“Oh Canada” could have been the theme song for the CN Wellington Open CSIO, as the Canadian team topped the $75,000 CN Nations Cup, and then Canadian Mario Deslauriers polished off the week, March 7-11, by winning the $150,000 CN U.S. Open Jumper Championship in Wellington, Fla.

“We’re all very well-mounted now, and sometimes you get on a streak. After winning the Nations Cup at [the Spruce Meadows Masters last year in September], everybody in Canada is really up and feeling good about our team again,” said Deslauriers.

Deslauriers was certainly in a good mood after contributing a four-fault and clean round to the winning Nations Cup effort and then topping a three-horse jump-off to win the grand prix, both aboard Paradigm.

It was an interesting jump-off for the grand prix, as the slippery footing in the Internationale Arena slowed the riders down a bit. Jose “Pepe” Gamarra’s course had whittled the 39-horse field down to three—Deslauriers on Paradigm, Todd Minikus on Pavarotti, and Rodrigo Pessoa on Coeur.

Minikus had the unenviable task of going first in the jump-off. “It’s not like I had slow and slower following me,” he said laughing. “I was a little slow to the second fence, and then he slipped so badly turning back to the third fence. My horse did an amazing job. He felt like he left the ground from his knees at that vertical. I did eight [strides to the CN vertical], and Mario left one out there. It’s not normally my style to be a little cautious, but I was hoping they’d make mistakes.”

All of the rails were in the cups when the scoreboard flashed Minikus’ time of 47.59 seconds, setting the pace.

Pessoa galloped into the ring on the tall, lanky Coeur, owned by Hunter Harrison, the CEO and president of sponsor Canadian National Railway. Pessoa has only shown Coeur for a few weeks, after Harrison’s daughter, Cayce Harrison, decided to concentrate on her education, and Coeur recovered from an injury last year.

“Coeur is a little bit of a slow horse with a big jump, and the conditions today, with the slippery turns, you had to be cautious,” said Pessoa.

He might have been cautious, but Pessoa was also fast. Coeur’s big gallop carried them to a 46.98-second time, but the big gray just caught the back rail of the last oxer, bringing it down.

“For me, the only place to make up time was in the last line, because it was in a straight line. I thought it  was possible to do the seven [strides], and I got a little bit surprised by how big his stride is. I landed off the  vertical and asked for the seven, and he really responded well. I got there even in a short seven, and he didn’t have time to pick up behind and clear it. Slowly we’re getting to know each other.”

Deslauriers and Paradigm made quick work of the jump-off course, though Deslauriers chose to do an outside turn after the CN vertical, where Pessoa had gone inside.

“I watched Rodrigo go, and his horse is a little slow-going but a big mover, so I tried to stay on the same track as he did. He went inside after the CN vertical, but I had left a stride out to the CN vertical, so there was no way for me to turn inside,” he said.

“I tried to keep going forward out of the turn,” he added. “My horse is quick, and the first three fences were very quick for me. I knew I was close.”

He was indeed close—a little more than half a second faster than Minikus at 47.03 seconds to take the win.

Riders didn’t have just the course and jumps to contend with—they had to factor in the footing. The traditional grass footing in the Internationale Arena had deteriorated over the previous six weeks of showing, and show officials had spread sand around the ring. Riders complained that this made the surface worse, rather than improving it.

“This was the most difficult track we’ve had to jump this season so far. The condition of the ground played a big role in horses having fences down,” Pessoa noted. “Today the course was tough, but I think that under normal conditions, you could have seen eight or nine clear. It was well built. The builder did a good job knowing the conditions the horses had to jump in.”

The Canadian Flag Flies
Last year, the Canadian team scored an upset victory against the United States on their home turf in the CN Nations Cup. And this year, they trumped them again, cruising to an easy victory. Ireland finished a jubilant second, while the U.S. team had an off night and placed a disappointed third.

“In this company, I didn’t expect it to go as smoothly as it did,” remarked Ian Millar, who anchored the Canadian effort on In Style. “Once we got hold of the lead, we weren’t going to let it go.”

The Canadians—Millar, Eric Lamaze on Hickstead, Deslauriers on Paradigm, and Erynn Ballard on Robin van Roosendael—took the lead from the beginning, finishing Round 1 with not a fault to their name. Deslauriers and Paradigm dropped one rail over the first course, but when Ballard, Lamaze and Millar went clean, those 4 faults were forgotten.

In contrast, the U.S. team had a miserable Round 1. World Equestrian Games teammates McLain Ward with Sapphire, Margie Engle riding Hidden Creek’s Quervo Gold and Beezie Madden, this night on Integrity, were joined by Lauren Hough on Casadora.

Engle started the team off with just the last vertical down on Quervo, but disaster struck for Hough. Casadora slammed on the brakes twice on the approach to the triple, eliminating them from the round. Hough broke her hand against the mare’s neck and could not return for Round 2. Ward and Sapphire turned in yet another of their signature clear goes. And Integrity, in his first Nations Cup performance, put in a clear round for Madden.

Going into Round 2, the U.S. team was tied for second with the Irish with 4 faults each. Darragh Kerins, on Orlando, and Cian O’Connor, on Irish Independent Echo Beach, had each posted clears, with Conor Swail riding Mr. President to a four-fault score and Jonathan McCrea guiding Costa to 9 faults.

Argentina finished Round 1 in fourth, with a nine-fault total for their three-man team. The British team was promptly sent back to the barn when the first of their three-man team to go—26-year-old Jackson Reed Stephenson on Goldex—was eliminated when the horse refused the open water twice. Without a drop score, they couldn’t continue. Belgium also had a three-man team, and with an 18-fault total from Round 1, opted not to return for Round 2.

Deslauriers and Ballard led off the Canadian second round effort with more clear rounds, and Lamaze opted to play it safe and jumped clear to pick up 1 time fault. The Canadians didn’t have to send “Captain Canada” Millar for Round 2-their win was assured.

The Irish made their hunger for a top placing obvious when everyone but McCrea went clear again, leaving them with just the 4 faults. The U.S. team—down to just three with Hough on the way to the hospital—lost their chance at winning after Engle and Quervo pulled a rail, as did Madden and Integrity. Ward and Sapphire turned in another textbook clear round.

“It just wasn’t our night,” said Engle.

“McLain was spectacular as usual, but going into the second round with just three riders was a tough row to hoe,” said Madden.

A Bright Future
In contrast to the U.S. team’s obvious frustration was the Irish lads’ joy. The many Irish grooms and riders in the audience always enjoy the Nations Cup and are the loudest and most raucous of the fans.

“This means a hell of a lot,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine. “To do well here means an awful lot to us in Ireland, and obviously there’s a very big Irish following here, so to do well here is very important to us.”

O’Connor has been in Florida since the start of the season in February. “I really aimed this mare at the Nations Cup, so I’m very happy to be able to support my team so well,” he said.

Both O’Connor and Kerins jumped double-clears—two of just four double-clear performances.

Ballard shone in just her second Nations Cup performance for Canada with her double-clear ride on Robin van Roosendael. Her only other Nations Cup experience had been at the 2006 Spruce Meadows Masters Nations Cup, where Canada also won. “I’m particularly proud of Erynn,” said Canadian Chef d’Equipe Torchy Millar.

Ballard, a former equitation star in the United States, has been on the rise in the grand prix ring. “I said before the second round, it was much easier [at Spruce Meadows] to have had 8 faults in the first round and go back than it was to be clean and go back and try and do it again,” she said. “But I really geared my winter around this class with this horse. He’s really proven that when you aim him for something big, he comes through.”

Ballard chose not to jump Robin van Roosendael in the grand prix, saving him for the $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational (Fla.) in April and the Canadian trials for Pan American Games selection.