Maritimes Equine ...On-Line News: Spruce Meadows: Rain doesn’t Dampen Competitors

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Spruce Meadows: Rain doesn’t Dampen Competitors

June 7, 2008

Calgary, AB --- The $200,000 CN Reliability Grand Prix course, designed by Guilherme Jorge (BRA), tested some of the sport’s biggest names and featured 17 jumping efforts over a distance of 605M. The jump combinations, distance, sheer difficulty of the course, and pounding rain prevented 37 horse/rider teams their chance at the jump off. Only six riders answered each and every question posed by the course.

The jump-off course did not allow the riders to relax. Spanning over 380M with seven jumping efforts and a short time allowed of 57 seconds, riders pushed their horses in hopes of winning the first leg of the CN Precision Series. The last rider in the ring was none other than CN International Grand Prix winner Eric Lamaze (CAN) and his champion horse Hickstead. Lamaze sped around the course, and finished with the incredibly fast time of 50.08 seconds to become the champion of the 2008 CN Reliability Grand Prix. Lamaze said the rain did not affect his approach, “I know exactly how the footing is going to be here, so it wasn’t a concern of mine.” Lamaze plans to defend his Queen Elizabeth II title at the “North American” Tournament as his last competition before the Olympics.

The feature speed event of the afternoon was a race against the clock in the TransCanada Parcours de Chasse. Covering 790M of the Spruce Meadows International Ring, horse/rider combinations battled over the 18 jumping efforts as fast as they possibly could. Fastest of them all was Santiago Lambre (MEX) and his gelding Curant. The pair was astoundingly quick, finishing just under 90 seconds, and over four seconds faster than second place finisher Richard Spooner (USA). The speedy Lambre talked his way through the course, “I knew that after 12 I was really fast. Fast enough for a top three finish. On the last three jumps I tried not to be crazy but clear.” Lambre and Curant will look for their third victory this week in Sunday’s Nexen Cup Derby.

CN Reliability Grand Prix top 10 –

1-         Eric Lamaze              CAN               Hickstead
2-         Jaime Azcarraga       MEX               Presley Boy
3-         Katherine Miracle     USA                Couletto K. James
4-         Richard Spooner       USA                Ace
5-         Brianne Goutal          USA                Onira
6-         Rich Fellers               USA                Flexible
7-         Eddie Macken           IRL                 Tedechine September
8-         Lauren Hough          USA                Casadora
9-         Marie Hecart             FRA                Sadin
10-       Jonathan Asselin       CAN               Rayana Chiara


TransCanada Parcours de Chasse top 10 –

1-         Santiago Lambre       MEX               Curant
2-         Richard Spooner       USA                Black Cherry
3-         Beezie Madden         USA                Conquest II
4-         Beezie Madden         USA                Prima
5-         Jonathan Asselin       CAN               Rosity Fly
6-         Eric Lamaze              CAN               Narcotique De Muze II
7-         Alberto Michan         MEX               Iva tu’du Rouet
8-         Cody Auer                  USA                Okido
9-         Nicole Simpson         USA                Lutopia
10-       Gary Brewster           CAN               Watermark


International Ring competition commences tomorrow at 11:45 am with the ATCO Structures Double Slalom which is followed by the 1.60M Nexen Cup Derby.

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