Forty-four entries contested Sunday’s $73,000 CaptiveOne Advisors 1.50m Jumper Classic, and it was the first to go in the jump-off that set an unbeatable time. Tiffany Foster (CAN) and Brighton, owned by Artisan Farms LLC, blazed to the win in 32.72 seconds.
“I know he’s super fast and where I can make up the strides,” said Foster. “He has a bit of a left drift so anything heading left I can usually drop the stride whereas anything heading right I usually can’t. But I know that, and I learned a long time ago not to panic if I haven’t done the number that I was hoping to because I know I’ll make it up somewhere else. I knew the last line, the seven strides was going to be nice and forward for me so it was a fast way to finish. I love my horse; he’s just the best.”
Foster has cultivated a close relationship with the 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Contendro II x Quick Star for the past seven years and he has been her most consistent clear-round machine. According to Foster, the statistics tracked by the Canadian federation showed his clear-round percentage at almost 95%.
“He’s just an incredible animal,” she said. “He understands what he’s supposed to do and goes clear. He’s so intelligent and just knows where he’s at. I think that’s a big part of why he won this class, because he judges the fences; you don’t rub them, but you don’t get much clearance! It doesn’t take much time [in the air] so I think that’s why he is so fast. I really try to build the schedule around him and what I think he will succeed with.”
Foster and Brighton won this same class at WEF 5, and she credits his owners for the ability to plan what works best for the horse. “Andy and Carlene [Ziegler] have been such incredible supporters of me and they are such wonderful owners that let me make a plan for the horse,” she explained. “Andy is the first one to say, ‘Keep him in the level where he’s at.’ I think as a rider that gives you so much confidence in your decisions when you know everyone is behind you, and I really appreciate that support.”
A special note for today’s class was that Brighton’s breeder, Ed Santing from The Netherlands, was here to see him win. “I knew [Ed] was already very proud of him, but I thought this would be a nice way to celebrate the weekend,” Foster said with a smile. “The breeders are super important. If they aren’t breeding them, then we aren’t getting them, so I think it’s really important to recognize them too. You can tell this horse has had a great life from the beginning because he loves people and his job and that’s a credit to his breeders.”