In The News - 1998

Press Release - April 8th, 1999

Media Release
For Immediate Release
April 8th, 1999

- 1999 Talent Squad victor, Christi McQuaker, 27, of Schomberg, ON, had more than one trip to the winner's circle at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair held in Brandon, MB, last weekend. McQuaker and the 11 year old Holsteiner mare, Fly by Night, owned by the Gryphon Syndicate, captured both the $14,300 ATCO Cup and the feature event, the $22,700 Brandon Sun Grand Prix.

Press Release - April 7th, 1999
The Weekly
April 7th, 1999

"McQuaker hopes to earn spot on Canadian Pan Am Team"

ESPRESSO THYME - owned by the Espresso Thyme Syndicate of Schomberg. 2nd - McKenzie Seeds Power & Speed. 4th - Coca-Cola Horse & Dog Relay.

FLY by NIGHT - owned by the Gryphon Syndicate of Schomberg. 1st - Atco Cup (out of 30 competitors). 7th - Royal Bank Cup. 1st - Brandon Sun Grand Prix (out of 27 competitors) - feature event of the show.

The RMWF attracts top riders from Ontario, the US and western Canada.

Christi McQuaker (daughter of Burt and Linda Pabst of Schomberg) owns and manages Gryphon Farms in Schomberg, Ontario where she trains and teaches, specializing in the areas of hunters and jumpers.

Last year, she and Fly by Night finished at the top of the 1998 National Talent Squad Championships, a national development series used to identify future Canadian Equestrian Team members.

She is currently planning to attend the national team selection trials at Spruce Meadows, Calgary and Bromont, Quebec for a spot on Canada's Pan Am Games team.

Brandon Sun - April 4th, 1999
"Fly by Night takes title after jumpoff in Sun Grand Prix"

With the Trans-Canada Highway west of Brandon closed Saturday night, had Christi McQuaker wanted to visit her inlaws in Virden she only could have gotten there by horseback or snowmobile.

McQuaker likely would have chosen her appropriately named mount - Fly by Night - to make the trip west after they both sizzled their way to top spot in the $23,000 Brandon Sun Grand Prix - the final and most lucrative open jumper event at the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

She took home $5,000 for the win, which was her second of the week. McQuaker won first-prize money in Thursday night's ATCO Cup.

"It was my first win in a Grand Prix, so it feels great," McQuaker said following the win. "It certainly makes it worthwhile coming out here. It was a good week for us, for sure."

Eight riders successfully completed the Dale Holmes-designed course, a very high number for such a big money event. Riders had to negotiate 12 jumps that included 10 singles, one double and one triple. They had 93 seconds to perform flawlessly and qualify for the jumpoff.

McQuaker and Fly by Night looked like they were flying last night. Eight competitors qualified fir the jumpoff, and after Lisa Lubitz set the pace aboard Sligo Bay in the money round with a time of 35.61 seconds, it looked like victory could be hers. Then Jonathan Asselin, aboard Chrysler Domini, grabbed top spot with a run of 34.29 seconds.

McQuaker then demolished that time, blazing through the course in 31.37 seconds.

I had planned to do all the inside turns and just go as fast as I could and leave the jumps up." McQuaker said. "You just gotta hope you can leave them up going that fast."

Karen Cudmore, of Omaha, Neb., followed McQuaker and almost grabbed her third win of the week, but could only put up a time of 31.90 seconds. Cudmore's run had McQuaker shaking in her boots.

"I thought (Cudmore) had it for sure," said McQuaker, who was competing in only her second Royal this week.

The 27 year old native of Schomberg, ON., had not ridden Fly by Night since November, so she was hoping to have a good week. She wasn't expecting to have a great week.

"I was just hoping to be consistent and have a good week, but this is certainly better than I thought I would ever do," said McQuaker, who married Virden's Mac McQuaker three and a half years ago.

- McQuaker hopes her performance this week will be a good indication of things to come for her on the horse-jumping circuit this summer.

"It's a great way to start our season off and hopefully we can keep going from here."

The Rider
Dec, 1998/Jan, 1999

"Christi McQuaker Flies to Top of Talent Squad Standings"
- Ottawa, Ontario - Christi McQuaker, 27, of Kettleby, ON, captured the 1998 Talent Squad following the Final at the recent Royal Horse Show.

Riding Fly by Night, a Holsteiner mare owned by the Gryphon Syndicate, McQuaker placed seventh in the Talent Squad Final held November 12 at the Royal. This earned her 53.2 points, which moved her up from third position to the top of the standings with a total of 166.6 points.

The Talent Squad is a means of recognizing up-and-coming riders who are preparing to enter the grand prix ranks and demonstrate the ability to become future members of the Canadian Equestrian team. Proving this theory, McQuaker was short-listed to the 1998-99 Canadian Show Jumping Team.

- The top two riders in the standings, McQuaker and Asselin, have been awarded airfare to the 1999 World Cup Final in Gluteborg, Sweden, next April. These Talent Squad members will travel for the purpose of professional development under the guidance of High Performance Director, Michel Vaillncourt. They will gain valuable insight as they watch Canada's representatives, Mario Deslauriers, Eric Lamaze and John Pearce compete against the best show jumpers in the world.