Category: Odlum Brown BC Open

Callie Schott (USA) has taken some time to get to know Teddy Z—not because she and the 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding weren’t initially seeing eye to eye.

Instead, the established professional—a longtime assistant to Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden (USA) before taking up the job as professional at Southern Arches—was dealing with injury. Schott was out for nearly six months while recovering from shoulder surgery to repair her labrum, a chronic issue that came to a head during routine activity at her home.

“We got him in December, [and] then I had my surgery in March, so we hadn’t had him that long and then we had a little lull,” Schott said. “And then I think [during] the circuit in Florida, we became a good team together.”

The duo carried their forward momentum to tbird after some top 10 placings in three-star competition in Wellington (USA) in April, achieving the first Grand Prix victory of their partnership in the $37,200 CSI2* tbird Grand Prix. Ali Ramsay (CAN) and exciting 9-year-old Conrado finished second, with fellow Canadian and birthday girl Vanessa Mannix (CAN) and Catinka 25 third.

“I just feel like the more we get to know each other, [the more] we’re starting to be able to trust each other to really go for it.”

In a jump-off where risk didn’t often come with reward, Schott’s well calculated plan paid off with efficiency, a well executed inside turn, and a committed gallop to the last. The 13-horse jump-off produced just four double-clear efforts, with Schott’s the best of the lot.

“Beezie was watching the other [riders] and she was like, ‘You can do 10 [strides] to the last,’ and so I went for it.

“It feels unbelievable.”

$37,200 CSI2* tbird Grand Prix
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time

1. Teddy Z / Callie Schott / USA / Southern Arches LLC / 0/0 39.67
2. Conrado / Ali Ramsay / CAN / David Sport Horses Inc. Ramsay Equestrian Inc. / 0/0 41.48
3. Catinka / Vanessa Mannix / CAN / Vanessa Mannix / 0/0 42.48
4. Battlecry / Tiffany Foster / CAN / Artisan Farms LLC, Kent Farrington LLC / 0/0 42.64
5. Picador / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Elan Farm / 0/4 36.74
6. Jiminy Cricket / Nayel Nassar / EGY / Evergate Stables LLC / 0/4 37.84
7. Contefina LVF / Ashlee Bond / ISR / Ashlee Bond Showjumping LP / 0/4 38.00
8. Cunningham / Christopher Lowe / CAN / Christopher Lowe / 0/4 44.61
9. H-Lucky Retto / Antonio Chedraui / MEX / P Dolfsma / 0/4 45.20
10. Scato van de Molenbrug Z / Jennifer Waxman / USA / Daniel Bluman, The Scato Group LLC / 0/8 41.01

Langley, BC – As the 12 combinations took on the jump-off of the CSIO5* tbird Cup Saturday at Thunderbird Show Park, the standard got faster and faster.

But Daniel Coyle (IRL) admitted, his mount Oak Grove’s Carlyle isn’t always a fan of picking up the pace.

“He doesn’t like to go fast. He’s a strange horse that way,” he said. “You kind of have to not ask him to go too fast too soon.”

So, he waited to hit the gas until after the second element of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened 1.50m track. And he never looked back.

Coyle and Ariel Grange’s 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding topped a swift standard set by Tanner Korotkin (USA) and Ideal to take the win in the program feature of the Odlum Brown BC Open’s penultimate day of competition. The pair crossed the finish timers in 37.16 seconds; Korotkin settled for second (37.29), with Mario Deslauriers (CAN) and Emerson, third (37.98).

“In one year, I’ve had more ranking class placings on him than any horse I’ve had,” Coyle said. \

Coyle, who for the past several years has spent his summer seasons working under the tutelage of Olympic, World Equestrian Games and European Championships individual gold medalist Jeroen Dubbeldam (NED), acquired Oak Grove’s Carlyle at the recommendation of Dubbeldam last summer. The pair topped Saturday’s jump-off with two exceptionally tight turns, one back to an oxer midway through the shortened track and the other to the final vertical. The track was so efficient, Coyle didn’t even attempt a forward leave-out taken by his competitors in the penultimate line.

With plenty of scope in reserve, the gelding is not phased or bothered by much; he simply prefers a more casual approach, both on course and in the barn.

“I thought maybe I [could] train him a little faster at home on the gallops,” Coyle said. “He just doesn’t like it. He loves treats. He loves going easy and being played with.

“I [ask him to go faster] nicely,” he said. “Then you can be really tight to jumps.”

$37,200 CSIO5* tbird Cup
Place / Horse / Rider / Team / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time / Jump-Off Time

1. Oak Grove’s Carlyle / Daniel Coyle / IRL / Ariel Grange 0/0 37.16
2. Ideal / Tanner Korotkin / USA / Castlewood Farm, Inc. & Sandalwood Farms / 0/0 37.29
3. Emerson / Mario Deslauriers / CAN / Wishing Well Farm, LLC / 0/0 37.98
4. Cherokee / Emma Marlowe / USA / Trelawny Farm, LLC / 0/0 38.03
5. Chardonnay / Robert Blanchette / IRL / RTS, LLC / 0/0 40.63
6. Vienna / Tiffany Foster / CAN / Artisan Farms, LLC / 0/0 42.95
7. Beneficial / Alicia Gadban-Lewis / CAN / Alicia Gadban-Lewis / 0/0 43.58
8. Holliewood / Shane Sweetnam / IRL / Triple S Group / 0/4 38.60
9. Enzo / Kyle King / USA / Seabright Investment Consultants, Inc. / 0/4 39.47
10. Brighton / Tiffany Foster / CAN / Artisan Farms, LLC / 0/4 40.27

Ashlee Bond (ISR) knew that she had done her homework right with Contefina LVF in the CSI2* Friends of tbird to kick off international competition Friday in the Thunderbird Jumper Arena.

Bond and the 10-year-old American Holsteiner mare bested a 19-horse jump-off by more than three seconds, crossing the timers of Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened 1.45m track in 35.41 seconds. Conor Swail (IRL) and Gamble finished second (38.62), with Daniel Rihan (MEX) and Tentacion LS La Silla, third (38.84).

“We know each other very well. I don’t really have to think when I’m on her,” Bond said. “I think that just makes these classes easier to win, because when you know your horse that well, it just gives you an advantage.”

Bond’s Little Valley Farms bred both Contefina (Contefino 2) and her dam, Southern Girl (South Pacific). Bond and her father Steve have developed the mare from birth. Steve, an integral part of Bond’s operation, not only saddle broke “Fina,” but also continues to ride her regularly. The horseman has used his background in cutting horses to improve the mare’s turning.

“She is extremely fast,” Bond said. “I just think turn, and she’s right with me, and she doesn’t spend any time in the air. I think from his cutting horse days, [my dad] knows how to get a horse to move laterally really, really fast. He doesn’t do it to the extreme, because our horses aren’t built the same way as cutting horses. But he does it enough to where it helps me so much in the ring.”
According to JUMPR app, Bond and Contefina average less than a rail at the 1.45m height (3.83 faults) and jump clear 26% of the time.

“She’s got a big stride [and] covers the ground super fast,” Bond said, “so it was just kind of, ‘Risk it for the Biscuit.'”

$37,200 CSI2* Friends of tbird
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time

1. Contefina LVF / Ashlee Bond / ISR / Ashlee Bond / 0/0 35.41
2. Gamble / Conor Swail / IRL / Asta Torokvei / 0/0 38.62
3. Tentacion LS La Silla / Daniel Rihan / MEX / Daniel Rihan / 0/0 38.84
4. Coleur van Berkenbroek / John Perez/ COL / Daniel Rihan / 0/0 40.23
5. Hermelien / Sam Walker / CAN / Evergate Stables / 0/0 40.52
6. Clear Concept / Conor Swail / IRL / Asta Torokvei / 0/0 41.5
7. Carnlea Premier Balou / Robert Blanchette / IRL / RTSC, LLC / 0/0 42.16
8. Cascalretto / Vanessa Hood / USA / Take Two LLC / 0/0 42.23
9. Good Limit / Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia / MEX / Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia / 0/0 43.5
10. H-Lucky Retto / Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia / MEX / Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia / 0/0 45.37

Cat Ninja gave Jacqueline Steffens (CAN) her fist individual five-star victory in December at Thermal (USA). The duo added a second Friday at tbird in the CSIO5* West Coast Cup.

In a class with 10 clear first rounds, just three combinations could execute a second clear effort over Peter Holmes’ (CAN) shortened 1.45m track. Smart decisions and efficient riding landed Steffens at the top of the podium, as she and her mount crossed the timers in 46.57 seconds. Bliss Heers (USA) and Goodbye finished second (47.25), with Alberto Sanchez-Cozar (MEX) and Union de la Nutria, third (48.61).

“I had the benefit of going relatively late in the jump off, and I had seen that a lot of the horses had been struggling a little bit,” Steffens said. “So going into it, my strategy was to be efficient and to be on it but to give her a good ride and not take any wild risks. It worked out for us today.”

Steffens has been partnered with Cat Ninja for three years, but the last 12 months have been the pair’s best. The duo topped a speed track for their first five-star victory in December. While always aware of the mare’s talent, Steffens has worked to improve her mount’s ride-ability, softness and responsiveness to her leg aids. The progress has come as a result of flatwork.

“I’ve been riding her for three years now, so we’ve had a good amount of time to build a partnership,” she said. “She’s really fun. She really tries hard, she’s quick, she’s scopey, [and] she’s a pleasure to ride.

“I think [the improvement] has been incremental,” she continued. “I wouldn’t say there was like a breakthrough moment, but bit by bit it’s gotten better.”

Steffens will represent Canada with her mount Freaky in Sunday’s Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada.

“It’s always really meaningful to me to be able to ride for my country,” she said, “so getting to do that for the first time in Mexico meant a lot to me, and being able to do it here now on home soil is very exciting.”

$37,200 CSIO5* West Coast Cup
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time

1. Cat Ninja / Jacqueline Steffens / CAN / Eye Candy Jumpers / 0/0 46.57
2. Goodbye / Bliss Heers / USA / Bridgeside Farms, LLC / 0/0 47.25
3. Union de la Nutria / Alberto Sanchez-Cozar / MEX / Sport Horses Sanchez-Cozar S.A. de C.V. / 0/0 48.61
4. Costa Diam / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Elam Farm / 0/4 43.91
5. Ideal / Tanner Korotkin / USA / Castlewood Farm, Inc. and Sandalwood Farms / 0/4 45.00
6. Coquelicot vh Heuvelland Z / Sean Jobin / CAN / 0/4 46.02
7. Feyon / Kaitlin Campbell / USA / SWS Training & Sales / 0/4 47.15
8. McCaw MVNZ / Katie Laurie / AUS / Carissa McCall / 0/12 59.17
9. Lutz / Ali Ramsay / CAN / Ramsay Equestrian, Inc. / 0/24 71.10
10. Count Me In / Conor Swail / IRL / Mannon Farm & Sandy Lipton / 0/WD

Langley, BC – The list of five-star grand prix victories for World Kent Farrington (USA) is lengthy.

But the World No. 7 recorded a new milestone Friday at Thunderbird Show Park, when the Olympic silver medalist recorded his first five-star grand prix victory at Thunderbird Show Park, riding his own Orafina to the top of the CSI5* Longines Grand Prix.

The victory, which came over an eight-horse jump-off, also marked the first at the level for Farrington’s talented mount. Last to contest Peter Holmes’ (CAN) short track, the pair jumped straight to the top of the class, crossing the timers in 42.04 seconds. Jose Alberto Mirtinez Vazquez (MEX) and Quinley finished second (43.92). Katherine Strauss (USA) and Cincinnati Kid took third (44.74) as the only other combination to execute a double-clear performance.

“Orafina is a very special horse,” Farrington said. “I started working with her about two years ago, and she’s very careful. She’s obviously extremely fast, [but] she’s a very particular horse. She’s so easy to ride, but she’s really an incredible athlete and starting to come into her own.

“This is our first five star win, and I’m so very proud of that today. It was a great first round and a great jump off.”

Weather played a role on the day, with storms forcing the feature class of Friday’s Odlum Brown BC Open program to be moved from the Fort Grand Prix Arena on the grass to the Thunderbird Jumper Arena on sand. In the first half of the class, five clear rounds were produced in relatively quick succession, but only three more pairs would add their names to the jump-off list as conditions cleared.

“My hat’s off to management here for making do with what they had to work with. Luckily, they have a great sand arena here in addition to their great grass arena,” Farrington praised. “So we were able to move it. I think for the best competition [and] for the safety of all the horses and riders that was the right move.”

Tight rollback turns, a wide liverpool oxer and a gallop lane to the final fence defined a technical jump-off. One by one, athletes focused on turning to shave precious seconds off the clock, but Farrington also had footspeed on his side to accompany his willful mare’s carefulness. The duo remained ahead of the curve from the moment they crossed the start timers.

“She’s hyper aware of everything going on around [her], so that’s not always the most comfortable ride,” Farrington said. “But I think that those [types of horses] are the exceptional athletes that we have in our sport.”

Over the course of the last five months, Farrington has calculatedly stepped his mount up to her first five-star grand prix events, and the mare has been knocking on the door of a win, including a runner-up finish at the level in Wellington (USA). At Windsor (ENG) last month, the pair again finished among the top 10. According to JUMPR app, they produced a clear effort at 1.60m with a 69% success rate. The key to success has required a bit of give and take.

“I think part of making the most of her athletic abilities is finding a way to work with her, some compromises in the controls and in the riding. That’s how we get the best performance as a team,” Farrington said. “I think the future looks bright [for her]. She’s a great talent, and I think she has a great will to win and to please. We’ll see where it goes, but she’ll let me know what she wants to do. I have no doubt about that.”

$235,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix
Place / Horse / Rider / Team / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time / Jump-Off Time

1. Orafina/ Kent Farrington / USA / Kent Farrington, LLC / 0/0 42.04
2. Quinley / Jose Alberto Martinez Vaqeuz / MEX / Jose Alberto Martinez Barone / 0/0 43.92
3. Cincinnati Kid / Katherine Strauss / USA / Katherine Strauss, LLC / 0/0 44.74
4. Bonita vh Keizershof Z / Ali Ramsay / CAN / Ramsay Equestrian, Inc. / 0/4 42.85
5. Zaia di San Giovanni / Mac Cone / CAN / Chadburn Holdings, Inc. / 0/4 44.08
6. Armentos / Kaitlin Campbell / USA / SWS Training & Sales / 0/4 47.47
7. Nadal Hero D&B / Conor Swail / IRL / Mannon Farm / 0/8 41.75
8. Django II / Katie Laurie / AUS / Katie Laurie / 0/8 47.92
9. Gisborne VDL / Hyde Moffatt / CAN / Ariel Grange / 2 88.05
10. Kalinka van’t Zorgvliet / Karl Cook / USA / Signe Ostby / 4 81.63

Robert Blanchette (IRL) and Carnlea Premier Balou kicked off the day with a win in the $1,000 CSI2* tbird Welcome 1.40m, the 8-year-old gelding’s international debut.

According to JUMPR App, Blanchette jumps clear 60% of the time in international classes at the 1.40m height, finishing in the top 10 55% of the time since 2015. In that span, he has averaged just 2.6 faults across all mounts at the level.
The 2022 Odlum Brown BC Open, featuring the $235,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix and the $400,000 CSIO5* Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada, continues Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 5. The Longines Grand Prix is Friday’s highlight and will get underway at 4:00pm PT, while Nations Cup competition will bring the week to a close Sunday at 2:00pm PT. Tickets for both events are available at tbird.ca.

World No. 7 Kent Farrington (USA) used the $8,800 CSIO5* Happy Welcome 1.45m as a training opportunity for rising talent Chato Lou.

“He’s a younger horse I have coming up. He’s naturally very fast,” Farrington said. “I’m actually trying to train him a little bit to learn to keep his keep his mind under control and keep the ride-ability at speed. So that’s more or less what I was doing today. And he’s making good progress.”

The 9-year-old Chacco Blue gelding proved to be a quick study, running away with the first five-star class of the Odlum Brown BC Open. The pair crossed the timers of Peter Holmes’ speed track in 60.81 seconds—a nearly five-second winning margin. James Arkins (AUS) finished second (65.06 seconds), with Manuel Gonzales Dufrane (MEX) and Hortensia van de Leeuwerk third another three seconds back (68.94).

Thursday marked Chato Lou’s first international victory; Farrington has had the athletic bay since the gelding’s 7-year-old year and has slowly developed him through the grades—a skill the horseman has honed for years with success with a rather “simple” formula.

“I try to be very pragmatic and kind of have no ego in approaching the horses. I put them in the classes I think they’re ready for,” he said. “The horses tell me when they’re ready to move up, the horses also tell me if they need to take a step back. You know, I really just let the horses make all the decisions. I think if you can approach that without your own ego or your own agenda that’s going to override what the horse is telling you, it’s it’s easier to make the right call.”

$8,500 CSIO5* Happy Welcome 1.45m
Place / Horse / Rider / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time

1. Chato Lou / Kent Farrington / USA / Amalaya Investments & Haity McNerney / 0 60.81
2. Joevaro N / James Arkins / AUS / James Arkins / 0 65.06
3. Hortensia van de Leeuwerk / Manuel Gonzales Dufrane / MEX / Manuel Gonzales Dufrane / 0 68.94
4. Ideal / Tanner Korotkin / USA / Castlewood Farm, Inc. & Sandalwood Farms / 0 68.96
5. Biloba des Chaines / Hunter Holloway / USA / Equivarandas Lda. / 0 69.74
6. Javas Miss Jordan / Nicky Galligan / IRL / Nicky Galligan / 0 70.10
7. Kalinka van’t Zorgvliet / Karl Cook / USA / Signe Ostby / 0 71.31
8. Armentos / Kaitlin Campbell / USA / SWS Training & Sales / 0 71.60
9. Dandy / Matt Williams / AUS / Hd Horses LLC / 0 71.64
10. Antidote de Mars / Bliss Heers / USA / Bridgeside Farms LLC / 0 72.91

Langley, BC – Conor Swail (IRL) entered Thunderbird Show Park’s Fort Grand Prix Arena for the $37,200 CSIO5* Nations Welcome 1.50m aboard Theo 160 with one objective in mind.

“His job today was to win, and I know that if I do it right, he does it right, and we have a good chance,” Swail said. “Thankfully it worked out very well.”

It was a job well done. In a field of 52 entries, Swail and the small-but-mighty 10-year-old gelding added another tbird victory to their resumes, taking command just past the halfway mark of the speed competition and holding that position throughout. Fellow Irishman Daniel Coyle and Ivory TCS came close in the latter part of the start list but ultimately settled for second, two-tenths of a second behind the winner (66.50 seconds). Nayel Nassar (EGY) and the quick-footed El Conde finished third (66.86).

“I felt I wanted to put down quite a quick round, because there’s a lot of good riders here [this week], and [52 in this class],” Swail said.

Peter Holmes’ 1.50m speed track, the feature event of the Odlum Brown BC Open’s opening day of international competition, offered a friendly introduction to a week that will include the $235,000 CSIO5* Longines Grand Prix Friday, June 3 and culminate with the $400,000 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Canada on Sunday, June 5. With few related distances and plenty of room between the fences, riders had the option to warm-up their horses for the jumping to come or tighten up the turns and take more direct paths to the fences for a chance at a top check.

“I thought I got a very, very good turn back after the four-stride line (fences 8–9) to that vertical on the end,” Swail said. “It worked out well… He is such a cool little horse.”

Swail and Theo have won five international classes at tbird since August 2021, and in that period, Swail has risen to No. 5 on the prestigious Longines Jumping Rankings. According to JUMPR App, the pair averages just 1.3 faults at 1.50m and finishes in the top 10 68% of the time. They are slated to jump again in Friday’s $37,200 CSIO5* West Coast Cup 1.45m.

“Last year, we built him up, and he won a lot of 1.45m and 1.50m [classes]. We’re just continuing with that,” Swail said. “He’s getting easier to ride, and he’s such a good little winner at the 1.45m and 1.50m level. He is a huge part of my team and is very important to me.”

$37,200 CSIO5* Nations Welcome
Place / Horse / Rider / Team / Nationality / Owner / Faults / Time / Jump-Off Time

1. Theo 160 / Conor Swail / IRL / Conor Swail & Team Philippaerts / 0 66.32
2. Ivory TCS / Daniel Coyle / IRL / Ariel Grange / 0 66.50
3. El Conde / Nayel Nassar / EGY / Evergate Stables / 0 66.86
4. Emerson / Mario Deslauriers / CAN / Wishing Well Farm LLC / 0 67.47
5. Karlin van’t Vennehof / Lacey Gilbertson / USA / Seabrook LLC / 0 67.80
6. Costa Diam / Jordan Coyle / IRL / Elan Farm / 0 70.09
7. Wellington Grey Goose / Rowan Willis / AUS / Rowan Willis / 0 70.35
8. Gigi-Carmen / John Perez Bohm / COL / Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia / 0 70.67
9. Uris de la Roque / Mario Deslauriers / CAN / Aram Ampagoumian LLC & Mario Deslauriers / 0 / 70.70
10. Bonita vh Keizershof Z / Ali Ramsay / CAN / Ramsay Equestrian, Inc. / 0 70.98