Maria Yzerman Dominates $15,000 Grand Prix at Wesley Clover Parks

It was a one-two finish for Montreal’s Maria Yzerman as the 27-year-old amateur show jumping athlete won and placed second in the $15,000 Grand Prix, Presented by Topline Trailers and Equipment Sales, on Saturday, May 24, at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON.

A total of 16 competitors entered the featured event of the Ottawa Welcome II tournament, which marked the second consecutive week of show jumping action in the Nation’s Capital.  Spectators may have thought they were seeing double as only Yzerman and David Arcand qualified for the jump-off, both with two mounts each.  As the first to challenge the shortened jump-off track set by course designer Shane Wooley, Yzerman laid down a clear round in a time of 36.45 seconds riding Lazzaro to put the pressure on Arcand.

“My plan with Lazzaro was to close all of the doors,” said Yzerman of her jump-off strategy with her 14-year-old bay gelding sired by Gold Fever Van’t Heike.  “I know David is a very fast rider and I had a plan to do two leave-outs and gallop as fast as I could to the last.”

Her tactic worked as Arcand knocked down a rail in the double combination riding Guibet P, an 11-year-old Czech Warmblood owned by Ferme Tandem.

Arcand’s next chance for victory came with Phil v/d Wezelse Heihoeve, the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion (Cornet Obolensky x Mr. Blue) he won the class with last year.  When the final two jumps on the jump-off course fell, so too did the pair’s chances of successfully defending their title.

Knowing she had already produced a winning round with Lazzaro, Yzerman concentrated on jumping clear with Pepe 348, a grey Hanoverian gelding (Perigueux x Diarado) that she imported from Belgium in May of last year as a seven-year-old.  The pair cruised home clear in a time of 40.56 seconds to finish runner-up.

“I just wanted to give him a good experience,” explained Yzerman, who works for her trainer, Melissandre Lincourt, in Montreal.  “I got him as a seven-year old last year – he had done the seven-year-old young horse finals in Spain – and did a few 1.40m classes with him in Florida this winter.  We did the grand prix last week and had one down and, this week, he jumped double clear.  As soon as he gets in the ring and hears the buzzer, he gets his game face on.”

As for her Lazzaro, her winning mount, Yzerman commented, “He’s perfect!  He saves my butt whenever I make a mistake.  He’s grumpy in his stall; he looks like Eeyore with big ears.  When he goes in the ring, he wants to win and tries his hardest every single time.”

Having grown up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she first started riding, Yzerman holds dual citizenship and competes for Canada.  Following her victory, Yzerman planned to visit her grandparents, who live in Ottawa, and show them the video of her winning performance.

“I told them I would bring them videos only if it was good!” laughed Yzerman, who is a regular competitor at Wesley Clover Parks.  “I love the showgrounds in Ottawa, especially when the grass ring is open in the summer.  It’s always a nice show.  There are a lot of good riders, and the competition is always great.”

Arcand took third with Guibet P in the final standings and fourth with Phil v/d Wezelse Heihoeve.  Jade Lalonde of Candiac, QC, rounded out the top five after jumping clear with Kapital Creation Z but exceeding the 79-second first round time allowed for a total of two time faults.

Wesley Clover Parks will next host the Ottawa Summer Tournament I from July 2-6; the Ottawa Summer Tournament II from July 9-13; and the Ottawa National from September 11-14.

International show jumping returns to Wesley Clover Parks from August 14-17 with CSI5* and CSI2* divisions sanctioned by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).  Attracting some of the highest-ranked show jumping athletes in the world to the Nation’s Capital, the Ottawa International will showcase the $340,000 USD CSI5* RBC Grand Prix on Saturday, August 16.

Adding to the excitement of the Ottawa International, the Spurs & Sparkles Gala, presented by RBC, will kick off the week on Wednesday, August 13.  Benefitting the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation, Spurs & Sparkles offers one-of-a-kind entertainment, incredible prizes, and local craft beverages paired with delectable food from the city’s best restaurants and vendors.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.spursandsparkles.com.

Spectator tickets are also available for the Ottawa RBC Summer Tournaments in July and CSI5*/CSI2* RBC Ottawa International in August.  To purchase, visit www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/spectators.

For more information on the Ottawa Equestrian Tournaments, visit www.OttawaEquestrianTournaments.com.  All competitor information is available at www.ottawaequestriantournaments.com/calendar and full results can be found at ottawa.showmanagementsystem.com/events.

Follow @ottawaequestriantournaments Instagram page as well as Facebook for exhibitor information, show updates, results, and more.

$15,000 Grand Prix, Presented by Topline Trailers and Equipment Rentals
Saturday, May 24, 2025

Rider / Hometown / Horse / Faults / Time
1.  Maria Yzerman / Montreal, QC / Lazzaro / 0:0 / 36.45
2.  Maria Yzerman / Montreal, QC / Pepe 348 / 0:0 / 40.56
3.  David Arcand / Boisbriand, QC / Guibet P / 0:4 / 37.27
4.  David Arcand / Boisbriand, QC / Phil v/h Wezelse Heihoeve / 0:8 / 37.45
5.  Jade Lalonde / Candiac, QC / Kapital Creation Z / 2
6.  Stephanie Bourassa / Laval, QC / Guss de Kergane / 4
7.  Sophia Nihon Millar / Perth, ON / Marty McFly / 5
8.  Emy Descôteaux / Mercier, QC / Lena d’Obolensky de Plan d’Eau / 8
9.  Alexandra Mitchell / Mallorytown, ON / Casallco Aurora / 8
10.  Jasmyne Tanguay / Levis, QC / Jacrista D.S. / 9