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Canadian Olympic Show Jumpers in the Heat of Battle for Medals

August 17, 2008

Hong Kong, China --- It was a wide open contest to the end, but Canada's equestrians will advance to tomorrow's team show jumping medal final in a tie for fourth place. They are virtually assured of Canada's best team show jumping finish in twenty years.

After round one, the U.S. and Switzerland share a tie for top spot (12 faults each). A minute margin separates those two teams from the Swedes (13), and less than one knockdown behind is Canada and Great Britain (16 each).

Schomberg, Ontario's Eric Lamaze on Hickstead is in a two-way tie for the lead in qualifying for Thursday's individual medal final. He shares that lead with American McLain Ward, both with a perfect score of 0.

Tonight's course proved to be an unyielding test of precision riding and positions continued to shuffle right to the last entry. Perth, Ontario's Ian Millar rode in the pressure position tonight, after team-mates Mac Cone on Ole and Jill Henselwood on Special Ed had already incurred faults. But Lamaze gave the team a big boost with one of the day's few faultless rides. With little room for error, Millar and In Style had just one knockdown, keeping the team in the top-four. "An awful lot can change in the second round of any nations cup (team competition)", Millar remarked, looking towards tomorrow. "We have to be pleased with the position we are in, but this is a tight race. There is no room for error".

Nine teams will advance to tomorrow's team medal final, instead of the eight originally scheduled, due to a tie. Only 8 faults, or two knockdowns, separates first and eighth place. The Netherlands and Norway are right on Canada's heels, both just one time-fault behind.

"I knew he could do it", an elated Lamaze beamed about Hickstead. Lamaze is known for always giving his horse the credit, although it is widely thought that few riders could have forged the same partnership with this sensitive stallion. Lamaze had to watch sixty-seven other competitors before he had his turn today, watching many of them virtually demolish the course.

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