year, Anderson is looking forward to another successful season.

“We knocked it out of the park when it came to our entries this year,” said Anderson, who represented Canada at the 1988 Olympic Games. “For our first tournament last year, we had 300 entries and this year we had 458, so we were up significantly. These first two weeks were the biggest tournaments that we have ever run. People were also raving about the new footing, provided by Footing First, in our two brand new rings. It held up great, especially considering that the weather can be hit or miss in May.”

In August, Rocky Mountain Show Jumping will host two weeks of competition sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). The CSI2* Rocky Mountain Classic I will be held August 18-22 while the CSI2* Rocky Mountain Classic II runs August 25-29 and features the Western Canadian qualifying event for the 2010 FEI Children’s Final.

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping is quickly developing a reputation as one of Canada’s premiere show jumping destinations. Its tournaments are held at Anderson Ranch in Calgary’s south end, a world-class facility featuring permanent stabling for 300 horses and a grass grand prix field complete with natural obstacles. For more information on Rocky Mountain Show Jumping, please visit www.rmshowjumping.com.

$15,000 Cymric Brae Grand Prix – Bow Valley Classic I
Rider Horse Faults Time

1. Hayley Alfonso Lennox 157 0:0 37.290
2. Alexander Grayton Henry 225 0:0 38.906
3. Emily George Ferrari 0:0 38.978
4. Lyndsay Wendt Chanel 0:0 39.066
5. Tamie Phillips Lerche 0:0 42.350
6. Brenda Riddell Monet 0:4 37.865
7. Tracey Epp Hemmingway 0:8 41.7708. Brenda Riddell Indira 0:15 60.840

$25,000 ‘Gail Turns 50’ Grand Prix – Bow Valley Classic II
Rider Horse Faults Time

1. Katie McVean Delphi 0:0 37.290
2. Tamie Phillips Lucas 0:0 39.252
3. Jaclyn Duff Pan Tau 55 0:0 39.540
4. Hayley Alfonso Lennox 157 0:0 39.544
5. Ben Asselin Lolita 0:0 41.874
6. Carla Diewert Vaquero 0:16 39.367