Ottawa, ON — Ian Millar of Perth, ON, finished tied for 14th and Keean White of Cambridge, ON, placed 24th overall representing Canada at the 2009 FEI World Cup Final from April 15–19 in Las Vegas, NV.
In Thursday night’s opening speed phase, Millar finished in 28th position with a time of 67.77 seconds riding In Style, a 14-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Susan Grange and Lothlorien Farm. White, the Canadian World Cup League winner, had a time of 69.92 seconds for 31st place riding Celena Z, a nine-year-old Zangersheide mare sired owned by Ashland Group and Angelstone Farms.
Riders carried their scores forward to Friday’s competition where White and Celena Z where clear in the first round while Millar and In Style incurred four faults. At the end of two phases, White was placed 24th in the overall standings while Millar was 27th. Both White and Millar were among the top two-thirds of the competitors that moved forward to Sunday’s Final.
In Sunday’s two-round Final, Millar and In Style were clean in the first round and incurred four faults in the second round to finish the 2009 World Cup Final tied for 14th place. White and Celena Z had four faults in the first round and did not advance to the second round, ending their first World Cup bid in 24th position.
Defending champions Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany and Shutterfly won the 2009 World Cup Final for a third time, having won all three phases of competition. McLain Ward of the United States and Sapphire finished in second while Albert Zoer of the Netherlands placed third riding Okidoki.
Canada has claimed the annual World Cup Final on three occasions, setting records in the process. Mario Deslauriers of Bromont, QC, remains the youngest rider to ever win the World Cup Final, claiming victory in 1984 at the age of 19 riding Aramis. Ian Millar of Perth, ON, and his famous mount, Big Ben, became the first horse-rider combination to win back-to-back World Cup Finals in 1988 and 1989.
For more information and results from the 2009 FEI World Cup Final, please visit http://events.scg-nl.nl/2009/lasvegas/results/results.htm
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