Isabelle Lapierre Lands Hunter Derby Win at Ottawa Summer Tournament

Isabelle Lapierre of Lévis, QC, claimed victory in the $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby on Friday, July 5, during the Ottawa Summer Tournament I held at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.

The $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby, part of the Canadian Hunter Derby Series, attracted 38 entries to compete on Wesley Clover Parks’ grass grand prix field.  Horse-and-rider combinations faced a challenging track set by course designer Pierre Burch and beautifully decorated by Levko Malyna that featured hunter classic, handy hunter, and field hunting obstacles.  Held in a single round format, riders competed at the 3’ height with 3’3” options or at the 3’6” height with options set between 3’9” and 4’3”.  Only those competing at the 3”6” height earned points towards the Canadian Hunter Derby Series Final to be held at Toronto’s iconic Royal Horse Show in November.

Having won the Canadian Hunter Derby Series Final in 2018 and been the reserve champion in 2023, Lapierre and Carrera S have all but secured their starting place at this year’s Royal with a win in the $10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby.  Despite their numerous accomplishments together over the years, Lapierre and Carrera S had never before won the hunter derby in Ottawa.

“It was a check on the bucket list!” said Lapierre following her win.  “I’ve won so many derbies with him but to finally do it on grass at Ottawa, it’s special.  To ride on the grass makes it feel like a real hunter derby.  That’s how hunter derbies should be, but we don’t have many grass fields anymore.  It’s a real class in Ottawa, and I needed to win it with this horse.”

With a base score of 85 points, Lapierre was awarded 10 bonus points for taking higher fence options and earned nine bonus points for handiness to bring their final total to 104 points.

“We had a triple that we don’t see normally in hunter derbies as well as a double,”  said Lapierre in describing the course, which included a rare two-stride to a two-stride triple combination.  “There were lots of bending lines.  We went everywhere on the course; it was nice and flowing.  There was nothing that changed the rhythm.  The triple was a bit difficult for some horses and the last line by the VIP tent was challenging because the horses wanted to look at the tent instead of focusing on the jumps.  You had to be on the job everywhere.  In the end, it was a nice hunter derby course.”

Lapierre was especially excited to win partnered with Carrera S, a 14-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding sired by Carrado.

“We’ve known each other for a long time,” said Lapierre of the horse owned by Johannie Légaré.  “I first started with him in 2017 and then he had colic surgery and then the pandemic.  I think he’s back to his best self.  At 14, he knows when it’s important.  He likes his job, it’s easy for him, and he’s a happy horse.”

As the winner, Lapierre was awarded the Gladys Adam Memorial Trophy, presented by the Oswald family.  Established in 2004, the trophy commemorates the life of legendary horsewoman and Jump Canada Hall of Fame member, Gladys Adam.

Second place went to Maude Belanger Bouchard of Calixa Lavallée, QC, who rode Simon to a total score of 101 points followed by third-placed finishers Emily Wulff of Claremont, ON, and I’m Very Special Z who earned a score of 100 from judges Tamara Hall and Gail Prest.

Ribbons were also awarded to the top junior/amateur competitors with Raphaelle Brassard of Lac Brome, QC, coming out on top with a score of 88 points riding Heliant BP.  RoseZalie Jutras of Bromont, QC, was second with 87 points riding State of Mind while Carlyn Hartwick of Kingston, ON, riding Harley rounded out the top three with 80 points.

Paul Halpern Speeds to Victory
Friday’s competition concluded with another derby event, the $2,500 1.25m Speed Derby, presented by Accora Village.  Twenty entries gave it their best shot, but none could beat Paul Halpern of Saint Anne des Plaines, QC.  Riding Fair Play Couparie, a nine-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Kyle Morin, Halpern produced a clear round in a time of 79.59 seconds to take the win.  His closest challengers also jumped clear, but their slower times placed Ella Palladino of Sudbury, ON in second riding her own Leon von Briesen while Adrien Lemieux of Granby, QC took third with Grand de B’Neville, owned by Roger Deslauriers.

Competition continues throughout the weekend at Wesley Clover Parks, highlighted by the $50,000 Brookstreet Grand Prix on Saturday, July 6, at 4 p.m.  And there’s more show jumping still to come this season with the Ottawa Summer Tournament II from July 10-14; CSI5*/CSI2* Major League Show Jumping Ottawa from August 21-25; and the Ottawa National from September 12-15.

Wesley Clover Parks is hosting two Grand Prix parties on July 6 and 13 as well as three days of first-rate hospitality during Major League Show Jumping Ottawa in August.  Tickets and tables are available for purchase at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/hospitality.

Spectator tickets are also available for the Ottawa Summer Tournaments in July and MLSJ Ottawa in August.  To purchase, visit www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/spectators.

For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com.  All competitor information is available at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/calendar and full results can be found at ottawa.showmanagementsystem.com/events.

Get the latest updates, news, and photos by following Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments on Facebook here and Instagram at @OttawaEquestrianTournaments.  Share your Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments experience by tagging #TenYearsOfTournaments and #RideTheParks!

$10,000 Pommies Cider Co. Open Hunter Derby - Friday, July 5, 2024

Rider / Hometown / Horse / Total Points

1.  Isabelle Lapierre / Lévis, QC / Carrera S / 104
2.  Maude Belanger Bouchard / Calixa Lavallée, QC / Simon / 101
3.  Emily Wulff / Claremont, ON / I’m Very Special Z / 100
4.  Philippe Lacasse / Lac Brome, QC / Bellino de Beussent / 98
5.  Victoria Lombart / Saint-Philippe, QC / Gunthier / 97.5
6.  Emmanuel Geoffroy / St-Croix, QC / Jackpot / 95
7.  Raphaelle Brassard / Lac Brome, QC / Heliant BP / 88
8.  RoseZalie Jutras / Bromont, QC / State of Mind / 87
9.  Philippe Lacasse / Lac Brome, QC / Victoria / 84
10.  Carlyn Hartwick / Kingston, ON / Harley / 80

$2,500 1.25m Speed Derby, presented by Accora Village - Friday, July 5, 2024

Rider / Hometown / Horse / Time

1.  Paul Halpern / Saint Anne des Plaines, QC / Fair Play Couparie / 79.59
2.  Ella Palladino / Sudbury, ON / Leon von Briesen / 87.86
3.  Adrien Lemieux / Granby, QC / Grand de B’Neville / 88.54
4.  Rebecca Irvine / Brockville, ON / Lady Coretta B / 92.54
5.  Emma Saunders / Montreal, QC / Cedo / 92.62
6.  Karen Sparks / Nepean, ON / El Porvenir Crono / 94.62
7.  Alyson St-Pierre / Quebec City, QC / Marillion / 97.06
8.  Jacklynn Carey / Bolton, ON / Sagg Main / 97.12
9.  Heather Oswald / Rigaud, QC / Rivercross Orchid / 97.23
10.  Madeline Corrigan / Erin, ON / Union Jack Weering Z / 99.92