Leslie Reid Claims Canadian League World Cup Final at Royal Horse Show

Leslie Reid & Mark - photo ©TetleyPhoto.com

Leslie Reid of Langley, BC, won the Canadian League World Cup Dressage Final held November 10 and 11 at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto, ON.

Having also won the Canadian League in 1996, Reid has claimed the title for the second time in her career and will now represent Canada at the 2005 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, NV, next April. Her partner is Mark, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Deryol Andrews that she rode to Individual Gold and Team Silver medals at the 2003 Pan American Games and recently represented Canada at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

At the Royal Horse Show, Reid won the Grand Prix held on Wednesday with a score of 69.625% before topping Thursday night’s Grand Prix Freestyle in front of a sold-out crowd of over 6,000 spectators in the Ricoh Coliseum. With a technically difficult program set to music that suited Mark’s fluid movement, Reid earned a score of 73.925% from the panel of five international judges.

“He is like a racehorse, he knows when it is time to perform,” said Reid who was only showing at the Royal Horse Show for the second time in her career. “It was a really tight class, I knew I had to go in there and be very, very clean. Mark is incredible, he is probably a once in a lifetime horse.”

Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, wowed the crowd with her Freestyle program set to music from the Disney movie, ‘The Lion King’. Riding Quantum Tyme, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Strasser earned a score of 71.650% to finish second.

“It was a really strong group, and the quality was just great!” said Strasser, a 1996 Olympian who previously represented Canada at the 1995 and 1997 World Cup Finals. “My horse was fantastic, he coped well with the atmosphere and really let me ride him.”

Cindy Ishoy of Binbrook, ON, also an Athens Olympian, placed third riding her 10-year-old German-bred gelding, Proton. Performing her Freestyle entitled ‘A Criminal Mind’, Ishoy earned a mark of 70.725% to place third.

Jacqueline Brooks of Mount Albert, ON, who has competed in numerous Canadian League World Cup Finals in recent years, did so in 2004 with a new partner. Riding Gran Gesto, a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Brooks placed fourth with a score of 66.875%.

Overwhelmingly popular, the Grand Prix Freestyle sees riders choreograph required movements to the music of their choice making for a unique combination of sport performance and artistic license.

On Friday evening, the Royal Horse Show will feature the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open along with the thrills and spills of the Carriage Racing Derby. Tickets for all Royal Horse Show performances can be purchased through Ticketmaster at tel: 416 872-7777 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca. For more information on the Royal Horse Show, including complete schedules, please visit www.royalfair.org or call tel: 416 263-3400.

Canadian League World Cup Final – Final Results

Rider Hometown Horse Grand Prix Freestyle
1. Leslie Reid Langley, BC Mark 69.625% 73.925%
2. Evi Strasser Ste-Adele, QC Quantum Tyme 67.792% 71.650%
2. Cindy Ishoy Binbrook, ON Proton 68.750% 70.725%
4. Jacqueline Brooks Mount Albert, ON Gran Gesto 64.583% 66.875%

	C STEPHEN CLARKE	E LISETTE PURCELL	H LORRAINE STUBBS	M LILO FORE	B ELIZABETH MCMULLEN	OVERALL TOTALS
Leslie Reid	71.500	69.750	74.125	78.125	76.125	73.925	1
Evi Strasser	72.000	69.750	71.750	72.625	72.125	71.650	2
Cindy Ishoy	70.625	66.125	72.250	71.250	73.375	70.725	3
Jacqueline Brooks	67.875	63.750	65.250	69.750	67.750	66.875	4
Jon Costin	63.875	57.125	64.250	69.250	63.625	63.625