Klugman secured quick, efficient clear rounds on Derek di Grazia’s course.
BROMONT, QC - June 7, 2025 - It was Australian rider Ema Klugman’s day to shine at the MARS Bromont CCI, taking over the top two spots on the podium following cross-country in the CCI4*-L.
Klugman, who is coming off successful runs at Defender Kentucky’s CCI4*S in April with both RF Redfern (owned by Team Fern) and Chiraz (owned by the Chiraz Syndicate), secured quick, efficient clear rounds today on Derek di Grazia’s course to move up in the standings after overnight leader Lauren Nicholson and Larcot Z collected a few too many time penalties to retain their position.
Australia's Ema Klugman and RF Redfern lead the CCI4*-L in the MARS Bromont CCI following the completion of Saturday's cross-country phase at the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park. © Cealy Tetley Photo
“‘Fern’ was great. I’m super proud of her," Klugman commented after her rides. RF Redfern, a 12-year-old Westphalian mare by Any Given Sunday, is the division leader, carrying a two-day score of 31.8. “This is her first four-star long, and I’ve always believed in her and thought she was an incredible little horse. But oftentimes horses have to develop their own self-belief, and she was just absolutely incredible–she totally rose to the occasion, and she loves to go fast. So, you know, if she’s going, she’s going to be fast.”
Chiraz (below), a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Cayado 3 who was campaigned to the CCI3* level with Boyd Martin, will take second place into show jumping on Sunday on a score of 34.4.
Australia's Ema Klugman and Chiraz. © Cealy Tetley Photo
“He did Kentucky and was awesome there, so I felt like we were really prepared coming here,” Klugman said of Chiraz, who was her first ride of the day. “I’ve had the ride on him for just about a year and a half. To be honest, it wasn’t totally smooth sailing in the beginning. He’s a little tricky to ride sometimes — he’s got a bit of personality — so we had to figure out where to meet in the middle. But he gave me an amazing ride today. I actually made a couple of mistakes on him — dumb mistakes — and I’m really, really impressed with him because even despite my mistakes, he totally stepped up. He kind of took the reins and just went for it.”
Klugman opted to come to Bromont for her horses’ first CCI4*-L competitions because she feels it’s a good test of their viability for future CCI5* competitions–and she loves riding Derek di Grazia’s courses.
“I think if you want a horse to become a five-star horse, you’ve got to put them in situations like this and kind of see if you’ve done all the training, and if they’re ready to dig deep for you,” she said. “I also think there aren’t that many opportunities to ride Derek di Grazia courses. He does Kentucky, Burghley — so it’s not like he’s designing events every month. I think he’s one of the best designers out there. These horses, I’d like them to be Kentucky five-star horses, and so it just makes sense.”
Jessica Phoenix claimed the top spot of the leaderboard in the CCI4*-S with Charlotte Schickedanz’s Freedom GS. © Cealy Tetley Photo
Three-time Canadian Olympian Jessica Phoenix claimed the top spot of the leaderboard in the CCI4*-S with Charlotte Schickedanz’s Freedom GS (above), a 13-year-old Oldenburg/Trakehner mare with whom she partnered at the Paris Olympics in 2024. In July, Phoenix will travel to Germany with support from a High Performance Grant from Equestrian Canada to compete at the prestigious CHIO Aachen CCI4*-S. For Phoenix, today was the perfect prep tour ahead of the trip. She will move forward to show jumping on a score of 44.7.
“I think as a preparation for Aachen, you couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Phoenix said. “She had some really good questions out there, had a super fitness run, and she just loves this job so much. It’s so fun to take her around the course — she was so keen. It’s such a beautifully presented course, and the jumps are just really put in interesting places, so it’s a great day to train the horses. The terrain adds such a level of complexity.”
Boyd Martin and Malmo Mob’s Kolbeinn. © Cealy Tetley Photo
Boyd Martin reclaimed the lead in the CCI3*-L – albeit on a different horse than he initially led the dressage with – and now has possession of the top two positions in the standings with Malmo Mob’s Kolbeinn (above), a 9-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding, leading the way on a score of 24.7. The Fetiche Des Rouges Syndicate’s Fetiche Des Rouges (below) is currently in second on a score of 30.3. For those following along, these are the same two horses Boyd finished 1-2 with in last year's CCI2*-L, just currently reversed in the standings.
“He’s a ripper!” Martin, the current World #5 rider, said of Kolbeinn. “He’s pretty green — he’s only done three Intermediates — and I didn’t know what to expect, but he’s a very, very good-natured horse. He got tired, but not ‘empty’ tired, and felt like he read all the jumps well. I was very, very pleased that he snuck under the time, so we’re in good shape for tomorrow.”
“They’re just opposites,” Martin said of his two rides. “[Fetiche Des Rouges] is... I mean, he could go to the races. He’s so fast and nippy — and he’s wild. He’s running at the jumps, throwing his head around, and I mean, I love it. He reminds me a lot of [his CCI5* horse] Luke 140 — same sort of thing. I’ve got to tame him down a bit because he’s lightning fast, but I have to slow him down so much in front of the jumps. So we’ve got a fair bit of training to do, but he’ll be a big-time five-star horse. I think he’s got that — just that grit and sort of the right amount of crazy.”
Boyd Martin and Fetiche Des Rouges. © Cealy Tetley Photo
Ivie Cullen-Dean and Fernhill Cardavega. © Cealy Tetley Photo
Just one combination remains after cross-country in the U25 CCI3*-L division: dressage leader Ivie Cullen-Dean and Fernhill Cardavega (above) who will take their lead into Sunday’s finale. Cullen-Dean sits on a current score of 61.4 with just time penalties accumulated in today’s competition.
For Cullen-Dean, who has produced Fernhill Cardavega from his first events to this point, today was full of rewards. “He was fantastic. It’s his first three-long. I think Sara [Kozumplik] was the announcer, and she said it best, that I was wishing I had one less gallop for conditioning! He was very keen and ready to go, but he jumped around clear and super, and I couldn’t have asked him to be any better. He’s so bold, and what more could you ask for from an eight-year-old?”
The 2024 MARS Bromont Rising participant was full of pride as her day concluded; this weekend marks her return back to the level for the first time in about six years. “The last time I was doing a three-star long (competition) was back in 2019, so to come here now with a horse that I’ve produced since the beginning, and for him to run clear, very fit, and very confident — it just feels like I’ve done the right steps along the way, which I’m very proud of. Because it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Colleen Loach and Chiaro Z Excalibur. © Cealy Tetley Photo
Canadian Olympian Colleen Loach is now in charge of the CCI2*-L division, riding Peter Barry’s Chiaro Z Excalibur (above), a 7-year-old Zanghersheide gelding, to a fast clear to sit on a 30.6 penalty score.
“We’re kind of a new partnership still,” Loach said. I got him in December from Sabrina Glaser, a fellow Canadian in B.C., who produced him in a lovely way. I feel like we’ve gelled a little bit from the beginning. He was really super out there today. Very straightforward on it. There were a few times where I took a half halt — and maybe, in hindsight, didn’t need to — but just not knowing him that well yet, I chose to take the safe way.”
Loach also commented on her preference to bring developing horses here to Bromont to make the most of Derek di Grazia’s designs and the terrain on the property. “The horses come out more educated than they go in. And I think for me, having him do a long-format at this level was important — especially on this terrain — to give him that base and find out how he handles it right from the beginning. I think that’s a very valuable tool.”
Mandolin Whitten and Cooley Easy Trip. © Cealy Tetley Photo
MARS Bromont Rising participant Mandolin Whitten moved up from third to claim the lead in the U25 CCI2*-L aboard Roland Millican's Cooley Easy Trip (above) on a score of 31.1. This trip represents Whitten's first CCI2*-L ever, and to find herself atop the leader board is icing on the cake of a great experience on cross-country.
"He was just such a beast," she said. "He’s so full of heart and had run in him the whole way around. It’s definitely a lot of work out there, but he really does make it feel easy—he’s just a really good horse. The name suits him! I thought [going into the lead] might be a possibility, but the goal was just to get around with a positive, confident ride. My trainer, Gabby Dickerson, actually made this our big goal when we first started working with him and his owner, Roland. As the spring went on, it just felt like the right move—and it’s been great."
Spectators were treated to a second performance by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride unit on Saturday evening, and Sunday brings the grand finale as the competitors will tackle Brody Robertson’s show jumping tracks to determine placings, beginning at 9:30 am with the CCI2*. Prior to that, the Long format horses will be inspected by the Ground Jury at 8am to ensure fitness to conclude the competition.
About Bromont Eventing
Bromont, which has featured top competitions for four decades at the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park, welcomes some of the best horse-and-rider combinations across three competitions this summer: the MARS Bromont CCI4*, ‘Little Bromont’ and the August Bromont CCI4*.
Located in the beautiful village of Bromont, Quebec, the spectator-friendly venue is within easy driving distance of Montreal, Quebec and Burlington Vermont.
With a venue among the best in the world and cross-country courses designed by Derek DiGrazia (USA) and Jay Hambly (CAN), eventing at Bromont offers a true test for horse and rider in the perfect ‘summer resort’ setting. Brody Robertson (USA) is the show jumping course designer.
The RCMP Musical Ride will perform twice during the 2025 MARS Bromont CCI, the afternoon of Friday June 6 and Saturday June 7. Competition will run all day and the pre-show ahead of the Musical Ride will begin at approximately 5:00pm. Following each performance, the public will be able to “meet and greet” the horses and officers. Thanks to the generous support of the City of Bromont, there will be no charge for admission or parking all weekend.
For more information please visit www.bromonthorsetrials.com.
About MARS EQUESTRIAN™
MARS EQUESTRIAN™ Sponsorship, funded by Mars, Incorporated is the link between these iconic brands and the equestrian community. For generations, Mars has celebrated a rich equestrian heritage, and through purposeful partnerships, MARS EQUESTRIAN Sponsorship is committed to the sport and building an enduring legacy. From world-class competitions across all equestrian disciplines, to stewarding the power of horses on society and sustainability, the MARS EQUESTRIAN Brand is dedicated to our purpose to improve the lives of horses, pets, and the people who love them. For more information please visit www.marsequestrian.com and follow them at @marsequestrian.
The Bromont Horse Trials are made possible in part through a contribution from Sport Canada. The Bromont organizing committee also wishes to thank the Government of Quebec, and the City of Bromont for their support.
Source: Michelle Dunn Media