JAMES Chawke and his 10-year-old mare Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z (pictured) added a second international victory to their week’s tally on Sunday at Thunderbird Horse Show in Canada, coming out on top after a six-horse jump-off in the CSI3* Steel-Craft Doors 1.50m Grand Prix.

Chawke’s winning time was 36.84 seconds. Tiffany Foster (CAN) finished second with Electrique (38.66), followed by Sarah Lottis (CAN) and Rhapsody (41.55).

Lottis was the first to replicate a clear over Peter Holmes’ (CAN) jump-off track, and she put enough pressure on her competitors. Chawke, however, was well aware of who followed him in the order and knew he would need to create a bit of a margin to give himself a chance at victory. Utilising his partner’s natural speed, he set off with purpose, ultimately crediting his victory to his ride between the first two fences and his gallop to the final obstacle. Only Foster, fresh off an appearance at the Paris Olympic Games, could get within even two seconds of the winners.

“She did that easily enough,” Chawke said of Daido van’t Ruytershof Z. “We bought her with the idea that she would at least do (ranking classes). She jumped her first four-star here in May, and she had a couple down, but nothing major. I feel like she can do that for sure.

“My strategy was to just go as fast as I could. I knew just having those couple of riders behind me, like Tiffany (Foster) and Katie (Laurie), that they were going to be very fast,” Chawke said.

“I was quite fast from one to two, and then obviously the gallop home. But no matter what, she’s just naturally so quick,” he added.

Win on Wednesday

Earlier in the week, Chawke and Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z also scored at what was her very first attempt in a three-star speed class, the CSI3* Tbird Speed 1.45m. The pair took home the top prize of just under $15,000 by ripping around clear and in an unbelievable time of 57 seconds flat - more than three seconds better than runner-up Kassidy Keith (CAN) and Havana.

Chawke had tested the waters on Wednesday, jumping a few fences in the CSI3* Happy Welcome 1.40m with both Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z and Nacara Van Berkenroeck Z before tackling the Speed 1.45m.

“When she goes in the ring, she’s very game. You just point to the jumps and she goes,” continued Chawke.

“She’s naturally quick. So I was just trying to do all the steps and I figured it’s going to be up there or thereabouts.”

Sidelined

The Abbeyleix man only picked up the ride on her at the start of the season and is making up for lost time after a quiet summer, when an injury sidelined him for eight weeks. While recovered, having fresh horses is a strategy that he is happy to employ again.

“Neither of my horses have shown since we were here in May. So that’s why I jumped the 1.40m and just did a couple of jumps on both of them to see where they’re at,” he said.

Daido Van’t Ruytershof Z jumped internationally under four riders prior, most recently Italy’s Linda Bratomi, and is something of a 1.45m specialist.

“I originally went to try her for someone else. We liked her, but we just decided she maybe wasn’t the one for them. I didn’t know exactly how much jump she had, but I thought she would be a useful ranking horse; she has blood and is quick. so I bought her.”

In their four shows together since April, she’s proved his hunch correct. The pair has jumped to four podium finishes in ranking classes, and counting.

“I’ll show both Diado Van’t Ruytershof Z and Nacara van Berkenbroek Z, who finished ninth, again next week,” he said, “and then maybe we’ll have a break again and maybe come back here in September.”