July 1, 2004 – Blainville, Quebec – Ashley Holzer of Toronto, ON, won the Selection Trial but it was Cindy Ishoy of Jerseyville, ON, who came out on top of the overall standings when the Final Selection Trial for the Canadian Olympic Dressage Team was held Thursday at the Blainville Equestrian Park in Blainville, QC.

The Grand Prix test at the CDI***-W Blainville Dressage International was designated as the Final Olympic Selection Trial for the Canadian Dressage Team. Scores were tabulated using the athletes qualifying scores, scores from the first Olympic Selection Trial held June 18 at York Equestrian Centre in Toronto, ON, and the second and final Selection Trial held July 1 in Blainville, QC.

After placing second in the Grand Prix test, Cindy Ishoy can look forward to being named to her sixth Olympic Team. The 52-year-old rider from Jerseyville, ON, earned a score of 67.958% to win the overall Selection Trials and secure her place in Athens riding Proton, her 10-year-old German-bred gelding. At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, Ishoy led the Canadian Team to the Bronze Medal and missed capturing a second Bronze Medal by the slimmest of margins by finishing fourth individually.

“Each Olympics has meant something different to me,” reflected Ishoy, who will travel to her first Olympic Games in 14 years. “You really change. At my first Olympics, I was 19 and I walked around with my mouth hanging open. Now I am focused on giving my horse the respect he deserves, giving the sport the respect it deserves, and representing Canada to the best of my ability. The journey is just as good as the end result.”

Belinda Trussell will make her Olympic debut in Athens riding Royan II, her 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding. The 32-year-old athlete from Stouffville, ON, finished second in the Grand Prix test at Blainville and also finished second overall in the Olympic Selection Trials. Trussell and Royan II were recently Canada’s sole representatives at the 2004 World Cup Final in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Ashley Holzer, Ishoy’s Bronze Medal Teammate at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, will be making the journey to Athens. Holzer won the Grand Prix with a final score of 69.125% riding Imperioso, her 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion by Cocktail. Holzer and Imperioso represented Canada at the 2002 World Equestrian Games as well as the 2003 Open European Championships where Canada earned its Olympic qualification for Athens.

“My horse felt great, this was one of his best performances,” noted Holzer, 40, who will make her second Olympic appearance in Athens. “He really stepped up to the plate. I have had a lot of great horses in my career, and I am very fortunate to have him.”

Ishoy, Trussell, and Holzer join Leslie Reid of Langley, BC, who was given a bye based on her exceptional qualifying scores earned earlier this year, as the four Team members who will travel to Athens, Greece. Reid and Mark, a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Deryol Andrews, were the Individual Gold Medallists at the 2003 Pan American Games.

Quebec’s own Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, finished fifth overall in the Selection Trials to be named the Reserve riding Quantum Tyme, her nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding. Strasser, 40, represented Canada at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and, riding Quantum Tyme, was a member of the Silver Medal Team at the 2003 Pan American Games.

The CDI***-W Blainville Dressage International, held June 30 to July 3 at the Blainville Equestrian Park in Blainville, QC, is a World Cup Qualifying event and sees over 200 horses competing at various levels. The feature event, Saturday night’s signature ‘Casino de Montreal Musical Freestyle Extravaganza’, will enjoy national television coverage when it is broadcast in French on Sunday, July 25, at 1 p.m. on RDS, and in English on Saturday, July 31, at 2 p.m. on Global Television.

CDI***- W Blainville – Grand Prix Results

Athlete, Hometown, Horse, Score
1. Ashley Holzer, Toronto, ON, Imperioso, 69.125%
2. Belinda Trussell, Stouffville, ON, Royan II, 68.458%
3. Cindy Ishoy, Jerseyville, ON, Proton, 67.958%
4. Jacqueline Brooks, Mount Albert, ON, Gran Gesto, 65.792%
5. Evi Strasser, Ste-Adele, QC, Quantum Tyme, 65.333%