Margie Gayford Still Holds Lead in Canadian League World Cup Standings
Ottawa, Ontario — Margie Gayford of Sharon, ON, continues to lead the Canadian League World Cup standings following the most recent event, the $75,000 CN World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix, held November 8 during the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.
Gayford, who has accumulated 59 series points to date, has led the standings since early August when she took third place in the $100,000 World Cup Grand Prix held at the CSI-W Caledon Summer Festival in Palgrave, ON. A second place finish in the $50,000 Miele World Cup Qualifier at the CSI-W Collingwood Festival one week later cemented her position at the top of the leader board. Her partner is Stuntman, a 10-year-old Hannoverian gelding owned by Shawn Littler and Wingberry Farms, recently recipients of the Jump Canada Owner of the Year Award. Gayford and Stuntman have enjoyed an incredibly successful season, and were crowned the 2006 Jump Canada Series Champions at the Royal Horse Show.
Quebec native Laurie Bucci of Mont St. Hilaire has retained second position in the World Cup standings. Despite a slow start to the season, Bucci shot into second position after winning the $100,000 World Cup Qualifier at the CSI-W Tournament of Champions in September with Quidam’s Ramiro, a nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Claude Dufresne. Bucci currently has 47 World Cup qualifying points.
However, Bucci now shares second position with Erynn Ballard of Hillsburgh, ON. Previously in fourth place, Ballard moved into the tie for second place after earning four World Cup qualifying points for her 13th place finish in the $75,000 CN World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix at the Royal Horse Show. Riding Robin van Roosendael, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Looking Back Farm, Ballard also earned 17 points early in the season with a third place finish in the $70,000 Grand Prix Jumping du Quebec at the CSI-W Blainville Jumping International on July 9.
Frankie Chesler-Ortiz of Orangeville, ON, holds 45 points for fourth position following her fourth place finish in the $100,000 Wachovia Securities American Gold Cup held September 21 in Cleveland, Ohio. At the Royal Horse Show, she enjoyed a ninth place finish in the World Cup Qualifier riding Picolien Zeldenrust, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Sher-Al Farm.
Close behind in a tie for fifth position with 44 points are John Pearce of Stouffville, ON, and Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON.
For complete standings, please visit http://www.jumpcanada.ca/programs/WC_standings.html.
Traditionally, the Canadian League World Cup Final was held at the Royal Horse Show. However, the Canadian League has been now been extended into the 2007 season and will conclude when the final World Cup Qualifying event in the United States, CSI-W San Juan Capistrano, California, is held from April 4-8. The extension of the Canadian League allows horse-rider combinations competing in Florida and California to gain valuable points in the hopes of being one of two Canadian representatives at the 2007 World Cup Final taking place in Las Vegas, USA, from April 19-22.
About Jump Canada
Jump Canada is a committee of Equine Canada responsible for all hunter, equitation and jumper activities in Canada from the grass roots to the international level. Jump Canada is governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are elected by the stakeholders in the sport. For more information regarding Jump Canada programs and activities, visit www.jumpcanada.ca.
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