2008 Canadian Olympic Dressage Team Member Ashley Holzer Scores Double Victory at CDI Blainville

Ottawa, ONâ€”Riding before an appreciative Canadian audience, 2008 Olympic Dressage Team members Ashley Holzer and Pop Art rode to victory in both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle at the CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic, held in Blainville, QC, June 20 to 22, 2008.

Aboard Pop Art, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Amsterdam x Cabochon) owned by Ian and Moreen Nicoll and Rusty Holzer, Holzerâ€™s experience shined through during the Freestyle. The pair beautifully executed a program to a musical mix that included Disneyâ€™s Epcot Center Fireworks show, and tunes from the National Treasure movie soundtrack, to score 77.150. The previous day, Holzer and Pop Art led the way in the Grand Prix test demonstrating accurate and dynamic execution to finish first with a score of 71.833%.

â€œI am thrilled with the changes in my freestyle. The increase of my degree of difficulty was to the liking of the judges,â€ said Holzer, who also rode to a first place finish in the Grand Prix, scoring 71.833%. â€œThey also commented on how they loved the music which is wonderful to hear just weeks away from the Olympics. My Olympic teammate, Jacqueline Brooks, also had a very strong freestyle, and was awarded high scores for her changes and piaffe passage tour.â€

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Coming off her successful winter circuit in Florida, 2008 Olympic Dressage Team member Jacqueline Brooks of Mount Albert, ON, rode Gran Gesto (Grannox x Goldstern), a 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Brinc Ltd. and Anne Welch, to a score of 71.800% in the Freestyle.

Simone Williams of Navan, ON, finished in third place, with a score of 66.050%, in the Freestyle with Wunder Ein (Wolkenstein II x Maat), Williamâ€™s 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Rounding out the top four in the Freestyle were Chris VonMartels of Ridgetown, ON, and Lobster Point Farmsâ€™ Hesperos (Donaumonarch x Arogno), a 14-year-old Trakehner stallion.

Neil Ishoy of Jerseyville On rode Proton to second place with a score of 66.917. Proton (Patriarch x Rosenkavalier), a 14-year-old Baden Wurttemberg gelding owned by the Ishoys, was Cindy Ishoyâ€™s Olympic partner at the 2004 Olympic Games. Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, On, placed third on her 2007 Pan American Games Silver Medal mount Wiona, an 11-year-old Hanoverian mare by Weltmeyer, and owned by Doug and Louise Leatherdale. Incredibly this was only the second time the pair have ridden the Grand Prix test, and they scored 66.708%. Finishing in fourth place was Olympic team member Jacqueline Brooks aboard Gran Gesto with 65.083%

In the Grand Prix Speciale, Neil Ishoy and Proton won the class with a score of 67.920%, with Creech and Wiona close behind to finish second with a score of 67.520%.

Brooks and Holzer will now begin the final preparations for Hong Kong, which include joining Olympic teammate Leslie Reid and Orion in Germany where the quarantine will take place prior to departure for Hong Kong.

In recognition to the Olympic team, a special presentation was made to the athletes, owners and grooms who were in attendance at Blainville. Dressage Canada Committee director Judith Pineault was on hand to present fun grab bags filled with Canadian paraphernalia including Canada flags, hats, bracelets, pins and more. Special edition 2008 Olympic Games shirts and ball caps were also presented, generously donated by Embroidery Plus of Peterborough Ontario, an official supplier to the 2008 Olympic Games Dressage Team. There will be no identifying the Canadian dressage team in Hong Kong.

In the Advanced division, 2004 Olympian Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with an even score of 71% riding the eight-year-old German-bred gelding Anton (Antaeus x Melit), owned by Robyn Eames. Second place went to Creech, who scored 69.650% with Devon L, Doug Leatherdaleâ€™s eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding sired by De Niro. Gillian Sutherland of Unionville, ON, followed close behind, in third place, with 69.100%, aboard her 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding Great Tyme, sired by Granulit.

Creech and Devon L took the Intermediaire I, scoring 68.333%. Holzer earned the blue ribbon with a score of 65.750% aboard Diana Roseâ€™s 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Daddy Cool, sired by Don Primero. Trussell and Anton scored 65.667% for third place.

In the large Prix St. Georges class of 22 entries , Holzer earned another win with Daddy Cool scoring 70.333%, while Creech and Devon L finished a close second place finish with an even 70%. Third place went to Trussell and Anton with 65.667%.

The CDI-W Blainville Summer Classic also featured classes for up and coming young talent, both human and equine. Williams won the Young Horse Six-Year-Old Preliminary class with her Hanoverian gelding Da Vinci, scoring 73%. Creech and Ferdinand Hauptâ€™s Hanoverian mare, Lascara, scored 71.600% for second place, and third went to Francine Bell of Vercheres, QC, and Royal T, a Oldenburg stallion owned by Guy Rivard. Bell and Royal T won the Young Horse Six-Year-Old Finale class with a score of 73.200%, and Williams and Da Vinci finished in second with 72%. Third place went to Creech and Lascara with a score of 71.800%.

In Young Horse Five-Year-Old Division Harma Germs of Montague, PE, rode her Dutch Warmblood mare, Whiscalina, to wins in both the Preliminary and the Finale classes, with scores of 75.800 and 78.00% respectively. Oskar K, a Canadian Warmblood gelding owned by Joanne Walker and ridden by Susan Ziereisen of Carp, ON, finished second in the Preliminary class with 72.600%, and third in the Finale with 67.000%. Faberge, a Westphalian gelding owned and ridden by Brittany Fraser finished third in the Preliminary class with 71.400%. Dark Dandy, a Hanoverian gelding, and Ashley Phipps finished second in the Finale class with 68.20%

Blainville is an opportunity for junior and young riders to qualify for the 2008 North American Junior/Young Riders’ Championship (NAJYRC), to be held in The Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO, this August, and the Young Riders division saw some stiff competition as a result. Jade Deter of Kemptville, ON, who won the Junior Division last year at the Championshipsâ€™, won the Team test with her horse Mastermind. Second place in the Team test went to Jessica Rhinelander of St. John’s, NL and her mount Allende; with Danielle McKinnon of Aurora, ON, finishing third riding Noma Tender. McKinnon won Young Rider Individual test, and Annie-Pier Venne of Charlemagne, QC, picked up second place with Step Up. Third place went to Rhinelander. McKinnon took top honours again in the Freestyle with a score of 66.400%. Venne finished second with 65.150%, and Jamie Holland of Caledon, ON, finished in third place riding Fleurina.

The results were identical for all classes in the FEI Junior Division. Alexandra Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, made a clean sweep, winning all three classes aboard her eight-year-old Westphalian gelding, Fling. After scoring 65.33% in the Team class, and winning the Individual, Dvorak received a score of 68.700% for her freestyle performance. Ariana Chia of Winnipeg, MB, finished in second place in all three classes, scoring 68.400% in her Freestyle aboard Marzipan. Natalie Maskell of Kanata, ON also earned good results, placing third in all three classes aboard Venus.

Vivian Cornell of Kingston, ON, led the way in the FEI Pony division, winning both the Team test and the Freestyle aboard Faith Berghuisâ€™ Daylight. The duoâ€™s best score came in the Freestyle, where their performance earned them 67.250%. Taking the second place in the team test was Julie Channell of Boucherville, QC, and Ronja. Third in the Team test went to Noemie Gagnon-Bergeron of Kanata, ON, and Crown Royal. Gagnon-Bergeron finished second in the Freestyle with 65.000% while Mathilde Blaise-Tetrault placed third.

The international judging panel included Stephen Clarke (FEI Oâ€”GBR), Trond Asmyr (FEI Iâ€”NOR), Joan Macartney (FEI I â€” Canada), Marian Cunningham (FEI Iâ€”PER), Jim Robins (FEI Câ€”NZL), Jane Weatherwax (FEI Iâ€”USA), and Bernard Maurel (FEI Oâ€” FRA).

For the first time ever in North American, two back-to-back World Cup Qualifying CDI are taking place at the Blainville Equestrian Park north of Montreal, QC. The second week of competition, CDI-W Blainville International Classic, begins on Thursday, June 26. The grand finale of two weeks of dressage will be a Freestyle Gala and Dinner on Saturday, June 28.