October 31, 2005 – Toronto, Ontario – The nation’s top dressage riders will go head-to-head in the Canadian League World Cup Dressage Final held as part of the 83rd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair running November 4-13, 2005, at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, ON.

Five riders will compete for the honour of being Canada’s sole representative at the 2006 World Cup Final next April in Amsterdam, NED.

Canadian Olympian Evi Strasser of Ste-Adele, QC, comes into the Royal with a faultless record, having won all four Canadian World Cup Qualifiers this summer. Riding Quantum Tyme, her 10-year-old chestnut Oldenburg gelding, Strasser is favoured to sweep the Canadian League at the Royal Horse Show. Having represented Canada earlier this year at the 2005 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, Strasser would love to make a World Cup Final appearance two years in a row.

However, Cindy Ishoy of Jerseyville, ON, and Proton should prove to be hot competition. Since representing Canada last year at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the pair have kept a low profile, returning to international competition at the end of September to place second in the Grand Prix Freestyle at CDI*** Devon, PA, with an incredibly high score of 74.93%. With that kind of success, Ishoy and Proton, her 11-year-old Baden Wurttemberger gelding, may emerge the winners at the Royal Horse Show. Ishoy holds the record for Canada’s top performance at a World Cup Final having placed second in 1988, the same year she led Canada to its Team Bronze Medal at the Seoul Olympics.

Hometown favourite Jacqueline Brooks of Mount Albert, ON, has had the sold-out crowds cheering in the Ricoh Coliseum for the past five consecutive years. Her current partner is Gran Gesto, a 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Brinc Ltd. and Anne Welch that she will ride at the Royal for the second year in a row. The pair were members of the Silver Medal Team at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and have been forging their partnership ever since.

Canadian Equestrian Team veteran Nancy MacLachlan of Terra Cotta, ON, is also no stranger to the Royal Horse Show and will be competing with Ariston, a nine-year-old Ukrainian Warmblood gelding. A veteran of World Championship and Pan American Games competition, MacLachlan represented Canada at the 2001 World Cup Final in Denmark.

A newcomer to the Grand Prix ranks, Whitney Harris of Burlington, ON, will make her debut in the Canadian League World Cup Final. At only 22 years of age, Harris is proving to be a capable competitor with Nektor, her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. While it is her first time competing at the Royal Horse Show, her coach, Jon Costin, was a competitor here last year and should be able to help give his student some tips on riding in front of a capacity crowd of 6,300 people.

Officiating at this year’s Canadian League World Cup Dressage Final are Linda Zang of the United States who will act as President of the Ground Jury, joined by Dr. Evi Eisenhardt of Germany, Janet Foy of the United States, Joan McCartney of Canada and Maribel Alonso de Quinzanos of Mexico.

All five competitors will face off on Wednesday, November 9, at approximately 4 p.m. In keeping with the Royal Horse Show tradition of exposing the intricate sport of dressage to the general public, this is a free performance. However, tickets always sell-out fast for Thursday evening’s Grand Prix Freestyle performances which see the riders choreographing required movements to the music of their choice, similar to figure skating. The end result is a horse and rider who seemingly dance to the music, entertaining the crowd with their various musical selections and interpretations.

Tickets for all Royal Horse Show performances, held as part of the 83rd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, 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.