November 7, 2022 
It took a decade, but it was a decade well spent for Canada’s Ali Ramsay.
The Victoria, B.C.-based rider, 31, led from start to finish aboard Bonita vh Keizershof Z in the Canadian Show Jumping Championship, claiming the 2022 title at the 100th edition of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.
“I was just thinking about how, 10 years ago, I won the CET Medal Final, and that was the last time I actually won a class at The Royal,” Ramsay said. “I’ve jumped here probably six times in the last 10 years, and had good placings, but never won. So, 10 years later, here we are.”
The $125,000 Henry Equestrian Canadian Show Jumping Championship was held over two phases on Friday and Saturday nights. Having competed for $25,000 in prize money during the opening speed round on Friday, riders returned to the Coca-Cola Coliseum in reverse order to tackle the $100,000, two-round finale. Ramsay won Friday’s opening speed round, earning the advantage of being the final competitor to jump on Saturday.
“I thought the course rode pretty straightforward in the sense that there weren’t really questions on the striding in the lines,” Ramsay said of the Michel Vaillancourt-designed track. “Watching everyone else maybe just reassured me of my plan.”
Canada’s Tiffany Foster took home Reserve Champion on Northern Light. Susan Horn of Bolton, ON took third aboard Kirlo van den Bosrand. All three riders have now qualified to return for the star-studded CSI5*-W international show jumping, beginning on Wednesday, November 9 at the Royal.
Ramsay has been partnered with Bonita vh Keizershof Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide mare, since 2019. This June, the pair were also victorious in the CSI 4* 1.50m Welcome Stake at Traverse City Horse Shows in Michigan.
“She felt even better tonight, if that’s possible,” Ramsay said of her mare’s Royal performance on Day 2. “The whole game of this championship is consistency, and [she] felt amazing.”
