Music: {allcanada} Lamaze leaps to victory

Thursday, March 1, 2012

{allcanada} Lamaze leaps to victory

WELLINGTON, Fla. -- Canadian Olympic champion Eric Lamaze topped a starting field of 82 horses to win the US$32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round VIII on Thursday.

The 43-year-old from Schomberg, Ont., rode 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Coriana van Klapscheut in a clear round, then returned to the jump-off to post a winning time of 37.04 seconds.

"I can't say I had it, but I know that she's extremely fast and she spends no time in the air," said Lamaze of his jump-off performance. "It's extremely competitive in these jump-off's, and I thought for sure I gave it a very good go. If I went again, I don't think I could beat that time."

Coriana van Klapscheut was Lamaze's mount at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and closed out the season with a second place finish in the Rolex Top 10 Final in Paris, France.

"(Coriana van Klapscheut is) a horse that I have mostly used as a speed horse," said Lamaze. "Behind Hickstead, she was always the second horse. I always thought she was brave and could jump the big fences, but she was never asked the question too many times. When I had no choice at the end of the year, she surprised me. It was a pleasant surprise, not only that she did it, but that she did it easily."

Lamaze has recently acquired seven new horses since the death of his long-time mount Hickstead, who died of an aortic rupture during a competition in November.

Three of the new mounts are Olympic hopefuls as he looks towards defending his gold medal this summer in London.

"It was nice because on this circuit, I mostly have horses that I don't know well or horses that have little experience. That's what I use this circuit for, for preparation for the rest of the year. It was fun to ride Coriana, a horse that I know really well and that I know I can be competitive on."

One of Lamaze's new horses is Derly Chin de Muze, a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare who he will use in the two-round Nations' Cup event at Wellington.

"I feel like I have put together a really good string of horses," said Lamaze. "It will be fun to mix them around a bit."