Silver Medal for Canadian Show Jumping Team at Pan Am Games

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The Canadian Show Jumping Team comprised of Mac Cone of King City, ON, Jill Henselwood of Oxford Mills, ON, Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, and Ian Millar of Perth, ON, won the Silver Medal, and Olympic qualification, on Friday at the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

â€œWe had four super riders, and we came in with guarded optimism, knowing that the Brazilians would be tough to beat,â€ said Canadian Show Jumping Team Chef dâ€™Equipe Terrance Millar following the medal ceremony.

The second and final day of team show jumping competition began at 9 a.m. on Friday at the National Equestrian Centre, located 30 km north of the Pan American Village. Having finished Thursdayâ€™s speed phase in first position, Canada had the luxury of being the last of ten teams to compete in the first of two rounds comprising the Nationsâ€™ Cup team final.

Scroll to continue with content

First in for Canada was Cone, 54, riding Melinda, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Southern Ways. A total of 12 jumping faults over Guilherme Jorge’s taxing course featuring obstacles set at a height of 1.50m would ultimately see Cone’s score dropped from the team tally where only the best three scores are counted.

Henselwood, 41, and Juniper Farmsâ€™ 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding Special Ed, the individual leaders following Thursday’s opening competition, added no points to their perfect score of zero by jumping clear over the 13 numbered obstacles featuring 16 jumping efforts.

Lamaze, 39, also repeated his performance from the first day, incurring four jumping faults in the first round on Hickstead, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Torrey Pines Stables and Ashland Stables Inc.

Brazil had already posted three clear rounds to guarantee the lead by the time the fourth and final Canadian, eight-time Olympian Ian Millar, 60, set out with In Style. The 12-year-old Dutch-bred gelding owned by Susan Grange had a confident clear round that kept Millar second in the individual standings behind Henselwood.

At the end of round one, Canada had dropped into second place with a score of 6.72, just 1.05 points behind Brazil with 5.67 but with a comfortable lead over the third-placed United States with 19.20. After its third place finish on day one, Mexico lost considerable ground to slip to fourth position with 25.89.

The order of go changed in the second round to reflect the change in team standings, and the teams from Ecuador and Chile had been eliminated. Due to several retirements and eliminations, the starting list for the second round had shrunk from 47 horses to 39.

Cone improved on his first round performance with eight faults on Melinda, but Canada needed to be able to discard that score in order to secure the gold medal. Henselwood was not able to duplicate her perfect ride from the morning, taking a single rail with Special Ed and dropping to second position individually with a score of four points behind Brazilâ€™s Pedro Veniss with 2.84.

Lamaze and Hickstead returned to post a clear round for Canada. Riding in the anchor position, Millar and In Style looked set to post a double clear round when In Style drifted left at fence nine and took down the front rail.

Adding just one rail from final rider Rodrigo Pessoa and Rufus to its score, Brazil claimed the gold medal before a home crowd with a score of 9.57. Canada claimed the silver with 14.72 while the United States, finishing with only three horses after Todd Minikus fell off Pavarotti at the water jump in the first round, took bronze with 27.20.

With its silver medal, Canada achieved its goal of qualifying a team for the 2008 Olympic Games, the equestrian portion of which will take place in Hong Kong due to equine health concerns in mainland China. Brazil also earned its ticket, as did fourth-placed Mexico as the United States had already qualified with a silver medal at last yearâ€™s World Equestrian Games.

â€œWe really needed to make sure we send a team to the Olympics, for the future of our sport,â€ said Henselwood.

The individual show jumping final, a two-round Table A competition, will take place on Sunday, July 29. All four Canadians are eligible to compete and with Henselwood and Millar currently sitting second and third respectively on scores of 4 and 4.29, both are well positioned to claim an individual medal. Lamaze, currently sixth with 6.43, is less than one rail back from the leader, Pedro Veniss of Brazil who has a score of 2.84 riding Un Blancs de Blanc. Cone and Melinda are in 18th position on a score of 24.31.

â€œWe have three riders in the top six, and thatâ€™s significant in itself,â€ noted Terrance Millar.

2007 Pan American Games – Individual Standings Following Two of Three Phases

1. Pedro Veniss Brazil Un Blancs de Blanc 2.84

2. Jill Henselwood Oxford Mills, ON Special Ed 4

3. Ian Millar Perth, ON In Style 4.29

4. Rodrigo Pessoa Brazil Rufus 4.74

5. Lauren Hough United States Casadora 6.29

6. Eric Lamaze Schomberg, ON Hickstead 6.43

7. Bernardo Alves Brazil Chupa Chupa 2 9.09

8. Laura Chapot United States Little Big Man 9.38

9. Antonio Chedraui Mexico Don Porfirio 9.85

10. Cara Raether United States Ublesco 11.53