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Flying
Frenchman Yann Candele Claims Second Consecutive Victory at the
Capital Classic Show Jumping Tournament
Ottawa,
Ontario --- After winning Saturday's $35,000 Jumping Derby, Yann
Candele of France claimed his second consecutive victory at the
Capital Classic Show Jumping Tournament, held July 13-18 at the
Nepean National Equestrian Park in Ottawa, ON, by winning the $75,000
'Big Ben Memorial' Grand Prix.
Candele,
a native of Normandy, France, qualified two horses for the jump-off,
but the first one into the grand prix ring got the job done. Riding
the 10-year-old Belgian-bred Mill Creek Marco Taere, Candele efficiently
completed the shortened jump-off track set by Canadian course designer
Danny Foster in a time of 52.21 seconds to overtake the lead. His
performance would prove to be the winning one as none of the other
eight jump-off challengers could even come close to his time.
"I
rode two horses, both for Mill Creek Stables, and qualified both
in the jump-off," noted Candele, 33, who was riding for Mill
Creek Stables of Cambridge, ON, and picked up a winner's cheque
of $20,000 for the day's work. "With Mill Creek Marco Taere,
my idea was to leave the rails up, then go for the speed. You try
to put the pressure on the others, to get them to chase you and
have a rail. I thought one or two other combinations had the potential
and the experience to catch me, but I put on enough pressure and
the rails fell."
Of
the six horses who followed, Laurie Bucci of St Hilaire, QC, came
the closest to challenging Candele, clocking in more than four seconds
slower with a time of 56.36 riding Catesko, a horse that only has
one eye. Bucci, 32, began riding the eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding
last year and the pair are currently in their first year of grand
prix competition together.
Hometown
favourite Jill Henselwood had the disadvantage of going first in
the jump-off and, while she did leave all of the rails up, she left
the door open for her time to be beaten, clocking in at 58.47 seconds.
"I
was hoping to find a route that was shorter, but the one I choose
wasn't faster," lamented Henselwood, 39, of Oxford Mills, ON.
"It's tough because you know you have to leave all of the fences
up, and there was a lot of fast horses in the field. I knew that
Yann would be faster, and Ainsley's horse, Catch 22, is like lightning."
Ainsley
Vince of Milton, ON, finished fourth with the stallion, Kafka, when
she had one rail down in the jump-off in a quick time of 55.12 seconds.
As Henselwood had predicted, Vince did have the distinction of having
the fastest jump-off time, 51.15 seconds, but two rails cost her
the win with her veteran partner, Catch 22, to place seventh.
Belgium
Olympian Eric Flameng took fifth with a four fault jump-off effort
riding Roxanne, while Candele and the developing nine-year-old Nurejev
took sixth.
Over
700 horses competed at the 2004 edition of the Capital Classic Show
Jumping Tournament for more than $150,000 in prize money. For more
information, please visit www.capitalclassic.ca.
$75,000 Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix - Final Results
Rider Hometown Horse Faults Time
1. Yann Candele France Mill Creek Marco Taere 0:0 52.21
2. Laurie Bucci St. Hilaire, QC Catesko 0:0 56.36
3. Jill Henselwood Oxford Mills, ON Callisto 0:0 58.47
4. Ainsley Vince Milton, ON Kafka 0:4 55.12
5. Eric Flameng Belgium Roxanne 0:4 55.79
6. Yann Candele France Nurejev 0:4 64.38
7. Ainsley Vince Milton, ON Catch 22 0:8 51.15
8. Ken Berkley Flemington, NJ Ratina Z 0:8 57.52
9. Jay Hayes Cheltenham, ON Landor 17 0:12 60.09
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