"It's just about an absence of errors," Millar said. "You just have to go out and not make mistakes."
For the third time in her career, Amy Millar was named the $125,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Champion, emerging on top of the multi-round Championship Saturday night at the Royal Horse Show with her longtime partner, Christiano.
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.
Amy Millar and Christiano. All photos by Ben Radvanyi Photography
Rising from third after Friday's opening competition, a pair of clear efforts Saturday propelled Millar and Christiano to the top of the leaderboard, and they finished the Championship on just .55 penalties. Kassidy Keith and Havana finished second on 1.04 penalties, with overnight leaders Sean Jobin and Grande Dame DK third on 4 penalties.
"It's just about an absence of errors," Millar said. "You just have to go out and not make mistakes. Being third [after the first round], I had to get a little lucky that the others did have a little mistake, and so everything worked out for me today."
Photo at Left: Kassidy Keith & Havana
Friday's first round was a speed challenge, testing athletes with a faults-converted format, while Saturday's final was a technical two-round competition, with the top six riders advancing to the third and final round of jumping.
Initially, Saturday's first round shook up the overnight leaderboard; Jobin and Grande Dame DK pulled the back rail of the final oxer, while Keith and Havana's clear effort rose them up the standings. That pair of riders, along Jay Hayes, Sam Pegg, and Dylan Munro joined Millar for the final round of jumping. Remarkably, Millar's five competitors all jumped clear over Bernardo Costa Cabral's (POR) final short course, leaving Millar with no option but to produce a faultless effort of her own to win. She delivered under pressure, showing her deep championship experience.
"It's truly a Championship, and that's why I believe that the Canadian Championships are so important to the Royal and so important to Canadian athletes," Millar explained. "You have to go in three times in a row and not make a mistake, which is very different than what we do on a regular basis. Every class is a new day for us, usually. This is the best way to get practice in that type of a pressure situation."
Sean Jobin & Gande Dame DK.
For Millar, choosing Christiano as her partner for the Championships was an easy choice. The 16-year-old gelding was produced by Millar's father, 12-time Canadian Champion Ian Millar, before his retirement from competitive show jumping in 2019. At that point, Amy took the reins; the pair boasts 19 international victories on their resume.
"I just wanted to ride Christiano, because I know exactly what he's going to do, and he really enjoys this type of competition, and he's fast, and he's careful," Millar gushed. "He loves it out there. He loves when the people cheer for him...He just got better and better."
Between father and daughter, there are now an impressive 15 Canadian Championship titles in the Millar family.
"The Royal is such a special place," Amy said. "It's a very, very important show for my whole family, and I'm always honored to be here."
Full Results: https://www.longinestiming.com/equestrian/2026/royal-agricultural-winter-fair-toronto/resultlist_CH.html
SOURCE The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair