Toronto, Ontario—Keean White of Rockwood, ON, claimed his first Canadian Championship title by winning the $100,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship presented by Greenhawk on November 8 at The Royal Horse Show. The 10-day international equestrian competition is held as part of 86th edition of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from November 7-16 in Toronto, ON.
The $100,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship opened The Royal Horse Show on Friday evening with a speed phase, and riders carried their scores forward to Saturday’s two-round final. Sitting in fourth coming into Saturday’s final, White had no jumping faults and one time fault in each round. Riding Celena Z, Lindsay Schiassi’s eight-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare, White accumulated a total of 2.71 faults over the three rounds of competition to secure the Canadian Show Jumping Championship title for the first time in his career.
“It feels fantastic to win the Canadian Championship,†said an elated White, 25. “It has been something that I have wanted for so long. Celena has been getting better all summer, and she really stepped up her performance here today.â€
Olympian Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON, shot up the leaderboard to finish as the runner-up. Sitting ninth with 4.43 faults following Friday’s opening round, Underhill returned to the Ricoh Coliseum on Saturday to jump double clear with Top Gun, a 12-year-old grey Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Iron Horse Farm.
Third place went to Amy Millar of Perth, ON, riding Costa Rica Z while 2005 Canadian Champion, Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, and her 2008 Olympic mount, Special Ed, finished in fourth spot. Erynn Ballard of Hillsburgh, ON, and the Canadian-bred Rio’s Rhapsody took fifth place. Jenn Serek of Dewinton, AB, and Bottom Line rounded out the top six finishers.
As the top two finishers in the Canadian Championship not already qualified based on their world ranking, Beth Underhill and Jenn Serek will move forward to the international division of The Royal Horse Show. They join fellow Canadians Eric Lamaze, Ian Millar, Jill Henselwood, Keean White, Amy Millar, Yann Candele and Erynn Ballard in the international show jumping division of The Royal Horse Show which opens on Tuesday, November 11.
$100,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championships
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Prize Money
1. Keean White / Rockwood, ON / Celena Z / $22,500.00
2. Beth Underhill / Schomberg, ON / Top Gun / $16,500.00
3. Amy Millar / Perth, ON / Costa Rica Z / $9,750.00
4. Jill Henselwood / Oxford Mills, ON / Special Ed / $6,000.00
5. Erynn Ballard / Tottenham, ON / Rio’s Rhapsody / $4,500.00
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