King’s Badcock dominates jumpers at Caledon events

July 9, 2014 · 0 Comments

Neil Badcock placed third on his mount Corrido in the $10,000 Leon’s Furniture Orangeville Grand Prix on Sunday after the pair won the $5,000 Open Welcome presented by System Fences on Friday.
Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography

By Mark Pavilons
A King equestrian is on a tear.
Neil Babcock, competing after recent heart surgery, has come back with a vengeance.
Babcock was a star at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park as it wrapped up its second phase of the Caledon Premier on Sunday.
Michelle Vandal topped the list last week with two big wins on Christina Woodley’s Travola, taking home both Thursday’s $5,000 1.35m Jumper Stake, presented by System Fencing, and beating out a field of 24 in $10,000 Leon’s Furniture Orangeville Grand Prix on Sunday (July 6).
Neil Badcock of King City was a standout at several events.
Badcock once again had a big week on Corrido, owned by Jessie Bonisteel, winning their third straight big-money class in Friday’s $5,000 Open Welcome Jumper, after having already claimed the Phase One $5,000 Open Welcome and $10,000 Caledon Premier I Modified Grand Prix the previous week.
Friday’s win put an exclamation mark on an what has been an incredible comeback for Badcock, who just 11 weeks ago had open-heart surgery to correct a previously undiagnosed and life-threatening congenital condition.
“I was probably feeling symptoms of the actual heart issue for many years and didn’t even know it, but just put it down to fatigue from working too hard or overexertion. In some regards I feel better than new; I feel tremendous,” said Badcock.
“Friday was a great class,” he added. “I’m really happy with the horse, he’s giving me 100 per cent.”
The hunters took centre stage at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park recently for the first phase of the Caledon Premier Series, featuring two always-exciting Hunter Derby classes.
Badcock impressed on his mount Corrido. They took both the $5,000 Open Jumper Welcome and the $10,000 Caledon Premiere Phase One 2014 Grand Prix.
“Today’s ride was really a gift from the horse to me. (Corrido) is a wonderful horse,” said Badcock of his ride on the previous Sunday. “Whenever you have good competitors in the field it always makes you rise to the occasion, and there’s always a little luck involved, too. It was a good field to jump off against.”
“He’s a seven-year-old Holsteiner. I’ve only had him for about a year, and he’s stepped up a lot this year from the metre-twenty-fives to the metre-forties. He’s probably one of the more special ones I’ve ever had,” said Badcock of Corrido.
The ring also played host to two Hunter Derby classes, starting with Natasha Skupsky taking the $3,000 three-foot OHJA Junior-Amateur Hunter Derby on Affidavit, owned by Amatoville Enterprises Inc.
Toronto’s Cawthra Burns followed that up by beating out a field of 31 and winning the $3,000 J. Gibson Design Canadian Hunter Derby, part of the Canadian Hunter Derby Series, on her longtime mount Posh. Caledon resident Erynn Ballard was both second and third in the class on her rides Cenerife, owned by Alison Dyer-Fagundo, and Christel Weller’s Confession, respectively.
Also on Saturday, Caledon resident Erin Ugolini, out of Sorensen Stables located in Caledon East, won the $2,500 Low Child/Adult Hunter Classic aboard Wellington, owned by Toni Hickox.
The week’s competition closed out with Olivia Wierenga of Woodstock taking home the final class of the day in the $1,500 Adena Springs Long Run TB Hunter Classic on her horse Atlantis.