Fraser-Beaulieu executed an electrifying floorplan that kept the Coca-Cola Coliseum crowd on the edge of its seats.
Toronto, Ontario – Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of St. Bruno, QC, won the $20,000 Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W riding up-and-coming mount Jaccardo with a score of 77.520% on Tuesday, November 11, at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.
Fraser-Beaulieu executed an electrifying floorplan that kept the Coca-Cola Coliseum crowd on the edge of its seats to the aptly chosen selection of Brittany Spears tunes. With an expressive extended trot, Jaccardo brought Fraser-Beaulieu down the final center line on artistic scores of 80% or above from four of the five judges. The final halt in front of Stephen Clarke, President of the Ground Jury and Judge at C, marked the second-ever CDI Freestyle performance for Jaccardo, an 11-year-old Dutch-bred gelding (Desperado x Broere Jazz) owned by Jill Irving.
Canadian Olympian Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of St. Bruno, QC, rode Jill Irving’s Jaccardo to win the $20,000 CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle on Tuesday, November 11, at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
“It’s really fun music and he settles right in and loves it,” said Fraser-Beaulieu of how quickly Jaccardo learned their freestyle designed by Great Britian’s Tom Hunt. “I thought my one tempis on the centerline were very good, and my pirouettes were great. The whole flow of it felt nice. This is only his second time showing inside and I am so proud of him for going in there. Tonight, he acted like it was no big deal, and that’s what I’m most proud of; learning and growing.”
Jaccardo joined Fraser-Beaulieu’s string at the start of the 2023 season after Irving purchased the gelding in Wellington, FL. Two years later, they were champions of the 2025 Wellington Future Challenge for developing grand prix horses and are now well on their way to finding success at the top level.
“No matter what happens in the ring, I drop my reins, and he has a walk that’s a nine,” continued Fraser-Beaulieu, a member of the 2021 Canadian Olympic team in Tokyo. “He shows no tension in the walk and that is a huge bonus for me in the ring. I’m super excited for our future.”
Camille Carier Bergeron of Laval, QC, trains with Fraser-Beaulieu and finished a close second to her coach. Recently named the Canadian Dressage Athlete of the Year for 2025, Bergeron danced her way into the runner-up position riding Finnlanderin, a 15-year-old Oldenburg mare (Fidertanz 2 x Donnerhall 11) she owns together with Gilles Bergeron, on a score of 75.275%.
Camille Carier Bergeron of Laval, QC, finished runner-up riding Finnlanderin in the $20,000 CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle at Toronto’s Royal Horse Show. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
Rounding out the top three, Canada’s Denielle Gallagher of Morriston, FL, rode her and Ellen Lazarus’ 13-year-old buckskin Lusitano gelding, Come Back de Massa (Galopin de la Font x Quixote SDS), to music inspired by the movie “Spirit”. Their final score tallied at 73.175%, a personal best.
The FEI Dressage World Cup™ Toronto CDI-W is a qualifying event for the 2026 FEI World Cup™ Finals taking place next April in Fort Worth, Texas. While Fraser-Beaulieu earned valuable World Cup qualifying points, she plans to see how the winter season unfolds before making plans to attend.
Earlier in the evening, Kristjan Good of Campbellville, ON, doubled down riding Levi VDL for owner John Kimmel to win the $25,000 Knightwood Hunter Derby. The pair posted the only score to break 90 with a 94 that was combined with 10 high performance and nine handy bonus points to finish on a total of 113 from a starting field of 20 horses.
Coupled with a win on Sunday in the $25,000 Braeburn Farms Hunter Derby, Good and the nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Arrezzo VDL secured the Lorna Jean Guthrie Challenge Trophy awarded to the Canadian Hunter Derby National Champion.\
Kristjan Good of Campbellville, ON, riding Levi VDL was presented with the Lorna Jean Guthrie Challenge Trophy as the Canadian Hunter Derby National Champion by Liza and Lorna Margaret “Muffie” Guthrie on Tuesday, November 11, at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
“It means the world to me,” said Good of his back-to-back victories and eventual national title. “I’ve got one done in the past but never been able to win both. The atmosphere here—there’s nothing like it, and it’s so special out there. I loved the course; it was very open and allowed you to gallop, which I’m a big fan of, so it was up my alley for sure.”
Levi VDL was competing in the jumper ring at the start of the 2024 season before making the switch to hunters. Good explained, “He loves the hunter ring, and he looks like a hunter with scope for days. He was always getting time faults in the jumpers, but his jump is what we needed in the hunters. He found his calling.”
Closing out the evening’s spotlight on the hunter discipline, 19-year-old Kyleigh Whitwell of Oshawa, ON, riding Evinrude du Gibet for owner Mark Hayes, was presented with The Posh Award. The special honour is given to the highest scoring junior/amateur rider in the Canadian Hunter Derby Championship, generously sponsored by Cawthra Burns in recognition of her beloved hunter, Posh.
The Royal Horse Show continues Wednesday, November 12, by welcoming international show jumping stars from around the world as anticipation builds for the $280,000 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto, presented by Ecclestone Horse Transport, on Saturday, November 15.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the 2025 Royal Horse Show, visit www.royalfair.org/horse-show/.
Photo of the Day
From the Coca-Cola Coliseum
Mathilde Candele, 16, of Orangeville, ON, riding Origi vd Bisschop won the 2025 JC Medal National Final on Tuesday, November 11, at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON. Pictured standing (from left to right) is Nick Sutcliffe, Equestrian Canada Board of Directors; Kelsey McDonell, Equestrian Canada Youth Teams Coordinator; and Meghan McDonald presenting the Leslie and Elsie Usherwood Memorial Trophy. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography
About The Royal
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is the world’s largest combined indoor agricultural and equestrian event. The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair runs November 7-16, 2025, at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada. For competition schedules, live webcasting, results, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.royalfair.org.
Source: Jump Media