Tamie and Lucas Take Western Kubota Cup Championship

Tamie Phillips of Strathmore, AB and her homebred Canadian warmblood, Lucas, are the Western Canadian Champions of the Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series.  They won the championship Sunday at the Twin Oaks Derby in Richmond, BC by the slimmest of margins, just one point ahead of Calgary’s John Anderson and O’Malley.  Gary Brewster of West Vancouver, BC and Watermark took the win in Sunday’s $35,000 Kubota Cup Jumping Derby.

Phillips and the 9-year-old gelding, which was bred by her mother, Merle Gardiner, and raised and trained by Tamie to the grand prix level, were leading the championship standings going into the final of the three shows in the Western Canadian Kubota Cup division.  When they incurred four faults on the derby course, the door began to open for those further down the list.  However, only two of the 34 entries managed a clear round on the very long and challenging derby course set by international course designer Peter Holmes of Victoria, BC.

Canadian Western Kubota Cup Champion Tamie Phillips with Kubota Canada’s National Marketing Manager, John Gilliland, and the crystal Kubota Cup. Photo Credit: Jan Mansfield

Surrey, B.C.’s Tosca Kocken and Newton were the first to go clear in the first round and then had four faults in the jumpoff, but were not in contention for the championship since this was their first Kubota Cup.  Brewster was assured of getting the top points when he put in a second clear round, but coming into the Championship in ninth place, it would only move him up five spots.  Anderson’s one-rail knockdown in the first round with O’Malley proved to be very costly.  Although they finished ahead of Phillips and Lucas in the class, they fell just short of the championship.

Phillips’ Championship title comes with the crystal Kubota Cup trophy and a new Kubota RTV900 utility vehicle.  The top five in the standings - Phillips, Anderson, Karen Cudmore, Brewster, and Kristin Russell of Calgary, AB - were also presented with a travel bursary to cover their costs of competing in the Kubota Cup National Finals at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto November 5.

Sunday’s derby at Twin Oaks Farm is the only one in the seven-venue schedule that spans the country, coast to coast. Phillips said later that she was happy that the final competition was a derby, because both of the horses she had entered do really well at them.  She said ever since Brandon, the first stop on the Western division, her goal had been to challenge for the Championship.

Brewster, who trains out of the show’s venue, Twin Oaks Farm, said there was a great atmosphere at the show.  “I think there’s just a big buzz in the air, the excitement of having Kubota here,” he said.  “That brings a whole new atmosphere to the show and to the competitors.  It’s just a great feeling to be able to go out there and do well in a Kubota class.”

Brewster said the biggest worry he had with Watermark was whether his fitness level would be adequate for the long, challenging course, and then the jump off, after the 8-year-old Belgian warmblood had some time off to recover from an injury. “It was a big gamble, and luckily it worked out,” he said.  “I was just hoping that Watermark had enough adrenaline left in him because his gas tank was pretty empty.”

The Western Kubota Cup finale was attended by representatives from Kubota Canada Ltd., which has signed a multi-year commitment to the Canadian Show Jumping Series, along with local dealers who sell the company’s equipment. Kubota’s General Manager, Ross Wallace, said, “Kubota Canada couldn’t be any happier than we are right now.”

“Everything has exceeded our expectations. What we didn’t expect was all of the support and appreciation.”

National marketing manager John Gilliland, who has been very much hands-on with the company’s sponsorship by attending each Kubota Cup show, reflected on the fact that it took two years from the time that Series’ founder Sandra Fraser presented him with the idea, to the crowning of the first champion.   He called the enthusiasm of the competitors “inspirational.”

It was a weekend of highlights to wrap up the Western Division.  Saturday the Kubota Cup riders, guests and VIPs got a glimpse of the first episode of the 13-part television series, “Along For The Ride”, which begins airing on Global National Television on October 2. Coincidentally, Phillips is one of the featured riders in that episode.

Craig McIntyre, whose new self-titled CD was released on the West Coast on the weekend, performed at various events.  The CD includes the Series’ theme song, also entitled “Along For The Ride”.

Visit the Kubota Cup website at www.kubotacup.ca

 

$35,000 Kubota Cup Jumping Derby Results
Twin Oaks Derby - August 14, 2005

1. Watermark/Gary Brewster (West Vancouver, BC) 0,0/47.99; $10,000

2. Newton/Tosca Kocken (Surrey, BC) 0,4/45.94; $7,000

3. Ocelot/Karen Cudmore (Omaha, NB) 4/137.47; $5,000

4. O’Malley/John Anderson (Calgary, AB) 4/140.86; $4,000

5. Coasting/Lindsay Paton (Langley, BC) 4/142.26; $3,000

6. Gesine 36/John Anderson (Calgary, AB) 4/143.26; $1,500

7. Lucas/Tamie Phillips (Strathmore, AB) 4/143.47; $1,000

8. Cappucino/Andrea Strain (Langley, BC) 4/143.52; $800

 

Western Canadian Championship Results

Kubota Cup Canadian Show Jumping Series

1. Lucas/Tamie Phillips (Strathmore, AB) – 476 points

2. O’Malley/John Anderson (Calgary, AB) – 475 points

3. Southern Pride/Karen Cudmore (Omaha, NB) – 454 points

4. Watermark/Gary Brewster (West Vancouver, BC) – 433 points

5. Lucky Seven/Kristin Russell (Calgary, AB) – 381 points