Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance Score a Win on Canadian Soil in the Bromont CCI3*

Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance win the CCI3* at Bromont. Photo by Leslie Wylie. Jessica Phoenix and A Little Romance win the CCI3* at Bromont. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Jessica Phoenix couldn’t stop giggling when she stopped by the media tent after winning the Bromont CCI3*. “I can’t believe it,” she says with the giddiness of someone who just won the lottery — which is probably what it feels like when you’ve just realized you’ve got a future four-star horse on your hands. Bromont was A Little Romance’s first CCI3*, but Jessica has a hunch that it’s just the beginning.

When asked what’s in the 9-year-old mare’s future, Jessica gets a funny look on her face, like the words she’s saying have a surprising but pleasant taste. “You know what? I think I’d like to take her to Rolex next spring,” she says. “What she did this weekend, it felt very easy for her.”

Jessica and “Blue” — they call her Blue Eyes around the barn because her eyes had a blueish tint as a foal — were a fun pair to watch on the show jumping course today. At a slight 16 hands the horse has a bit of a short step so Jessica had to step into the role of cheerleader, clucking and squeezing between the fences. She’s clearly made a believer out of the mare, who responded to Jessica’s urging with a gleam of determination in her eye.

3

“She’s incredibly obedient to ride and she’s got so much heart,” Jessica says. “I can’t say that I’ve sat on horses that have so much heart other than Exponential and Pavarotti — I think you come across those horses not every day of the week. And as we saw this weekend, heart can carry them a long way.”

Indeed, the pair jumped their way to the top of the scoreboard, moving from eighth after dressage to second after cross-country and finally into first when overnight leader Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries pulled three rails. Jessica called Blue’s owners, Anita and Don Leschied of Ontario, immediately to tearfully share the good news.

The win was made even sweeter because it took place in her home country. Jessica couldn’t resist singing along when they played the national anthem during the awards ceremony. “It feels amazing,” Jessica says. “That’s what I said to Blue this morning. I’m like, ‘You are a Canadian-born girl. Let’s do this on Canadian soil.”

Mission accomplished.

Jessica Phoenix, all smiles! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Jessica Phoenix, all smiles! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming made a big jump up the scoreboard as well, moving from 13th to eighth to second over the course of the event. It wasn’t what Lisa was expecting, but she’ll take it. “I came into the weekend just wanting to finish and be happy with each individual aspect,” Lisa says.

They ran into bad luck yesterday when the horse lost his left front shoe on the way to the startbox and got it tacked back on, only to pull both hind shoes on course — she thinks around fence #5. She went to make an adjustment and felt like he didn’t quite have his feet underneath him.

“I assumed that it was because of the mud — he’s never had to go in mud like that —  until I finished the track and realized he had no hind shoes on,” she says. “I think it’s a pretty good testament to what an amazing horse he is to jump around a tough 3* in the mud with no shoes on and come out sound today.”

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Lisa Barry and F.I.S. Prince Charming finished second in the Bromont CCI3*. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Rounding out the top three finishers was Lizzie Snow on Coal Creek, who started the day in fifth. Rails were flying in the CCI3*, and even four jumping and a couple time faults couldn’t keep Lizzie from moving up. Overnight leaders Erin Sylvester/No Boundaries wound up in fourth and Maya Black/Doesn’t Play Fair finished fifth.

Lizzie Snow and Coal Creek. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Lizzie Snow and Coal Creek finished second in the Bromont CCI3*. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Job well-done to all of today’s competitors. Allez Concours Complet!

[Website] [Entry List] [Timetable] [Live Scoring]

 Final CCI3* Scores:

">89

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments