Jordan Macpherson Wins Tight Race for National 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumping Championship - Watch The Video!

Jordan Macpherson, 29, enjoyed a win in front of her hometown crowd after a tight race for top honours in the 2018 National 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumping Championship, presented by Dominion Regalia, on Nov. 4, 2018 at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.

“The Royal is always such a great event, and it’s always great to win, but it’s even better when you win at The Royal,” said Macpherson, who took the title aboard Fiestamunde, an eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Sved Stables. Together they accumulated 11 points across the three classes of the division.

Susan Horn, 34, of Bolton, ON finished just one point behind to earn the Reserve Champion title on 10 points aboard Egano van het Slogenhof (Electro x Nagano), a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Kingsfield Farm.

Macpherson first took to the Coca-Cola Coliseum on Nov. 3 for the $2,500 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Welcome Stake, which featured a strong field of 19 horse-rider combinations. Course Designer, Alan Wade (FEI Level 4) of Ireland expertly eased the competitors into The Royal atmosphere with a straight-forward track that saw 13 advance into the jump-off.

Jordan Macpherson claimed the 2018 National 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumping Championship title aboard Fiestamunde in front of her hometown crowd at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON on Nov. 4, 2018. Photo © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

The second rider to contest the jump-off, Macpherson put in a quick time of 33.91 seconds, but had a rail at the first element of a double combination for four faults and eighth place. Only three riders went clear in the jump-off, and ultimately Chanelle Sjolander, 21, of Oakville, ON won on a time of 30.91 seconds with Cuenta Atras (Clearway x Lesotho), her nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding. Horn ended the first day of competition in fourth place after a lightning quick jump-off where she took daring turns and sliced angles to the jumps with Egano van het Slogenhof. Despite achieving the fastest time of 26.96 seconds, Horn lowered the second fence on course to add four faults to her score.

The following day, the field returned for the final two classes, which kicked off with the $2,500 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Speed in the morning. Wade amped up the challenges on the course, consisting of 11 obstacles and 13 efforts, and provided plenty of options for inside turns - albeit with the risk of adding four seconds for each rail lowered. Just six riders had foot-perfect performances, and Horn proved to be the fastest, guiding Egano van het Slogenhof through every inside option for a smooth and efficient trip in 58.62 seconds. 

Susan Horn of Bolton, ON closed out the Junior/Amateur 1.40m division just one point behind Macpherson to take the Reserve Champion title on 10 points aboard Egano van het Slogenhof.
Photo © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

 Macpherson took third by just fractions of a second, stopping the clock at 59.97 to finish just behind Mackenzie Wray, 19, of Loretto, ON, who had a time of 59.89 seconds with Jewel LVP (Berlin x Contender), a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Makim Holdings Inc.

The group returned in the afternoon for the $10,000 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Stake, where Wade pulled out all the stops with a technical track that resulted in just four riders advancing to the jump-off. This time it was Macpherson who prevailed, laying down a clear trip in 39.38 seconds to win by a margin of over 10 seconds.

“I’ve only had Fiestamunde for a year, and this is her first indoor show,” explained Macpherson, who has been training with the legendary Millar family (Ian, Amy and Jonathon) for over 10 years. She has climbed all the way to the national level in that time, qualifying and competing in the Canadian Show Jumping Championships at the Royal Horse Show in 2016 and 2017. “The last class today was a little more technical and bigger than the other two classes, but I thought that she jumped amazingly. She was on form, and I couldn’t have asked for more from her today.”

Sara Tindale, 16, of Campbellville, ON had the only other clear jump-off round, piloting Tindale Farms’ 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, Djibab van de Linthorst (Nabab de Reve x Amethist) to a time of 49.91 seconds for second place.

As the national champion, Macpherson was presented with the Canadian Junior/Amateur Championship Plate, donated by the Equestrian Canada (EC) Jumping Committee in memory of Andre Bollinger.

Looking ahead, Macpherson has her sights set even higher for Fiestamunde in 2019.

“My goal is to move her up and compete in the Canadian Show Jumping Championship next year,” explained Macpherson, who has been concentrating solely on riding since finishing a university degree in psychology last year. “She has a bit of a rocking horse canter, and it feels like you can jump anything. She’s a pretty amazing horse and I’m really lucky to have her.”

For more information on the 2018 National 1.40m Junior/Amateur Jumping Championship, and full results, visit www.royalfair.org .

$2,500 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Welcome Stake – Nov. 3, 2018

Placing / Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner
1st / Chanelle Sjolander / Oakville, ON / Cuenta Atras / Chanelle Sjolander
2nd / Sierra Mark / Augusta, ON / Heat Wave 3E / Sierra Mark
3rd / Ashlee Steffens / Harriston, ON / Braveheart de Muze / Double C Stables
4th / Susan Horn / Bolton, ON / Egano van het Slogenhof / Kingsfield Farm
5th / Sadie Leon / Mississauga, ON / Camilla / Sadie Leon
6th / Mackenzie Wray / Loretto, ON / Jewel LVP / Makim Holdings Inc.
7th / Jasmine Wiggins / Okotoks, AB / Aberdeen 33 / Jasmine Wiggins
8th / Jordan Macpherson / Toronto, ON / Fiestamunde / Sved Stables

$2,500 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Speed – Nov. 4, 2018

Placing / Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner
1st / Susan Horn / Bolton, ON / Egano van het Slogenhof / Kingsfield Farm
2nd / Mackenzie Wray / Loretto, ON / Jewel LVP / Makim Holdings Inc.
3rd / Jordan Macpherson / Toronto, ON / Fiestamunde / Sved Stables
4th / Jasmine Wiggins / Okotoks, AB / Aberdeen 33 / Jasmine Wiggins
5th / Sadie Leon / Mississauga, ON / Camilla / Sadie Leon
6th / Barbara Ruziska / Ijamsville, MD / Elonie / Barbara Ruziska
7th / Veronica Bot / Burlington, ON / Quidam’s Caprice M / AEI Corp.
8th / Chelsea Richardson / St.-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, QC / Vendetta OZ / Chelsea Richardson

$10,000 Junior/Amateur 1.40m Stake – Nov. 4, 2018

Placing / Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner
1st / Jordan Macpherson / Toronto, ON / Fiestamunde / Sved Stables
2nd / Sara Tindale / Campbellville, ON / Djibab van de Linthorst / Tindale Farms
3rd / Hubert Lamontagne / Montreal, QC / Dalton / Hubert Lamontagne
4th / Veronica Bot / Burlington, ON / Quidam’s Caprice M / AEI Corp.
5th / Sadie Leon / Mississauga, ON / Camilla / Sadie Leon
6th / Jasmine Wiggins / Okotoks, AB / Aberdeen 33 / Jasmine Wiggins
7th / Ashlee Steffens / Harriston, ON / Braveheart de Muze / Double C Stables
8th / Sierra Mark / Augusta, ON / Heat Wave 3E / Sierra Mark