Canada's Rebecca Howard riding Roquefort are leading the CCI2* division following the opening day of competition in the Bromont Three Day Event running June 9 to 12 in Bromont, Quebec. Photo by Cealy Tetley

June 9, 2011 – Bromont, Quebec – Competition began at the 25th Bromont Three Day Event, The Todd Sandler Challenge, with the opening phase of dressage taking place on Thursday, June 9, in Bromont, Quebec.

Canada’s Rebecca Howard sits at the top of the leaderboard in the CCI2* division following the conclusion of dressage, the first of three phases of competition. Howard, who hails from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, posted the day’s top score, 47.40 penalty points, to take the early lead with Roquefort, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she owns with Jim Cogdell.

“I thought his dressage test was quite good,” said Howard, who is based at The Fork Stables in Norwood, North Carolina. “I was in the groove, and was quite enjoying it. I thought it was better than at Jersey Fresh.”

Howard and Roquefort come into the Bromont Three Day Event hot off their win in the CIC2* division of the Jersey Fresh Three Day Event, held May 12-15 in Allentown, New Jersey. Looking ahead to Saturday’s challenging cross-country phase, Howard said, “The course looks good for him, and the ground is great. I am going to have to be efficient to be up on the clock in the winding trails. The track and the jumps are beautiful and look good.”

Course designer Derek Di Grazia of the United States and Canadian course builder Jay Hambly have been hard at work preparing the course-country course in the picturesque Bromont Olympic Horse Park, site of the equestrian events for the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Sitting close behind Howard in the two-star division is United States Equestrian Team member Karen O’Connor of The Plains, Virginia. O’Connor, who has Olympic Team Silver and Bronze medals to her credit, posted a score of 48.60 riding Veronica.

Double Olympic Gold medalist Phillip Dutton of West Grove, Pennsylvania, is sitting third with a score of 49.50 riding Mighty Nice and is also in fourth position with 50.30 penalty points riding Ben.

Dressage competition also concluded in the CCI1* division with Will Coleman of Gordonsville, VA, taking the early lead. Coleman, the defending champion of the CCI3* Bromont Three Day Event, The Todd Sandler Challenge, is leading the one-star division with Zipp after posting the day’s top dressage score of 41.40.

Doug Payne of Pottersville, New Jersey, is second with a score of 45.70 riding Camerlingo while Fiona Allen of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is third with Isengart. The top Canadian is Penny Rowland of Orangeville, ON, in fourth place with 50.90 riding Northwinds Breeze, her eight-year-old skewbald Dutch Warmblood/thoroughbred-cross mare sired by Art Deco.

Dressage competition resumes at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 10, while Saturday brings the spectator friendly cross-country phase. The Bromont Three Day Event concludes on Sunday, June 12, with the third and final phase of stadium jumping. This year, 150 horses are vying for more than $30,000 in prize money in the CCI***, CCI**, CCI*, CCIYJ* and Open Training divisions.

Alan Shinton returns as the generous title sponsor of the Alan Shinton Team Challenge. This friendly Team Challenge offers $10,000 in total prize money to teams comprised of riders from all divisions and levels, and is a great way to foster camaraderie and a sense of mentorship throughout the competition.

The Bromont Three Day Event wishes to thank Heritage Canada and the Government of Quebec for their support.

For more information about the Bromont Three Day Event, including LIVE SCORING, please visit the bilingual website, www.bromont3dayevent.com.