Canada is presenting two strong teams for contention in the second leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™, taking place June 13 as part of the CSIO5*-W Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament in Calgary, AB.
Adding to the excitement of the day will be the discovery of which of his two new mounts Eric Lamaze will choose to make a debut as an official member of the Canadian Equestrian Team.
“While I haven’t decided yet which horse I will ride, I’m excited that either Powerplay or Quelmec du Gery will compete in Thursday’s Nations Cup. They both felt great during the first week of competition in Calgary, and I am extremely appreciative to my owners, Carlene and Andy Ziegler of Artisan Farms, for the opportunity,” said Lamaze.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming competition, Canada One Chef d’Équipe Mark Laskin stated, “It’s going to be an exciting competition. Never before have we had two nations cup teams competing together at the same venue.”
“It’s a great opportunity for some of our developing riders to gain valuable nations cup experience,” Laskin continued. “We have a lot to accomplish this coming Thursday. Obviously we want to be competitive on the day, but another very important objective is to qualify for the FEI Nations Cup Final in Spain in September. I’m confident we have the horses and riders to get the job done.”
The teams that will be representing Canada are as follows:
Canada One (Points Team)
Rider/Horse/Hometown
Mac Cone / Amor van de Rostal / King City, ON
Tiffany Foster / Victor (or Verdi III) / Schomberg, ON
Eric Lamaze / Powerplay (or Quelmec du Gery) / Schomberg, ON
Ian Millar / Star Power (or Dixson) / Perth, ON
Reserve Rider – Jill Henselwood / IV Ever / Oxford Mills, ON
Chef d’Équipe – Mark Laskin / Langley, BC
Canada Two
Rider/Horse/Hometown
Ben Asselin / Makavoy / Calgary, AB
Jonathan Asselin / Showgirl / Calgary, AB
Lisa Carlsen / La Boom / Spruce Grove, AB
Chris Sorensen / Bobby / Caledon, ON
Reserve Rider – Francois Lamontagne / Coolio 17 / St. Eustache, QC
Chef d’ Équipe – Gail Greenough / Calgary, AB
The first North American regional qualifier for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup was held in the form of a $75,000 Nations Cup Qualifier class at the CSIO4* FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL this past March. Team Canada (comprised of Cone, Foster, Lamaze, and Millar) took second place, giving them 90 qualifying points. The U.S. finished in first place, earning the maximum 100 qualifying points for the series, while Mexico finished in seventh for 65 points.
The $100,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Qualifier will be broadcast live on Thursday, June 13 at 12:00 MDT (local time in Calgary) on the FEI’s official online video platform FEI TV. The start list and live results will be available on the Spruce Meadows website.
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