CALGARY, AB After taking a commanding lead early in the selection trials for Canada’s Pan American Games team, Ian Millar’s game-plan changed in tonight’s third of five trials. Dropping to third in the overall standings, he is among at least seven candidates who are within reach of the top three spots. The standings are bound to shuffle again in the remaining two trials, tomorrow and Saturday. But, Millar may also be looking for one of the team positions that is selected subjectively. Millar formerly held the top two spots in the standings on two different mounts. However, he did not enter his points-leading mount, Redefin, in tonight’s selection trial in Calgary. Instead Redefin jumped in an earlier competition today, jumping faultlessly and finishing fourth in a six-way jump-off, in a mixed field of Americans and Canadians.
Millar’s former student, Jill Henselwood, of Oxford Mills, Ontario, riding Special Ed, took the overall lead in the team selection trials. Only three members of the five-person team, which includes an alternate, will be selected based on faults in these trials. Two will be selected subjectively by a committee. The four who actually ride in the Games in Rio de Janeiro will be named by the Chef d’Equipe at the Games.
Also vying for one of the subjectively-chosen positions are team veterans Eric Lamaze, Mario Deslauriers, and John Pearce, who did not compete in the first two selection trials. Both Lamaze and Pearce jumped clean tonight, with Lamaze winning the competition on Hickstead. A total of forty-one rider/horse combinations declared themselves candidates for Canada’s Pan American Games team. Any of those are also eligible for subjective selection to the team in addition to the three who will be selected on points.
These Pan American Games are especially important to the Canadian show jumping team to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games. For Olympic qualification Canada must be among the top-three teams at this year’s Games, excluding nations already qualified for the Olympics. The U.S. is the only team from the Pan American countries already qualified and will be among the top teams at the Pan American Games. Therefore, Canada could qualify for the Olympics with a top-four finish at the Pan American Games, if the U.S. finishes ahead of Canada.
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