Welcome!
• Home • FAQs
• Site Map
Weather
• Contacts
Free Service Appreciation
Choose Pondside Web Productions for your hosting and web design needs!

Ian Millar Returns With A Grand Prix Wi

March 23, 2008

Wellington, FL --- Under thunderous skies, Ian Millar, of Perth, Ontario logged a win today in the $75,000 grand prix at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. He was aboard In Style, one of his two potential Olympic mounts. Millar defeated 34 other entries, including his daughter, Amy, who gave him a strong challenge.

The heavy rains, thunder and lightening that have plagued south Florida this winter caused a delay of nearly an hour in the middle of the competition, but still 13 of the 35 entries jumped the first-round course faultlessly. Among them were American 2004 Olympic team gold medalists Beezie Madden and Chris Kappler, and Canada's number-one ranked rider, Eric Lamaze. Lamaze was not on his intended Olympic mount, Hickstead, today, choosing to ride the up-and-coming Ronaldo instead.

Jumping ninth in the tie-breaker, Millar easily slotted himself into the lead, with no knockdowns and a blazing time of 35.37 seconds. That left three American women and Millar's own daughter to attempt to beat him. Amy Millar, on Costa Rica Z, aggressively chased her father's time but knocked down one jump in doing so. She finished sixth. "She really tried, she gave it a good go", her obviously proud father said, "she almost had me."

American newcomer, Carolyn Kelly, of New York, riding Rulanda, finished second. New British sensation, Ben Maher, on Rolette was third. Lamaze had two knockdowns in the tie-breaker.

Millar returned to competing last week, following the death of his wife, Lynn, on March 6. He is preparing two horses, In Style and Redefin, as potential mounts for what could be his ninth Olympic Games. The portion of this Florida series that was officially being used as observation by the Olympic selection committee ended last week, but all results from the beginning of 2008 until June will be considered, as selection is subjective. Competition continues in Florida for two more weeks. Several of the Olympic front-runners plan European campaigns in May and the Olympic team will be announced sometime following the Spruce Meadows National tournament, in Calgary, in June.

To March 2008 News Articles Index | To British Columbia Equine ...On-Line Home