Canadian Show Jumping Team Finishes Fifth at WEG

The Canadian Show Jumping Team comprised of Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, Jonathon Millar of Perth, ON, and John Pearce of Stouffville, ON, finished fifth on Wednesday night, October 6, at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. Individually, Lamaze currently lies fourth while Pearce is in fifth.

In a nail biting conclusion to the team competition, Germany won the gold medal with a final score of 17.80 while France earned the silver with 24.32. Belgium took the bronze medal with 24.70. Brazil finished fourth with 26.49 while Canada’s final score was 27.93. With a fifth place finish, Canada earned its qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. A total of 27 teams contested the World Championship title.

“We are thrilled with our performance,” said Canadian Show Jumping Team chef d’equipe Terrance Millar. “We exceeded our expectations coming into this event. Yann had a difficult Games, and heart break on the last night, while Jonathon was fantastic and really delivered. John is like a lightning bolt, and while it is unrealistic to expect these types of performances from Eric and Hickstead, they just keep delivering and we’ve come to depend on them.”

With individual medals still to be decided, Olympic Champion Lamaze is in fourth position with 3.39 while Pearce is in fifth with 3.70. Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, the 2004 Olympic Champion, currently sits at the top of the leader board with 2.80 riding HH Rebozo. Belgium’s Philippe Le Jeune moved into second with 3.11 riding Vigo d’Arsouilles while Germany’s Carsten-Otto Nagel has 3.24 for third position with Corradina. With less than one fault separating the top five, Friday night’s two-round individual competition will prove to be dramatic as the ‘final four’ are determined.

On Wednesday night, both Lamaze, who is competing with a broken bone in his left foot, and Pearce delivered clear rounds for the Canadian Team and cemented their individual positions in the top five.

“He felt good, that was his best day of jumping,” said Lamaze of Hickstead, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood breeding stallion owned by Ashland Stables and Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable. “He is getting better and better. Hickstead is careful and he’s got good stamina, so I am not worried about anything. I look forward to it.”

Pearce, a 2000 Canadian Olympian, is thrilled to find himself in the top five. “I know this horse really well and I know what he is capable of,” said Pearce of Chianto, a 14-year-old grey Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Alison Moore. “He’s got a lot of experience, but not at the international level. I have a lot of confidence in him, and he has a lot of confidence in me. But his heart is bigger than anything, and that is what got us through this.”

With nine faults collected in the final team competition, Millar finished in 50th position individually riding Contino 14, a 13-year-old bay Holsteiner gelding owned by Millar Brooke Farm. Candele, who incurred 12 faults riding Pitareusa, a 13-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Susan Grange, finished in 72nd place individually.

Following a day of rest on Thursday, the top 30 individually ranked competitors will compete on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the hopes of being among the ‘Final Four’ that contest the World Championship title on Saturday night, October 9, at 8 p.m. In the ultimate test of horsemanship, the final four competitors will ride each of the four horses over the course to decide the individual medals, and the coveted title of World Champion.

Held for the first time outside of Europe, the World Equestrian Games take place every four years and act as the world championships for equestrian sport, including the discipline of show jumping. At the last major games held, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Canadian Show Jumping Team claimed Team Silver as well as Individual Gold for Eric Lamaze.