Urban wins 4 straight titles at Winter Fair

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This article was published 02/04/2024 (902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair concluded with a climax of triumph and applause on Saturday evening as Danielle Urban, riding her saddled companion L’Amant Van De Zeilhoek, clinched victory in the prestigious Wawanesa Insurance Grand Prix.

Urban’s feat marked her fourth consecutive win at the fair, cementing her status as a force to be reckoned with in the world of equestrian sport.

“It’s been an amazing week for me because it’s every horse person’s dream to be able to have a great week like this,” Urban told the Sun in an interview on Saturday. “I’m proud of my horses and feeling very lucky and blessed to be able to do this — and being back here in Canada is awesome.”

Currently living in Omaha, Neb., Urban has been dedicated to show jumping for the past 30 years, with nearly two decades of professional experience under her belt.

At last week’s Winter Fair, Urban made history winning four titles in a row.

“This is not my first time of winning, but I’ve not won this many in a row before,” she said. “I won Tuesday night’s Manitoba Cup, Thursday night’s ATCO Cup. I won last night’s Playnow (Challenge) competition and I won tonight.”

The magnitude of Urban’s triumph was not lost on Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba president Clint Swain, as he described her performance as “very special.”

“We had some pretty high-end calibre competition here for open jumpers, and Danielle Urban was able to take four straight and that is very special because she’s one of our travellers who came from the United States,” Swain told the Sun. “That’s a new achievement for us and I don’t know if that’s been done previously. Congratulations to her, for sure.”

Accolades were also bestowed on Jim Andrey, a dedicated volunteer whose unwavering commitment to the fair was recognized with the Volunteer Award.

“There’s so many people that deserve it more than I do, but I guess I’ll take it,” Andrey said. “This will be my eighth year as a volunteer.”

Reflecting on the differences between this year’s edition of the Winter Fair and previous ones, Andrey noted, “We have some new displays and some more stuff for the kids … We’re always changing it, so it’s always something new to see. We learn things every year and try to change it up and listen to what the feedback is for us, and then we move forward.”

Swain assessed this year’s fair as a success, noting the increase in attendance compared to recent years.

“It’ll take us a couple of days to crunch the numbers, but we’re very happy with the turnout,” Swain said, adding that the tabulations are contracted out, “so until we receive those reports, we can’t provide a definitive comment on attendance.”

But as an example, Swain cited Friday night’s attendance, saying the fair had about 2,000 more attendees than last year’s Friday.

“So the arena was packed. That’s a good sign for our event and exhibition.”

New features introduced this year to enhance the fair experience included broadcasting initiatives like Clip My Horse and Showgrounds Live.

“The feedback we received was exceptional, with viewers praising the high quality and high-definition feed,” Swain said.

On areas for improvement, Swain said there is a need to refine some scheduling aspects of the fair, though he noted that setbacks are inevitable in a live show.

“We aim to enhance our monitoring processes and keep visitors informed of any delays more effectively,” he said.

The presence of Wawanesa Insurance as a major sponsor added a layer of prestige to the event, with representative Abbie Smith commending the fair’s impact on the community.

“We sponsor both for Monday night Gamblers’ Choice and then also the Saturday evening Grand Prix as well,” said Smith, emphasizing the company’s commitment to supporting local initiatives.

Looking ahead, Swain expressed optimism for the future, saying, “We’ll listen to what is out there as we go to different fairs and see what they’re doing. We’re learning all the time, so try to make the show better every year.”

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