Day two of the 2016 ‘Masters’ Tournament CSIO5* got underway
on Thursday with two feature competitions in the International Ring at
Spruce Meadows. The ATCO Founders Classic 1.50m was the first competition
of the day with a win for Pedro Veniss (BRA) and For Felicila. The CANA Cup
1.60m wrapped up the afternoon with victory for Roger-Yves Bost (FRA) and
Quod’Coeur de la Loge.

The course designer in the International Ring for ‘Masters’ competition
this week is Venezuela’s Leopoldo Palacios. In Thursday’s feature CANA Cup
1.60m, Palacios saw 58 entries over his first round course, with eight
moving on to the jump-off. Rio Olympic Team Gold Medalist Roger-Yves Bost
jumped to victory with a naturally fast jump-off round in 41.24 seconds
riding Quod’Coeur de la Loge.

For the second day in a row, The Netherland’s Frank Schuttert took second
place honors with Handelshuis Schuttert’s Winchester HS. The pair finished
close behind in 41.54 seconds. Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya guided AM Horses
SL’s Arrayan to third place honors with his time of 42.02 seconds.

Speaking of Quod’Coeur de la Loge, a 12-year-old Selle Francais stallion
(Ideal de la Loge x Tenor de la Cour), Bost stated, “I think this is the
third time this horse has come to Calgary. He knows the place and he likes
the grass arena. I rode his father here – Ideal de la Loge - I went to
Nations’ Cup with the father and I hope he does the same. He jumped very
good today for the two rounds and I am very happy.”

Commenting on his jump-off, Bost detailed, “I needed to start good because
the double was not so easy and after that I could just gallop. He has a big
stride. I started with him when he was five years old. When I go to the
jump-off I know right away that he is going to be good.

“He jumped really well in the first round,” Bost added. “It was not so
easy; the time allowed was really short today. You needed to gallop a
little bit, but it was good. When you win it is always good.”

Bost plans to jump Quod’Coeur de la Loge again in Saturday’s BMO Nations’
Cup, as well as in Sunday’s $2 Million CP International Grand Prix,
presented by Rolex.

Schuttert, after two top placings in a row with his mount Winchester HS,
plans to give his horse two days off now before jumping Sunday’s Grand
Prix. Speaking of Thursday’s round and how it compared to his finish on
Wednesday, Schuttert noted, “My plan was a little bit the same as
yesterday. I wanted to be fast for sure to end up in the front of the
class. He is a naturally fast horse and he turns quick, so I rode the same
jump-off as I did yesterday, and I am very happy that I was second
again.”

Commenting on Winchester, Schuttert added, “He has a little bit his own
style. He has a lot of character. As soon as he comes into the ring he
always fights for me and wants to do a good job. He has all the scope you
could want and I think the most important thing is that he always wants to
go for the clear round.”

Third place finisher Sergio Alvarez Moya has only had his mount Arrayan for
six months and was very happy with his finish on Thursday.

“He has improved a lot in the last few months,” Moya stated. “He was a bit
difficult to ride and not too easy to control in the first few shows.
Definitely this ring suits him very well - he likes big fields and big
jumps. Once I get into the jump-off, he is naturally fast. I probably lost
the jump-off from one to two – I could have done one less stride – but the
left side he does not turn as well as the right. Everything was tight, but
Bost and Frank are very fast riders and they have naturally fast horses, so
I am happy. It was a positive result.”

While Bost’s strategy for the weekend is to jump the Nations’ Cup with his
horse prior to Sunday’s Grand Prix, and Schuttert will rest his mount until
Sunday, Moya has different plans. He will jump Arrayan in Friday night’s
ATCO Six Bar competition with hopes that it will be good training for
Sunday’s major event.

“On Sunday that is going to be the biggest class I have ever jumped with
him, and I am thinking the six bar could be a good exercise for him before
the grand prix,” Moya explained. “It makes the horses think, and it is good
when they understand that they have to stay quiet between jumps, and use
their bodies. Normally he always thinks forward and it is hard for him to
sit, so I think the six-bar could be good for him and we could maybe get a
good result. Then I will give him a day off on Saturday and try our best on
Sunday. I am very happy with how he jumped today. He always tries his best.
I think the better the control gets for sure he is going to get faster and
he will be able to jump everything.”

Moya is competing at Spruce Meadows for the first time and shared his
impression of the competition, stating, “I don’t think any rider that comes
to Spruce Meadows doesn’t say that it is unbelievable. The facilities are
well organized and everything is just amazing. It is for sure one of the
best shows in the world.”

The ATCO Founders Classic 1.50m was the first competition held in the
International Ring on Thursday with a win for Brazil’s Pedro Veniss aboard
Hermann Theiss’s For Felicila. Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) set the track for 52
first-round starters, with 11 advancing to the jump-off, and six double
clear rounds. Veniss and the 11-year-old Hanoverian mare (For Pleasure x
Espri) clocked the winning time of 42.53 seconds.

USA’s Andrew Ramsay took second and fourth place honors, finishing in the
runner up position with The Doodle Group’s Cocq a Doodle in a time of 43.05
seconds, and placing fourth aboard The Stranger Group’s Stranger 30 in
43.70 seconds. Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt jumped into third place with his
time of 43.57 seconds riding Catokia 2. Olivier Robert took the fifth place
prize for France riding Quenelle du Py through the timers in 43.80 seconds.
Nigel Coupe jumped the final double clear round in 44.22 seconds to place
sixth aboard John O’Halloran’s Jubilee III for Great Britain.

Veniss began riding For Felicila in January this year and described his
winning mount as a lovely horse, adding, “She is really fast in the
jump-off and she was very good today.”

He continued, “The first round was good. The time was a bit tight, but she
jumped great. Then in the jump-off, I tried to go as fast as I could, and
she was amazing. She has a really big canter, so I think I did less strides
than the others to the last jump for sure, and maybe from one to two
also.”

Veniss traveled to Spruce Meadows for the first time in 2015 when he was a
part of the winning team for Brazil in the BMO Nations’ Cup and also placed
third in the $1.5 Million CP International Grand Prix, presented by Rolex,
aboard his top mount Quabri de l’Isle. The pair also recently jumped for
Brazil at the Olympic Games on home soil in Rio.

“The grand prix is the goal. The prize money is really high, so we have the
best riders in the world, but I think I have a really good horse that loves
that ring,” Veniss noted. “He jumped beautiful here last year and was very
good in the Olympic Games, and he jumped very good today, so he feels
ready.”

While Quabri de l’Isle takes on the major tracks in Saturday’s BMO
Nations’ Cup and Sunday’s $2 Million CP International Grand Prix, presented
by Rolex, this weekend, Veniss will jump For Felicila again in Saturday’s
Suncor Winning Round competition.

His win with the mare on Thursday not only secured his qualification for
the grand prix, but was also his first individual win ever at Spruce
Meadows.

“This is my first win here, so I am very happy,” Veniss acknowledged. “This
is a top show. I came here for the first time last year and we won the
Nations’ Cup and I was third in the Grand Prix, and every week I have been
thinking about coming back to Spruce Meadows.”

Final Results: CANA Cup 1.60m

1 QUOD’COEUR DE LA LOGE - -ROGER-YVES BOST - 0/0/41.24

2 WINCHESTER HS - FRANK SCHUTTERT - 0/0/41.54

3 ARRAYAN - SERGIO ALVAREZ MOYA - 0/0/42.02

4 MHS GOING GLOBAL - GREG PATRICK BRODERICK - 0/0/43.65

5 AUDIS TEAVANTA - RUBEN ROMP - 0/0/44.27

6 CHECK PICOBELLO Z - ERIC LAMAZE - 0/0/44.67

Edited Press Release