Yann Candele Named 2010 Canadian Show Jumping Champion

Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, claimed the 2010 Canadian Show Jumping Championship on November 6 at The Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON. The 10-day international equestrian competition is held as part of 88th edition of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from November 5–14 in Toronto, ON.

The Canadian Show Jumping Championship, presented by Greenhawk, opened The Royal Horse Show on Friday evening with a $25,000 speed phase, and riders carried their scores forward to Saturday’s two-round final. After a faultless performance on Friday night with his 2010 World Equestrian Games partner, Pitareusa, Candele sat atop the leader board coming into Saturday’s final. There, Candele and Pitareusa, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Susan Grange, were the only horse-rider combination to post three clear rounds. Candele won the Canadian Show Jumping Championship title with a perfect score of zero faults.

“We tried really hard and it was a very difficult championship to win. Sometimes it goes your way or it does not, and we had no room for error. We had to be clear, so I am very, very pleased with the performance of the mare and to be the Canadian Champion,” said Candele, who previously represented France in international competition before receiving his Canadian citizenship in 2008. “We are going into the international week of competition at the Royal with a little bit of extra confidence, so hopefully we can perform our best.”

Amy Millar of Perth, ON, and her long-time partner, Costa Rica Z, a 15-year-old Holsteiner mare owned by Matthews and Millar Brooke Farm, finished as Reserve Canadian Champion. The pair was sitting in ninth spot with a score of four following Friday’s opening round, but returned to the Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday night and had two perfect rounds to finish on their Friday night score.

“Costa Rica Z is a quirky mare and that is why I love her and I think that is why she is so good. Indoor competition with Costa Rica Z is a little trickier for a big horse like her, but we have been coming to the Royal for a number of years,” said Millar.

Third place went to Sarah Johnstone of Orangeville, ON and North Ridge’s Starlet, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare with a final score of five faults.

Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, and her 2008 Olympic team silver medal partner Special Ed, a 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Juniper Farms, finished in fourth spot with a score of six, while the 2008 champions, Keean White of Rockwood, ON, and the 10-year-old Holsteiner mare Celena Z, owned by Ashland Group and Angelstone Farms, took fifth place. Ian Millar of Perth, ON, and Star Power, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Team Works, rounded out the top six.

As the top two finishers in the Canadian Championship not already qualified based on their world ranking, Amy Millar and Sarah Johnstone will move forward to the international division of The Royal Horse Show which opens on Tuesday, November 9th. They join fellow Canadians John Anderson, Yann Candele, Mac Cone, Karen Cudmore, Jill Henselwood, Ian Millar, Jonathon Millar, Keean White and Beth Underhill.