“Fun, it was so fun! This is what we train for day every day and to be finally out there jumping against this type of company – wow – we fought for it and it was a blast. What a rush!” Lauren Hunkin (26) moved from Toronto 4 years ago to Perth, ON to train with Ian Millar, is in a new partnership with Orleans, a 10 year old Dutch bred gelding purchased last January. It was obvious on Sunday at the Kubota Capital Classic that teamwork was part of the develpment plan when they jumped a clear round into the 7 horse jump off.

Ian just told me to keep it simple and play my own game," Hunkin said of the advice Millar gave her heading into the jump off along with the seven clear rounds from the field of 32. “The course was taking down many of the top players and I knew I just had to fight for it. Getting into the jump off was amazing, a highlight of my life and I knew I could do it.”

With his one – two winning streak Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON won the $60,000 Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix with Hickstead, his international horse, and rode Ronaldo into second for an extra winning edge.

"Ronaldo is not a very quick horse .... I thought I was very beatable on him, especially with Chris (Pratt) and (defending champ) Frankie (Chesler) with two horses still behind us," said Lamaze, a resident of Schomberg, Ontario. “He's in form and as good a horse as anybody could have going into the World Cup."

Lamaze and Hickstead are traveling to Germany next week to prepare for the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen Germany where they will compete as members of the Canadian Equestrian Team along with Chris Pratt (Belfountain, ON) and Rivendell, who placed 3rd behind the winning duo-some.

Pratt and his 11 year old Westphalian gelding sped around the course in a time of 48:85 seconds. “Rivendell can go faster but with the World Championships just around the corner I just wanted to keep him jumping at his best. The Championships have been a goal of mine since I first started riding. It's something, when friends would say, 'Do you want to go to the Olympics?' I'd say no, the World Equestrian Games (Championships) are bigger and awesome competition."

Frankie Chesler placed 6th with VDL Nuit de Pomme, last years winner of the Kubota Cup Big Ben Memorial Grand Prix and placed 7th with Picolien Zeldenrust rounding out the top 7 money earners.

International Bromont will be bringing you the second qualifier for the Kubota Cup Eastern Division on July 29th and with Lamaze and Pratt in Europe the Series will become anybody’s game. The race is on after Hunkin’s fourth place standing, while defending Eastern Kubota Cup Champion John Pearce finished in the top 10 and Amy Millar is shadowing the pack only 30 points behind Hunkin.

The Kubota Cup Eastern Division has 4 qualifiers participating: Kubota Capital Classic, Ottawa, On; International Bromont, Bromont, QC July 29; Kubota Collingwood Classic, Collinwood, ON August 20 with the final qualifier and Kubota Cup Eastern Canadian Championships taking place October 14 in Halifax, Nova Scotia at the Maritime Fall Fair.

Wrapping up the Kubota Cup Western Division will be the Twin Oaks Derby taking place in Richmond, BC this August 14th with a tight horse race playing out between 21 year old Rookie, Emily George leading Jonathan Asselin by 8 points and defending Western Kubota Cup Champion Tamie Phillips and Lucas a mere 15 points behind the leader.