Sports

Moffatt Wins $30,000 Open Welcome, Horn takes 5th

July 29, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons

Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, emerged victorious in the $30,000 CI Assante Wealth Management Open Welcome held July 22, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa.

A total of 22 entries challenged the track set for the $30,000 CI Assante Wealth Management Open Welcome by course designer Joey Rycroft of Calgary, AB. Clear rounds were hard to come by, with only three horse-rider combinations leaving all the rails in place to qualify for the jump-off.

Bolton’s Susan Horn finished 5th on Chacca Keeps II.

When all three jump-off challengers again jumped clear, time became the only deciding factor. Ali Ramsay, 29, of Victoria, BC, got the jump-off started by jumping clear in a time of 41.84 seconds riding Bonita vh Keizershof Z, a 10-year-old Zangersheide mare (Bustique x For Pleasure) owned by Ramsay Equestrian Inc.

Moffatt then shaved more than two full seconds off of Ramsay’s time, stopping the clock in 39.67 seconds to move to the top of the leaderboard riding Grafton. As the last to return, it was all up to Christine Wiggins, 36, of Ottawa. A conservative effort in a time of 45.45 seconds put the local competitor third in the final standings riding Cabaliero 2, an 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding sired by Clinton 1 and owned by Crown Meadows.

“It was a busy day!” smiled Moffatt, 42, who rode five horses in the $30,000 CI Assante Wealth Management Open Welcome. “It can be a lot of work, but I work hard on my fitness to make sure I’m just as capable at the beginning as I am at the end. Plus, I tend to get used to it.”

The hard work paid off for Moffatt as he took the win riding Grafton, a 15-year-old Selle Francais stallion (Calvaro x Vondeen) for owner Ariel Grange of Cheltenham, ON.

While his horse may love competing at Wesley Clover Parks, Moffatt has also been a long-time competitor at the Ottawa venue.

As access to the competition site is limited to essential persons only, spectators are not permitted at this year’s Ottawa Summer Tournaments. Fans can follow the action from the grand prix field via Facebook Live, presented by Terlin Construction. In addition, Saturday’s $75,000 RBC Grand Prix, beginning at 4 p.m., will be live streamed on Horse Network, also presented by Terlin Construction.

For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com. Full results are available at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/results.

         

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