Conor Swail and Ariana. Photo (c) Ben Radvanyi Photography, www.benradvanyi.com.
The $35,000 Brickenden Trophy International Jumper class was also held on Thursday and saw Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts riding H&M Legend of Love take the win for owners Gerald Nothurft and Ludo Philippaerts. The pair topped a starting field of 20 entries as the fastest double clear following a five-horse jump-off.
To cap off the evening, Ireland’s Conor Swail executed the best course to take the win in the $35,000 International Jumper Top Score Challenge. Riders formulated their own plan, earning points for each obstacle successfully cleared before deciding whether to jump the joker fence for an additional 200 points. Riding Ariana, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Susan Grange of Cheltenham, ON, Swail successfully cleared the joker to earn a total of 1230 points and take his second victory of the week in the international division.
Source: Press release from the Royal Horse Show