Gary Brewster has a good luck charm, though he doesn’t know her name.
She’s a young girl who,  accompanied by her father, asked to have her photo taken with the local show jumper Friday at the Twin Oaks Derby. Brewster went on to win his event.
Then on Sunday, with her again cheering him on in the ring, he won the feature $35,000 Kubota Cup.
“I told her she has to come to all my events,” he laughed.
With the latter victory, Brewster, who trains at Twin Oaks Farm in Richmond, nailed down one of the top five spots in the Western Canadian Division of the Canadian show jumping series and the opportunity to participate in the inaugural national final to be held Nov. 5 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
It’s appropriate that Brewster team with a horse named Watermark for one of his career highlights.
“Watermark hasn’t had too many shows lately,” Brewster explained.
“We’ve been trying to get the fitness back. He had a little (back) injury and he just (began to jump again) Thursday. It was a big gamble riding him but luckily it worked out.”
Brewster and Watermark, 28th in order among 34 entries, forced a jump off by becoming just the second tandem to go clear in the first round. For a long time it seemed as though Surrey’s Tosca Kochen and Newton, the fourth team to tackle the course, would be the only one to emerge without any faults. But in the jump off, Kochen and Newton had four faults and Brewster and Watermark seized the moment with another clear showing.
“I knew a nice clear round would win it, but that was hard enough,”
Brewster said. I was hoping he had enough adrenaline left in him because his gas tank was pretty empty.”
The derby course was designed by Victoria’s Peter Holmes, who is increasingly in demand internationally because of his reputation for setting interesting and challenging tests. The only derby course in the Kubota Cup series, it is also long and unique with many natural obstacles not seen indoors or on grand prix courses.
Holmes delivered on a promise to design a course ensuring the best horse and rider on the day was successful.
Despite questioning the eight-year-old gelding’s fitness level, Brewster said he had no doubt about Watermark’s heart.
“He’s laid back and a bit of a coach potato, but while the derby course is extremely long with the uphill and downhill challenges, he’s a horse that always finds a little extra to give. He suits myself because he doesn’t hold any grudges. One of his best traits is just how solid and reliable he is, which is why I could take a gamble.”
Brewster added that Sunday’s victory was aided by the atmosphere at the show.
“I think there’s just a big buzz in the air, the excitement of having Kubota here,” he said. “That brings a whole new atmosphere to the show and to the competitors. It’s just a great feeling to be able to go out there and do well in a Kubota class.”
A record crowd of 3,500 lined the bleachers and fences surrounding the main ring. And Brewster said their presence had a significant impact in the result. |
