Mario Deslauriers Closes Out Royal With a Win

Toronto, Ontario – Canada’s Mario Deslauriers closed out the 84th edition of the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, with a win in the $60,000 ‘The Ricoh’ Big Ben International Challenge.

Deslauriers, who also stood in the winner’s circle on opening night after claiming the first leg of the $70,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championships, found himself back where he started at the conclusion of this year’s Royal Horse Show. As the final competitor in the Ricoh Coliseum, Deslauriers thrilled the sold-out crowd by topping a 10-horse jump-off with an incredible time of 35.68 seconds to win the $60,000 ‘The Ricoh’ Big Ben International Challenge for the first time in his career. Deslauriers was aboard Paradigm, his 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.

“A good horse goes a long way, and Paradigm has had a great year!” smiled Deslauriers of Bromont, QC, who pocketed $20,000 for the win. “It feels great to finish the week on a good note. It is fun to come to the Royal which has such a great ambiance – there are not many shows like it anywhere in the world.”

American challenger Laura Kraut came close to successfully defending her title, stopping the clock at 36.68 seconds with her reliable 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Anthem.

“I was not quite fast enough tonight,” admitted Kraut, who noted that going third in the jump-off was a disadvantage. “Going early definitely hurt me. Last year when I won it, I went last.”

Hot off his win in Friday night’s $50,000 Weston Canadian Open, Ian Millar of Perth, ON, settled for third on Closing Night in the competition named for his legendary partner, Big Ben. A clear round in a time of 37.26 seconds was not quite fast enough for the win, but it did net Millar the Leading Canadian Rider title while his partner, Susan Grange’s In Style, was named the Leading Canadian Horse.

A fourth place finish in the final event of the Royal Horse Show secured the Leading International Rider title for Michael Whitaker of Great Britain. A regular competitor at the Royal in recent years, Whitaker earned the majority of his points riding Insul Tech Portofino, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare.

The $60,000 ‘The Ricoh’ Big Ben International Challenge will be broadcast on Sunday, December 3, on TSN. Another crowd favourite, the Iams International Canine-Equine Challenge, will also be broadcast on TSN on Saturday, December 2. Check local listings for show times.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show, including complete results, please visit royalfair.org.