Alberta Equine ...On-Line News: Collingwood Festival Ends - Kubota Collingwood Classic Set to Start

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Collingwood Festival Ends - Kubota Collingwood Classic Set to Start

August 15, 2005

Chris Pratt and Rivendell won the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier at the Collingwood Festival. Photo Credit: Yavuz

Collingwood, Ontario --- Chris Pratt and Rivendell continued their very successful show jumping season Sunday by winning the World Cup Qualifier at the Collingwood Festival. The $50,000 Scotia Private Client Group World Cup Qualifier presented by Intrawest, The Village at Blue and The Town of Collingwood capped off five days of competition at Fisher Field in Collingwood, ON.

Pratt, of Belfountain, ON rode the ten-year-old Westphalian gelding to the win over a class of 27 entries, ten of which advanced to the second round. Pratt was third last to try for the win, and was pressured by the clear, fast rounds already laid down by Elliot Stone and Freestyle and Mario Delauriers and Paradigm, but was also riding on the confidence of coming off a win in Friday’s Open Welcome class. “I’ve got one hundred percent faith in Rivendell,” he said later. “It was a great class and a great win for the Lothlerian team,” he said, referring to the horse’s owner.

International course designer Guilherme Jorge of Brazil said he wanted to have a good class for the crowd that gathered to see who would win points in the Canadian League World Cup standings. He said he was happy with the result, althugh he didn’t expect to have as many as ten go into the jump off. Those who did incur faults found them all over the course. “It was definitely tough enough for a World Cup Qualifier,” said Jorge.

Pratt was also buoyed by having just been named to the Canadian Equestrian Team for the first time in his career. He will compete in the Nations’ Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in September along with Ian Millar, Eric Lamaze and Jill Henselwood. “This is something I’ve worked towards since I started riding,” he said. “It makes you feel like your hard work and perseverance have paid off.”

Action at Fisher Field gets underway again on Wednesday with the $10,000 Nobleton Feed Mill Open Welcome on Friday and the $10,000 Carmarthen Lake Farms Modified Grand Prix on Saturday. Both have 2:00pm start times.

Collingwood Horse Shows will end its 19th year with Sunday’s $60,000 Kubota Cup Grand Prix at 2:00pm. It is the second-last show in the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series’ Eastern Canadian Division. Several events are planned in conjunction with the Kubota Cup. Several former Canadian Olympic riders and current Canadian Equestrian Team members will be signing autographs Saturday morning at 11:30. Craig McIntyre will be on site performing selections from his new CD, which includes the Kubota Cup theme song, “Along For The Ride.” Other family attractions include “The Walk”, a trade fair with many products to view and buy, food concessions, and a magician and face painter on the weekends are on the entertainment line-up.

Admission is free on Wednesday and by donation to GRACE Therapeutic Riding on Thursdays. On Friday and Saturday admission, including parking, is $5 per car, and on Sunday it is $10 per car. Visit www.collingwoodhorseshow.com and www.kubotacup.ca.

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