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All would agree that you could not have had better weather with the top equestrian sport presented this week at the MARS EQUESTRIAN Bromont CCI Three-Day Event. Over 150 rider and horse combinations representing six nations rode in front of FEI officials from around the world at the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park in the picturesque rolling hills of Bromont, Quebec.
Cochranville, Pennsylvania based Olympian, Boyd Martin finished the weekend with an impressive first and third with Ray Price and On Cue respectively in the CCI4*-L. Martin was awarded the Todd Sandler Perpetual Trophy for the four-star win.
The Sandler family have supported the Bromont CCI since its very first moments, for which the Organizing Committee is eternally grateful. The Todd Sandler Perpetual Trophy is named after Todd Sandler, an aspiring young Quebec event rider who passed away in a car accident while returning from Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Martin bought Ray Price's grandmother from Olympian, Heath Ryan when he lived in Australia, bred his mom, Fair Fiona W, to Raise a Stanza and the resulting offspring was Ray Price who he brought over from Australia at the age of 3. Now 11, Ray Price is owned by the Ray Price Syndicate.
Sharing some of his thoughts going in to show jumping, Martin said: "the show jump is not about making your horse careful it's about making him confident and jump with joy".
Speaking of the Bromont CCI Martin placed the event up there as equal with the best and even went to on to say that "it makes Boekelo and Jersey look like a Pony Club track."
Martin's successful week at Bromont did not end with the CCI4*-L. In the CCI3*-S, Martin also came out on top this time aboard Barry, named for his breeder - the Canadian eventer, Peter Barry. Barry is a 10-year-old Thoroughbred cross owned by the rider and Windurra, LLC and is the offspring of Peter Barry's mare June and the British stallion, Catherston Liberator.
Three rails made all the difference in the CCI2*-L this morning. Unfortunate for the cross-country leader, Sondra Shantz on Unique. The rails for Shantz gave Bobby Meyerhoff and Lumumba, an 8-year-old Mecklenburg mare, (Levisonn x Lamara)owned by the rider and The Donavan Group the win.
Purchased as a 7-year-old and "since day one she was just lovely to ride and train" said Meyerhoff of Lumumba. Further, the rider said, "She has the quality and desire to win. She likes to win."
Not to be left out of the prizes special award in the CCI2*-L division named The Ledger Family Amateur Award and offered by Dr. Gaby Ledger was presented to Sondra Shantz of Napanee, Ontario as the top amateur rider.
The winner of this award will take home a beautiful bronze depicting an eventer in full flight, a commemorative cooler, and a cheque for $1,000. To be eligible for this award, a rider needs to have a full-time job outside the equestrian world and face the ultimate challenge of balancing their professional responsibilities with the love of eventing.
Show jumping in the CCI2*-L U25 saw Gabrielle Hutchison move up the ranks on her own Straight Moonshine, a 7-year-old Thoroughbred mare (Malibu Moonshine x Straight Blues) in a faultless round to finish on a final score of 34.0.
Hutchinson, who is originally from Maryland, bought Moony from a polo player in Aiken, S.C. as a 4-year-old. This was the first CCI2*-L for both Hutchinson and the horse.
Asked about the win Hutchinson said, "this is just a bonus, I am very happy with her."
CCI3*-L winner, Kylie Lyman finished the day on their dressage score of 28.30 riding the 12-year-old bay Irish Sport Horse gelding, Da Vinci Code (Master Imp x Clovers Appollo), owned by Joan Nichols.
"He was incredible. He goes out every single day and he is a class, class horse. Everything he does he just gives it everything. It's just a special day." Lyman said about her horse and her round.
The winner of the CCI3*-L division receives the traditional cooler provided by Sandridge Saddlery, and the Eaman Perpetual Trophy, a beautiful bronze donated by Debbie and Skip Eaman, long-time supporters and dedicated friends of Bromont CCI.
Alyssa Phillips and Oskar made light work of the CCI3*-L U25. Leading start to finish and completing on a score of 27.30. Speaking about Oskar, Phillips said, "he jumped super, he was a great boy all weekend".
This week eight U.S. developing athletes earned the opportunity to foster their team skills this week through the USEF/USET Foundation North American Team Challenge at the MARS EQUESTRIAN Bromont CCI Three-Day Event. Serving as an intra-country scrimmage mimicking the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ format, U.S. Eventing Director of High Performance Erik Duvander and U.S. Eventing Emerging Athlete Coach Leslie Law each served as a chef d’equipe for a team. Law’s team competed in the CCIU25 3*-L and Duvander’s team in the CCI3*-L, with scores weighted equally. Duvander’s team won the competition with an overall score of 96.90.
1st - Team Erik
Alexandra Knowles and Business Class - 28.7 (2nd - CCI3*-L)
Kimmy Cecere and Landmark's Monaco - 32.1 (3rd - CCI3*-L)
Sydney Elliott and QC Diamantaire - 36.1 (8th - CCI3*-L)
Kylie Lyman and Xuanatu - Eliminated (CCI3*-L)
2nd - Team Leslie
Alyssa Phillips and Oskar - 27.3 (1st - CCI3*-L U25)
Alexandra Baugh and Ballingowan Pizazz - 33.2 (2nd - CCI3*-L U25)
Mallory Hogan and Clarissa Purisima - 53.7 (15th - CCI3*-L U25)
Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious - Eliminated (CCI3*-L U25)
The Bromont CCI Three Day Event is made possible in part through a contribution from the Government of Canada. The Bromont organizing committee also wishes to thank the Gouvernement du Québec, Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement Supérieur, and the City of Bromont for their support of this year’s event.
Bromont CCI, which has featured top competition for three decades, will be welcoming some of the best horse-and-rider combinations from all over North America in CCI4*-L, CCI3*-L, CCI2*-L, CCI3*-S, CCI2*-L-U25, and CCI3*-L-U25 divisions. Bromont stands alone as the only venue in Canada which offers a CCI4*-L level competition.
MARS EQUESTRIAN™, a sponsorship division within MARS INCORPORATED, is the link between the iconic brand and the equestrian community. For generations, MARS has celebrated a rich equestrian heritage, and through purposeful partnerships, MARS EQUESTRIAN is committed to the sport and building an enduring legacy. From world-class competitions across all equestrian disciplines to stewarding the power of horses on society and sustainability, MARS EQUESTRIAN is dedicated to the purpose of improving the lives of horses, pets, and the people who love them. MARS EQUESTRIAN is proud to support the Bromont CCI Three-Day Event.
