Zimo, ridden by Alejandro Karolyi for owner Torrey Pines Stable, claimed the National Six-Year-Old Championship title in the 2010 Jump Canada Young Horse Series. Photo by ShootPhoto.ca
Alejandro Karolyi and Zimo, owned by Torrey Pines Stable of Schomberg, ON, are presented with the Jump Canada Six-Year-Old Championship cooler. Photo by ShootPhoto.ca

September 29, 2010 – Ottawa, Ontario – In one of the most exciting events of the season in the Jump Canada Young Horse Series, Alejandro Karolyi guided Torrey Pines Stable’s Zimo to the Six-Year-Old National Young Horse Championship title at the Canadian Show Jumping Tournament held September 22 to 26 in Palgrave, ON.

Competition was hot all week in the Six-Year-Old Division, and when the horses and riders moved into the Grand Prix ring for Saturday’s third and final phase, spectators were treated to great sport. A total of 10 horses jumped clear over the first round track set by course designer Christa Hiebach resulting in an incredible jump-off with nothing held back.

The first horse to jump clear in the jump-off was Obelia, ridden by Frankie Chesler-Ortiz of Orangeville, ON, for owner Sarah Bellamy. The pair posted a time of 36.35 seconds, which held up when Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, was also clear riding Sera for Braeburn Farms, but in a slower time of 38.08 seconds.

Karolyi and Zimo then blazed around the shortened track in an incredibly fast time of 35.95 seconds to take over the lead. Francois Lamontagne of St. Eustache, QC, gave it his best effort with Independence Day 3E but at the expense of a rail. Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, managed to leave all of the rails in place with Susan Grange’s Callirado, but paid the price for taking risks with a refusal. The final challenger, and the leader in the Six-Year-Old Division after the first two phases, was Ainsley Vince of Milton, ON. Vince and Utopie des Hautes were fast but not quite fast enough, crossing the timers in 37.02 seconds and handing victory in the $10,000 Six-Year-Old Final, as well as the overall National Six-Year-Old Championship title, to Karolyi and Zimo.

“Consistency was the key to winning,” said Karolyi, who had placed fourth and third in the first two phases of competition. “I didn’t want to run all week. I did two jump-offs that were quick enough, but not the winning time. That helped me to maintain my horse for the last day.”

Of the jump-off in Sunday’s final, Karolyi explained, “The jump-off was in my favour because there were two tricky inside turns, and my horse is a fast turner. If the jump-off had been more about galloping than turning, they would have had me beat for sure!”

Luckily for Karolyi, the jump-off track suited Zimo, a Belgian Warmblood gelding by Calvados out of a Voltaire dam. Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze imported the horse to Florida at the beginning of the year and Karolyi took over the ride.

“He was really green when he arrived, and the progress of the horse, in his mind and in his drive to jump and win, has come from zero to 10 in the past three months,” said Karolyi, who rides for Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable of Schomberg, ON. “He’s a really patient horse. He’s really fast, but at the same time you feel like you are not going fast. He can turn on a dime, but he waits for you to tell him where to go. And he is dead careful.”

Karolyi and Zimo competed in the Six-Year-Old Young Horse classes in Bromont, QC, and Ottawa, ON, to qualify for the National Final.

“It is super, they do a great job,” said the 25-year-old Venezuelan Team member of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series. “The championships are the most difficult, especially for the five and six-year-olds going from the annex ring to the international ring on the last day. Everything is progressive for the horses.”

With a win in the second phase of competition and a third place finish in the final, Vince and Utopie des Hautes were named the National Six-Year-Old Reserve Champions. Owned by Ashford Farm, Utopie des Hautes is a chestnut Belgian Warmblood mare by Ogano Sitte and out of a Canadian River dam.

“She wants to go,” said Vince of the mare that she has been riding for just over a year. “She is very brave, very careful, and an all around great competitor. She always shines in new situations.”

Of the Jump Canada Young Horse Series and its impact on the show jumping industry, Vince noted, “The Series has come such a long way since it began. It’s great for owners to have a mark to hit. Before the Young Horse Series, it used to be just a waiting game for young horses.”

The top Canadian-bred horse in the final standings for the Six-Year-Old National Championships was third place finisher, Independence Day 3E, ridden by Lamontagne for owner Mudstyle Inc. Bred by KingRidge Stables of King City, ON, Independence Day 3E is a bay Canadian Sport Horse gelding by Polyfax out of Alley Cat by Emilion.

Throughout the season, young horses competed in three regions across the country - Eastern, Central, and Western. The top 10 horses in each age division from the Central Region were invited to contest the National Finals, as were the top eight horses from the Eastern and Western Regions. Any invitations not used by the Eastern and Western Regions were offered to the next horse in the Central Region standings. Complete standings can be viewed at http://www.equiman.com/JumpCanadaYoungHorseSeries/.

The purpose of the Jump Canada Young Horse 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 Jump Canada Young Horse Series also gives prospective buyers for the hunter and jumper markets an opportunity to view a large group of prospects in a competition setting.

For more information on the Jump Canada Young Horse Series, please visit http://www.equinecanada.ca/jumpcanada/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=88&Itemid=3.

Horse/Owner/Rider
Champion Zimo Torrey Pines Stable Alejandro Karolyi
Reserve Utopie des Hautes Ashford Farm Ainsley Vince
3. Independence Day 3E* Mudstyle Inc. Francois Lamontagne
4. Callirado Susan Grange Yann Candele
5. Obelia Sarah Bellamy Frankie Chesler-Ortiz
6. Sera* Braeburn Farms Erynn Ballard
7. Infinity 3E* KingRidge Stables Hugh Graham
8. S-Class South Shore Farm Melissandre Lincourt
9. Kumano Jan Ash-Gross Eric Martin
10. Chabadue Asta Torokvei Asta Torokvei

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