Waylon Roberts and Lakeside Park. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.
Waylon Roberts of Port Perry, ON, broke his own record with a remarkable ninth win in the $20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on Saturday evening, November 8, at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
Roberts had only ridden his winning mount, Lakeside Park, for the first time 48 hours prior to Saturday night’s final. Roberts was sitting second after the opening round on Friday, nipping at the heels of leader Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON. He made good use of the up-and-coming talent of Lakeside Park, an eight-year-old Canadian-bred Thoroughbred gelding owned by Penny Rowland, to go penalty free again on Saturday and finish on a combined winning time of 186.29 seconds.
Waylon Roberts of Port Perry, ON, riding Lakeside Park claimed a record ninth win in the $20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on Saturday, November 8, at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.
The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge is a title Roberts last won—for a record eighth time on that occasion—in 2015. This year, he was hopeful but set few expectations.
“I was only trying to do right by Penny, but what a horse,” he said of the horse regularly ridden by fellow Canadian eventer Jamie Kellock. “Jamie and Jessica [Phoenix] worked together this week to prepare him. I showed up Friday morning, rode him at Jamie’s, then rode him a little here in the afternoon, and we did the class. I was trying to draw on all the good training I’ve had from my great coaches over the years, and that’s all you can try to do.
“Indoor eventing always gets your heart racing,” continued Roberts, a member of Canada’s bronze medal eventing team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto. “It gets your blood pumping, and this atmosphere is second to none.”
The Coca-Cola Coliseum welcomed record numbers on opening weekend of the Royal Horse Show.
“It’s great to see this place jam-packed, and I think the horses love it,” said Roberts, who has been coming to The Royal with his family since he was a child. “They see all those eyes on them, and they hear people cheer for them. I know it gets the riders going but the horses love it too.”
Holly Jacks and Josephine. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
Holly Jacks of Hillsburgh, ON, rode Josephine to second in the $20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge on Saturday, November 8, at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.
The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge returned to the Royal Horse Show this year to deliver the adrenaline-pumping thrills of cross-country to an indoor setting. Featuring a combination of show jumping and cross-country obstacles, the course designed by world-renowned Captain Mark Phillips of Great Britain challenged horses and riders to be both daring and accurate to the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd in the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
After her opening night win, Jacks held on for a second-place finish. She piloted Ontario-bred Josephine for owner and breeder, Donna Van Beek, to a penalty-free finish just fractions of a second behind Roberts in 186.87 seconds. Three-time Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix of Cannington, ON, rounded out the top three with a clear performance and total time of 195.37 seconds on ESI Nixon, also owned by Penny Rowland.
Jessica Phoenix and ESI Nixon. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
The number one eventing rider in the world, Harry Meade (GBR) concluded his Royal Horse Show debut by placing eighth riding borrowed mount BDE Olympic Royale, a nine-year-old Irish Sport Horse mare usually campaigned by 18-year-old Avery Tallman.
“It’s amazing to see the work that goes in behind the scenes at the Royal,” concluded Roberts, who is now based in Aiken, SC, after taking in some of the other sights and sounds of The Royal on Saturday afternoon. “I sat and watched the cow show a little bit this afternoon. You get to see things here that you wouldn’t in your daily life. It’s great!”
$20,000 Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge – Final Standings
Saturday Evening, November 8, 2025
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Penalties / Time
1. Waylon Roberts / Port Perry, ON / Lakeside Park / 0 / 186.29
2. Holly Jacks / Hillsburgh, ON / Josephine / 0 / 186.87
3. Jessica Phoenix / Cannington, ON / ESI Nixon / 0 / 195.37
4. Melissa Boutin / Sherbrooke, QC / Penny GS / 0 / 213.93
5. Selena O’Hanlon / Kingston, ON / Ten Lakes / 5 / 213.43
6. Diana Burnett / Blackstock, ON / Whatsyourproblem / 5 / 219.23
7. Megane Sauve / St. Paul, QC / Nuance / 10 / 190.83
8. Harry Meade / South Gloucestershire, GBR / BDE Olympic Royale / 25 / 213.14
