Ireland’s Conor Swail Races to Victory At The Wesley Clover Parks In Ottawa, Ontario 2023

Friday, August 25, 2023 | Jennifer Ward

Cover - Ireland’s Conor Swail riding Count Me_Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography

Ottawa, Ontario – Conor Swail of Ireland raced to victory in the $38,500 CSI2* Mark Motors Group Qualifier held as part of the Major League Show Jumping Ottawa tournament on Thursday, August 24, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.

Photo: Ireland’s Conor Swail riding Count Me In topped an 82-horse starting field to win the $38,500 CSI2* Mark Motors Group Qualifier on Thursday, August 24, at Major League Show Jumping Ottawa at Wesley Clover Parks. (Ben Radvanyi Photography)

Swail tackled the one round speed track midway through the starting order riding Count Me In, crossing the timers in 62.89 seconds. His lead would hold up until the end, with only fellow Irishman Jordan Coyle riding Emerald Irish Cruise, owned by Celtic Park LLC, coming close to catching him with a time of 64.67 seconds, almost two full seconds off the winning pace. Roberto Teran Tafur of Colombia took third place after stopping the timers in 64.73 seconds with Babycomeback, for owner Trefoil Farm LLC.

“My horse is very experienced, and it was a nice run around for him and he’s very fast,” said Swail of his 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding. “I knew if things went well that we’d be close, there or thereabouts, and thankfully he jumped lovely today, and everything came up the way I wanted it to, and it was a nice round.”

Swail is no stranger to competing at Wesley Clover Parks, explaining, “I do love coming here as often as I can. It’s a great facility, they do a great job of keeping it modern. It has a good grass ring and a good warm-up as well. Everything lends itself to good show jumping and the horses being happy, and if they are happy, they are going to perform well. That’s why I enjoy coming.”

Jordan Coyle, of Ireland, finished runner-up in the $38,500 CSI2 Mark Motors Group Qualifier riding Emerald Irish Cruise. Photo: Ben Radvanyi Photography

American Alison Robitaille Scores One-Two Finish in Ottawa

Alison Robitaille of the United States got her first visit to Canada’s national capital off to a strong start by taking first and second place in the CSI5* Premier Equestrian Speed class held on Thursday, August 24.

A total of 76 entries took to the grass grand prix field at Wesley Clover Parks for the two-phase speed class set by course designer and 1976 Canadian Olympic silver medalist, Michel Vaillancourt. Robitaille gave herself two chances at victory by entering two horses in the class and ended up being her own biggest competition. With a second-phase jump-off time of 29.39 seconds, Robitaille was already leading the class riding Ester de Maugre when her second entry, Oakingham Lira, shaved that down to 29 seconds, giving her first and second place. Ireland’s Paul O’Shea took third place with a time of 29.97 seconds riding Spy for owner Eye Candy Jumpers.

“It’s a great way to start out the week,” said Robitaille, who is competing at Wesley Clover Parks for the first time. “This is my first time here; I’d heard great things about it. It’s so great to be able to ride on the grass field; that always makes it more special. The horses feel like they love it out there.”

Robitaille of Middleburg, VA, has been partnered with her winning mount, Oakingham Lira, since the beginning of the 2022 season.

Alison Robitaille of the US rode Oakingham Lira to victory in the $5,000 CSI5 Premier Equestrian Speed class 8_24_23 at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Photo © Atalya BoytnerMLSJ

Speaking of the 10-year-old bay mare, Robitaille noted, “I wanted to get her out on the grass today. It’s been a while since we’ve shown on the grass; typically she likes it. Both of my horses like to carry a little more pace. My goal for the class was to do the course in the pace that they liked, and it was great to finish up one-two. Michel did a great job letting us get into all corners of the ring. It was a nice, welcoming class.”

The Major League Show Jumping Ottawa tournament runs through Sunday, August 27, 2023, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. Showcasing the highest level of international show jumping competition with a CSI5* rating from the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), Major League Show Jumping Ottawa also features a CSI2* division to offer a combined total of more than $800,000 in prize money.

Upcoming competition highlights include:

Friday, August 25 at 3 p.m. – $142,500 CSI5* Steel-Craft Door Products Ltd. Qualifier

Saturday, August 26 at 10 a.m. – $38,500 CSI2* Whalesbone Group Grand Prix

Saturday, August 26 at 4 p.m. – $270,000 CSI5* MLSJ Team Competition

*followed by press conference

Sunday, August 27 at 1 p.m. – $225,000 CSI5* RBC Grand Prix

*followed by press conference

Roberto Teran Tafur of Colombia took third in the $38,500 CSI2 Mark Motors Group Qualifier aboard Babycomeback. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography

General admission tickets are required for all competition days at Major League Show Jumping Ottawa and can be purchased by clicking here. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free.

For those unable to attend in person, livestreaming from Major League Show Jumping Ottawa is available on Clip My Horse, Horse & Country, and YouTube.

For more information on Major League Show Jumping Ottawa, held as part of the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com. All competitor information is available at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/calendar-2023 and full results can be found at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/results-2023. All class lists and results are also available by downloading the Major League Show Jumping app, and competitors can download video clips of their rounds free of charge.

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