"I like going first," Good confessed. "I tend to have very good luck going first."
First to go in the $25,000 Braeburn Farms Canadian Hunter Derby, Kristjan Good and Swahili van den Dries set a bar that ultimately couldn't be matched Sunday afternoon at the Royal Horse Show.
The pair jumped to victory over a field of 18 combinations, receiving a score of 103 in the first round of the Canadian Hunter Derby Championship. Good made up two-thirds of the podium, also finishing third with Quirocks (101), while Denis Sweeney and Lytton Park were second (102).
Kristjan Good and Swahili van den Dries. All photos by Ben Radvanyi Photography
The Royal Horse Show, which runs Nov. 6-15, is part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, the largest combined indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition in the world. A nine-day showcase of equestrian sport, the show features a wide variety of disciplines, from international show jumping and dressage to national show hunters, indoor eventing, and an array of unique horse breeds, with the marquee event, the CSI5*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto, set for Saturday, November 14.
"I like going first," Good confessed. "I tend to have very good luck going first."
Good put his full confidence in Swahili van den Dries' bravery, opting immediately for the handiest options on course; that confidence carried forward to a bold, mistake-free round. The judges rewarded the pair with a base score of 86 and 7 handy points. Ten additional points were awarded to the winning pair for jumping all five of the high option fences available on course.
"He's brave and he can do anything," Good said of 8-year-old Swahili van den Dries. "Both horses (Swahili van den Dries and Quirocks) followed me everywhere I wanted to go. We were on the same page, and that doesn't always happen."
Swahili van den Dries and Quirocks are also competing at the Royal with their respective owners, Sara Struk and Jennifer Lecluse, in the Amateur Owner Hunter division. The geldings stable in Burlington, Ontario at JFK Farms and meet up with Good at horse shows.
"I know I can count on them. That's the special part," Good said. "You know if it's going to be [a tough course], they'll do the job for you."
The Canadian Hunter Derby Championships conclude Tuesday, Nov. 10 with the $25,000 Knightwood Hunter Derby, after which scores from both competitions will be combined to determine the overall champion.
Full Results: https://www.longinestiming.com/equestrian/2026/royal-agricultural-winter-fair-toronto/resultlist_1601.html
SOURCE The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair