Cindy Ishoy and Tom Dvorak Dance To Victory Under The Lights of Blainville CDI***

In front of a sold out crowd of 1500 people, Canada’s top dressage horses performed their freestyles on the final evening of the Dressage Internationale de Blainville. Cindy Ishoy and Proton, overall winners of the Olympic selection trials and members of the Athens team, pulled out all the stops to win the Grand Prix freestyle with the remarkable score of 75.175%. Their freestyle showed an extremely high level of difficulty, and featured six piaffes before the half way point. Ishoy, who has been named to five previous Olympic teams, says that at this point in her career, it’s all about the “journey, that is as good as the end result.”

Close behind Ishoy in second place was Athens teammate Ashley Holzer and Imperioso, with 74.975%.

In the Intermediaire freestyle, Tom Dvorak was unbeatable with Westside Lady, and his stiffest competition came from himself on Beaumarchais. His scores for first and second place were 74.825% and 74.075%. Dvorak has trained both horses since they were three and a half years old. Westside Lady belongs to Sue Platz and Beaumarchais to Sue Holden. “It’s all just coming together for these two,” says Dvorak. “I’m so grateful to their owners. They are super – so supportive.” Ashley Holzer and Gambol, leading throughout the weekend in the small tour, were third behind Dvorak’s two horses with 72.300%.

The FEI Five Year Old division was highlighted by a winning performance by Evi Strasser and Foto Tyme. The judges gave him a ten for his walk, and an overall score of 9. Strasser and Foto Tyme fly to Germany on Monday to compete at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany next week. Strasser says she had her eye on the young horse since he was a foal in Germany. He has turned out to be everything she expected, with a super temperament to match. He is absolutely “consistent and rhythmic in his work”, she says.

The evening concluded with a presentation of the Athens Olympic team, a fitting climax to the 2004 Blainville CDI***.

Results for CDI*** Saturday July 3, 2004

Grand Prix Freestyle
1. Proton – Cindy Ishoy – 75.175%
2. Imperioso – Ashley Holzer – 74.975%
3. Syntax – Julia Vysniauskas – 69.500%
4. Quantum Tyme – Evi Strasser – 69.275%
5. Gran Gesto – Jacqueline Brooks – 68.925%

Intermediaire Freestyle
1. Westside Lady – Tom Dvorak – 74.825%
2. Beaumarchais – Tom Dvorak – 74.075%
3. Gambol – Ashley Holzer – 72.300%
4. Litmanen – Jessica Costello – 66.150%
5. Top of Magic – Chris von Martels – 62.900%
6. Belcanto – Stephanie Jeffrey – 62.850%

FEI Junior Freestyle
1. Marzipan – Amy McIlwham – 71.725%
2. Allende – Jessica Rhinelander – 68.075%
3. Foster – Vanessa Scanlan – 66.750%
4. Orgon – Catherine Goulet – 65.650%
5. Don Campione – Julie Watchorn – 65.575%
6. Dunkaschön – Breanne Willoughby-Brown – 62.175%

FEI Young Horse Five Year Old Final
1. Foto Tyme – Evi Strasser – 90.000%
2. Balmoral – Jacqueline Brooks – 80.000%
3. Don Romeo – Suzanne Dutt-Roth – 73.800%

Results for CDI*** Friday July 2, 2004
Grand Prix Speciale
1. Royan II – Belinda Trussell – 69.280%
2. Ariston – Nancy MacLachlan – 63.000%

Intermediaire I
1. Gambol – Ashley Holzer – 70.55%
2. Beaumarchais – Tom Dvorak – 69.900%
3. Maximillian – Ashley Holzer – 67.850%
4. Westside Lady – Tom Dvorak – 67.500%
5. Washakie – Marie-Josée Delisle – 64.050%
6. Litmanen – Jessica Costello – 63.450%
7. Belcanto – Stephanie Jeffrey – 63.450%

FEI Young Riders Freestyle
1. Dostoevsky – Leah Wilson – 69.700%
2. Lucky Star – Alexandra Hosein – 65.200%
3. Pryme Tyme – Vernonique Lavalle – 64.475%
4. Icarius – Laurel Hutton-Adams – 63.850%
5. Sambuka – Ruth Crawford – 60.825%
6. Classic Tyme – Ryan Jefferies – 59.675%

FEI Pony Freestyle
1. Montego – Jillian Thatcher – 66.667%
2. Blackwood’s Step Aside – Marielle Lehoux – 64.267%

FEI Junior Individual
1. Marzipan – Amy McIlwham – 64.256%
2. Foster – Vanessa Scanlan – 62.564%
3. Don Campione – Julie Watchorn – 59.949%
4. Orgon – Catherine Goulet – 59.692%
5. Allende – Jessica Rhinelander – 59.128%
6. Dunkaschön – Breanne Willoughby-Brown – 58.667%