Twenty-seven entries representing five different countries contested the first-round track set by German course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. Of those 27, six horse-rider combinations jumped clear on Wesley Clover Parks’ expansive grass grand prix field to advance to the jump-off. As the last to return for the tie-breaker, Millar knew exactly what he had to do to win and delivered the only double clear performance of the day riding Daveau to clinch the victory.
When Jonathon entered the ring as the final jump-off contender, Ireland’s Jordan Coyle and Picador sat at the top of the leaderboard with four faults in a time of 41.49 seconds with Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON, right behind him riding Count Me In with four faults and a time of 42.13 seconds. As rails continued to fall for the other jump-off contenders, all Jonathon had to do was deliver a clear round.
With a steady clear round successfully executed in a time of 52.60 seconds, Jonathon clinched the win, relegating Coyle and Picador, owned by Niclas Haking, to second place and Underhill and Count Me In, owned by Sandy Lupton and Robert Caswell, to third.
Finishing in fourth place with one rail in a time of 48.73 seconds was Wesley Clover Parks’ Executive Director, Karen Sparks of Kanata, ON, riding Calvin Klein for Brookstreet Stables. Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON, rode Grafton to a fifth place finish for owner Ariel Grange with eight faults in a time of 41.61 seconds. Electing not to return for the jump-off, 23-year-old Julia Madigan of Vancouver, BC, placed sixth with Farfelu du Printemps.
