LESLIE BURR HOWARD, a member of America's silver medal show jumping team at the Atlanta Olympics last month, drew first blood at the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary yesterday sweeping to victory in a 16 horse jump off to write her name on the $6,000 Canadian winner's cheque.
But weather conditions at the Canadian venue were substantially cooler than in Georgia, with temperatures' plummeting to four degrees. centigrade forcing organisers, volunteers and the sprinkling of spectators that braved the chilled expanses of the grandstand to adopt clothing more reminiscent of a ski resort than the sun gear that usually characterises the Spruce Meadows fixture.
The 39 year old Connecticut jockey kept her temperature well up however, warmed both by the exertion on the jump off and the thrill of victory, but she had her, work cut out against a star studded field before nailing the trophy.
It was Holland's Jos Lansink who set the early target, stopping the clock on 42.11, but the first of Ireland's two challengers Captain John Ledingham swiftly slashed off a full second to snatch the lead with Kilbaha, the horse whose travel sickness forced Ledingham to miss out on his Olympic debut.
The Army, rider's advantage was a shortlived one however. Britain's Michael Whitaker and Two Step, who galloped into the arena as Kilbaha trotted out, are always serious contenders against the clock and Whitaker is using these, early classes to hone himself for his defence of the du Maurier International that closes the show on Sunday.
The British ace snaked his way round the twisting test set by Venezuelan course designer Lopoldo Palacios and stopping the clock on 39.84. was the first to break the 40 second barrier and, in the process, relegated Ledingham to second.
But Ledingham was destined for a further downward slide, which was only arrested once Holland's Piet Raymakers and Burr Howard had put in their bids for the top slot to leave Ledingham and Kilbaha fourth in the line up.
Raymakers and Jewel's Emerald clocked 40.75 to slot in between Whitaker and Ledingham but, second last to go, Burr Howard and the nine year old Selle Francais mare swept round the track and, with a fifth of a second in hand over the British rider, pushed everyone down another place.
European champion Peter Charles started off in flying style with La Ina, but a daring angled approach at the third saw the Belgian gelding trail a hind leg across the top pole and, when another rail hit the deck two from home, all hope of a share of the prize fund was gone.
Robert Splaine, who clocked up 8.25 with his Hickstead Speed Grand Prix winner Convent Hill Diamond in the first round, so nearly stretched the jump off to 17 horses when the Duchess of York owned Ballymoss left all the fences standing only to fall foul of the tight time that characterises all Leopoldo Palacios' courses.
Kerrygold Grand Prix winners Eddie Macken and FAN Schalkhaar also missed the timed round with a mistake at the third and 1.75 for time. Macken upped the pace with the mare FAN La Bamba, but she too returned a four faulter to keep the German based jockey out of the decider.
