Five finalists danced to a wide range of tunes for a packed Ricoh Coliseum at the Canadian League World Cup Final, held during the Royal Winter Fair, Nov. 9-10 in Toronto, Ont.

Cindy Ishoy employed the most adventurous music, with a final passage tour performed to the song “Candy Shop” by hip hop sensation 50 Cent. The judges rewarded Ishoy the win, but the panel was divided between Ishoy and Evi Strasser, with only half a point separating the two in the final count.

There were a couple of dropouts from the Canadian League, which made it possible for two newcomers to compete in their places. Shannon Dueck, who represented Canada at the 2003 World Cup Final on Korona, is now permanently based in southern Florida and was among the hundreds of residents impacted by Hurricane Wilma last month.

Jon Costin withdrew Wholio when it looked as though the horse would be sold. When the sale did not come through, it was too late to re-enter the World Cup race, so instead Costin was invited to be the test rider for the Grand Prix. Though still young at age 9, Wholio performed a fluid and athletic test and looked more mature and confident than he had the year before, when he finished fifth. Wholio’s score was announced even though he was not competing. His mark of 65.80 percent would have placed him third.

Strasser and the 10-year-old Quantum Tyme were the first to present themselves to the FEI jury, consisting of Linda Zang (USA), Janet Foy (USA), Evi Eisenhardt (GER), Maribel Alonso (MEX) and Joan McCartney (CAN).

Quantum Tyme, always a flamboyant and expressive horse, was not quite as exciting to watch as he usually is, and there was a little miscommunication during the pirouette sequence. The pair had a remarkable season in 2005 but an intense one. Strasser gave her 10-year-old, Oldenburg gelding a couple of months off in the fall, and the Royal was her first show after the break.

“I was more distracted than him tonight. I think he was just wondering, ‘What are you doing up there?’ ” she said.

Strasser has also had more than her share of times drawing first in the order of go this year, including at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas, where she was invited to compete as a replacement for Isabel Werth and Antony FRH. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but it is always a challenge to go first. I think it is hard for the judges to find a balance in their scores with the first horse out.”

A score of 67.37 percent kept Strasser ahead of most of the field, but it also left room for Ishoy and Proton, who have beaten Strasser and Quantum Tyme in the past.

Canada’s Best
Jacqueline Brooks was next to go with Gran Gesto, a 10-year-old, Oldenburg gelding owned by Brinc Ltd. and Anne Welch. Brooks is a true veteran of the Royal and hasn’t missed a final for five years. Gran Gesto is a cool competitor, and the pair looked relaxed. Nevertheless, there were a few mistakes, particularly in the two-tempis. Their third-placed mark of 64.20 percent was somewhat lower than their best score of the year.

Nancy MacLachlan and the 9-year-old, Ukrainian-bred Ariston were the test ride at the Royal in 2004; returning as competitors this year they looked as though their partnership has solidified considerably. Ariston was imported in the winter of 2003. MacLachlan and her partner, Canadian team vet Alan Young, traveled to the former Eastern Bloc country and bought several horses through a Ukrainian contact they made in Ontario. The elegant black horse still betrayed signs of nerves in the Grand Prix but was clearly trying hard to do his job. Some marks would have been lost due to a tense walk, and they finished fourth (62.12%).

Whitney Harris, 22, whose father John Harris is co-chairman of Dressage Canada, made her Royal debut on Nektor, a 10-year-old, Dutch Warmblood gelding. Their score of 55.33 percent placed them fifth.

Ishoy entered the ring last on Proton. By the time they had reached the walk tour–one of Proton’s strong suits–it was obvious that they were set to win. Proton, who was injured in April, looked focused and comfortable in his work, especially considering it was only his second outing in 2005 (the first being at Devon [Pa.], where he finished second in the freestyle).

Proton’s recovery period gave Ishoy time to reflect on her relationship with the 10-year-old, Baden Wurttemberg gelding. “I had a lot of time to think about him and to think about what’s going on between this horse and me,” she said.

Ishoy’s last great horse, Dynasty, was one of the most successful Canadian dressage horses in history. They finished second in the 1988 World Cup Final in the Netherlands and helped Canada win team bronze at the Seoul Olympics, where they also finished fourth individually. When Dynasty died of colic, it took Ishoy a long time to get over the loss. She is clearly searching for the magic again with Proton.

“I asked myself, ‘Why don’t I trust him like I trusted Dynasty?’ But now I trust him and we’re a team together,” she said. The judges were almost unanimous in their placings of all five competitors in the Grand Prix.

With a 69.00 percent win, Ishoy and Proton were favored to win the freestyle the next day. But in 2004, Strasser put in a very strong performance in the freestyle to pull ahead of Ishoy and finish second in the League Final to Leslie Reid and Mark. The freestyle was sure to be a battle between Ishoy and Strasser once again, this time for first place and the chance to compete for Canada at the 2006 World Cup Final in Amsterdam.

In 2005 a major change was made to the format of the World Cup dressage competition. The Grand Prix test still takes place the day before the freestyle, but the score from that test no longer counts toward the final results. The freestyle determines the winner in each League Final, as well as the World Cup Final.

“I thought the performances tonight were much better than last night,” said Zang, president of the ground jury for the freestyle. “I think last night they were all holding back a little bit. One of the hardest things in Canada and in the U.S. is that they don’t have much chance to show indoors.”

Riding For Every Mark
Reverse order of placing in the Grand Prix determined the order of go for the freestyle, so neophyte Harris led the way. Her opening passage tour to “Stayin’ Alive” set the tone for a disco-themed freestyle. Technical difficulties in the performance kept them in fifth position with a score of 56.52 percent.

MacLachlan and Ariston performed to music by the Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook, and although the music was not always on tempo to Ariston’s gaits, the dramatic, middle-eastern flavored music suited his expression. The opening and closing passage and piaffe sequences helped to compensate for the walk, which was again affected by tension. Four out of five judges had MacLachlan fourth, with an overall score of 63.10 percent.

Brooks and Gran Gesto pulled out all the stops with a difficult program and powerful music from the soundtrack to Alexander. The enthusiastic crowd applauded as Brooks came onto center line for her finale. But a score of 68.87 percent was not quite enough to challenge the top two still to come.

Strasser and Quantum Tyme looked more on their game right away in their freestyle, which uses music from the Disney World Millenium Celebration. Numerous transitions between trot and passage and a tightly packed canter tour contributed to the difficult and interesting choreography. The ride was both clean and dynamic. All but one judge had her ahead of Brooks with an average of 71.17 percent. Once again there was still room for Ishoy, who had scored almost 75 percent for her freestyle at Devon.

As Ishoy signaled for her music to start from the corner near A, a flashing camera spooked Proton, who didn’t want to enter the ring. Ishoy barely had time to scoot him inside the white fence when the music paused briefly for the salute. Ishoy recovered quickly, and the freestyle had many highlights, one of which was a sequence of two-tempi changes to one-tempis on a circle. Her music, which was selected by her daughter, lacked the thematic consistency of the other performances, jumping from Pirates Of The Carribbean to The Rock and finishing with 50 Cent.

Proton didn’t always look like he was entirely on Ishoy’s team, throwing his head in the air during one pirouette. Ishoy is a very seasoned competitor, though, and made use of every opportunity to gain marks.

Three of the five judges had Ishoy in first place. Zang actually had her third behind Strasser and Brooks, and Eisenhardt placed her second. “I like it, but it’s not my music,” said Eisenhardt of Ishoy’s music, particularly the hip hop segment. “It’s got a nice rhythm.”

With 71.70 percent, Ishoy and Proton became the Dressage Canada National Freestyle Champions and winners of the Canadian World Cup League Final, just half a point ahead of Strasser and Quantum Tyme.

“I think this is my life, to be close and never there,” said Strasser. “I cannot win this class. It’s unbelievable,” she added with a laugh.

Ishoy now has to turn her focus forward, to the World Cup Final in Amsterdam next April. “I haven’t even thought that far ahead,” she admitted. “It was the Grand Prix and then it was the freestyle, and now I have to think about–funding! Somehow I’ll have to raise the money to get there. It’s huge.”