Forty-three top combinations lined out to compete in the $125,000 Suncor Energy Cup 1.50m. The event was held in a Winning Round format, so the top 10 finishers from the first round continued through to the second round. Leading the event in the second round was Eric Lamaze (CAN) and Fine Lady 5, who set the time to beat at 39.37 seconds, two seconds faster than eventual third place finisher William Whitaker (GBR) and Upper Class, who had a time of 41.60 seconds. Swail and Martha Louise, a 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare by Maloubet de Pleville x Wolfgang owned by Susan and Ariel Grange, were able to lower the winning time to 38.96 seconds. Swail acknowledged that he has had a difficult year with injuries to himself and his top horse. “It’s nice to get into the winner’s circle again,” he said. “It’s been a slow year for me. I feel like I really haven’t gotten started this year. It’s nice to get that confidence again and believing that everything is as it should be, in my mind anyway!” Swail praised Martha Louise, who is a consistent winner for him. “Martha is a fantastic horse. Thanks go to my owners, Sue and Ariel Grange. They’re great supporters of the sport. I’m lucky to be able to do a good job on the horses, and I’m lucky to have such good horses,” he noted. After seeing Lamaze go two seconds faster than Whitaker, Swail knew that he would have to go all out. “You’ve gotta go as hard as you can go, obviously with leaving the fences up,” he confirmed. “From (fence) two to three, most people were doing 11 (strides). I got there in one less. I was still able to do it smoothly, not to upset her. That’s one of the areas where I was able to beat Eric. That’s how I work to her strengths. I’m able to maybe do things that other horses can’t do, with her. Thankfully I end up being the winner on occasion.” Swail believes that the International Ring at Spruce Meadows suits Martha Louise’s strengths, her huge gallop, scope, and heart. “She’s able to go at speed very comfortably, whereas other horses maybe get a little more upset going quickly. She’s very calm doing it,” he said. Final Results: $125,000 Suncor Energy Cup 1.50m Winning Round 1 MARTHA LOUISE: Swedish Warmblood/M/Chestnut/10 Maloubet de Pleville/Wolfgang CONOR SWAIL (IRL), Susan & Ariel Grange: 0/0/38.96 2 FINE LADY 5: Hanoverian/M/Bay/11 Forsyth/Hauptstutbuch ERIC LAMAZE (CAN), Artisan Farms, LLC: 0/0/39.37 3 UPPERCLASS: Dutch Warmblood/G/Dark Brown/13 Concorde/Indoctro WILLIAM WHITAKER (GBR), Elisan AB: 0/0/41.60 4 OH D EOLE: Selle Francais/M/Black/12 Kannan/Papillon Rouge KEVIN STAUT (FRA), Haras de Hus: 0/0/41.79 5 MATADOR: Dutch Warmblood/S/Chestnut/12 Indoctro/Corland JAIME AZCARRAGA (MEX), Jaime Azcarraga & Family: 0/0/42.07 6 CHASE MANHATTEN: Westphalian/G/Grey/11 Cornet Obdensky/Raphael MARIE ETTER, Ecurie Galoubet: 0/0/42.27 7 URANO: Warmblood/S/Chestnut/10 Baloubet du Rouet/Kannan JEROME HUREL (FRA), Joel Rampelburg: 0/0/42.50 8 ECHO D: Belgian Warmblood/G/Bay/10 Orlando/Skippy II PIETER DEVOS (BEL), Devos Stables: 0/0/43.75 9 HALLMARK ELITE: Warmblood/G/Bay/14 Lord Barron Z/Renville DERMOTT LENNON (IRL), Keonan Stables Ltd: 0/4/39.50 10 STAR POWER: Dutch Warmblood/G/Bay/13 Quick Star/Calvados
