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Jump Canada Talent Squad Series Heating Up Across Canada

July 13, 2007

Ottawa, Ontario --- The 2007 edition of the Jump Canada Talent Squad Series is underway with a close points race shaping up in both the Eastern and Western Divisions.

Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON, currently holds a slim lead in the Eastern Division with 26 points. In the opening event, Moffatt took top honours to earn 15 series points in the $2,500 OHJA Rising Star/Jump Canada Talent Squad Qualifier during May’s Caledon National in Palgrave, ON. He added an additional 11 points to his points tally at the same venue on June 17 at the Caledon Summer Classic with a third place finish in the $2,500 OHJA Rising Star/Jump Canada Talent Squad Qualifier. Moffatt’s partner is the eight-year-old Trakehner gelding, Denver, owned by Hawkestone Farms.

“Denver is having a fantastic season and is really coming into his own this year,” said Moffatt, who is a short listed member of the 2007 Canadian Equestrian Team. “He has been brilliant everywhere we have taken him.”

Close on Moffatt’s heels with 24 points is Quebec native Francois Lamontagne of St-Eustache. Paired with the Belgian Sport Horse gelding Quelqu’un de la Musardiere, Lamontagne also had a strong start to the season receiving 13 points for his second place finish in the QPET Talent Squad Qualifier at the Concours Hippique du Park in Blainville, QC, on June 1. Later in the same month, the duo secured an additional 11 points for a third place finish in the $3,000 QPET Talent Squad Qualifier at Beaulieu’s Summer Classic II in Ste-Justine-de-Newton, QC.

Billie Derouet, 15, of Bromont, QC, is holding the third place position with 21 points partnered with her 16-year-old selle francais gelding, Sweet Dreams. The duo’s most recent success came at the CSI-W Blainville Jumping International where they emerged victorious in the Talent Squad Qualifier.

In the Western Division, Christina Marlin of St. Albert, AB, and Lindsay Hitchner of High River, AB, are sharing top spot having both accumulated 11 points to date.

Marlin and Milestone Farms’ 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Raleigh, kicked off the season in May at the Bow Valley Classic II, earning four points for her sixth place finish in the Grand Prix. They then enjoyed a second place finish for seven points in the $20,000 ATCO Cup in June at the Edmonton Northlands Horse Show.

Riding her 10-year-old mare Billy Autumn, Hitchner first earned six points in early May for a second place finish in the Bow Valley Classic I Grand Prix in Calgary, AB. The duo added five points to their total after placing seventh in the $20,000 ATCO Cup at the Edmonton Northlands Horse Show.

Sitting third in the current standings is Larissa Ziebart of Calgary, AB, who has earned six points in the Talent Squad Series with her 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Denver, thanks to a win in the Bow Valley Classic II Grand Prix.

At the conclusion of the Jump Canada Talent Squad Series Qualifiers, Division Finals will be held. The Eastern Division Final will take place on September 22 at the CSI-W Tournament of Champions in Palgrave, ON, while the Western Division Final is held August 25 at the Thunderbird Show Park Horse Show in Langley, BC. Following the Division Finals, the top 10 riders from the Eastern and Western divisions will go head-to-head in the Jump Canada National Talent Squad Championships, which will be held during the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON, from November 2-11, 2007.

The top placed rider in each division will be awarded airfare to the 2008 World Cup Final to be held in Goteborg, Sweden, from April 24–27. In addition, the Division winners will be nominated to receive athlete funding through Sport Canada Development Cards.

The Jump Canada Talent Squad Series is a means of recognizing up-and-coming riders who are preparing to enter the grand prix ranks and gives them a platform to demonstrate their ability to become future members of the Canadian Equestrian Team. For complete standings, please visit www.jumpcanada.ca.

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

Jump Canada National Talent Squad Standings – Eastern Division as of July 9, 2007

	Rider	Horse	Points
1.	Hyde Moffatt	Denver	26
2. 	Francois Lamontagne	Quelqu’un de la Musardiere	24
3.	Billie Derouet	Sweet Dreams	21
4.	Jennifer Gray	Roxette Delores	15
4.	Isabelle Lapierre	V. Wellie 65 Z	15
6.	Hyde Moffatt	Atlanta Van de Padenborre	13
6.	Cathy Inch	Pablo	13
8.	Lauren Patava	Revelin	9
8.	Melissa Marcotte	Callida	9
8.	Neil Badcock	Pinball	9


Jump Canada National Talent Squad Standings – Western Division as of June 25, 2007

	Rider	Horse	Points
1.	Christina Marlin	Raleigh	11
1.	Lindsay Hitchner	Billy Autumn	11
3.	Larissa Ziebart	Denver	6
4.	Jaclyn Duff	Pan Tau 55	5
4.	Molly Graham	Powerscourt	5
4.	Gary Brewster	Hurricane	5
7.	Andrea Strain	Zeline	4
7.	Hayley Alfonso	Laforza	4
9.	Gary Brewster	Watermark	3
9.	Alex Grayton	Gran Duca

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