Yann Candele of Caledon, ON, Tiffany Foster of North Vancouver, BC, and Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, have been named to the Canadian Show Jumping Team for the 2015 Pan American Games to be held from July 10 to 26 in Toronto, ON.
Candele, Foster and Lamaze have previously competed together on numerous Nations’ Cup teams, including at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Normandy, France. 2014 WEG teammate, Ian Millar of Perth, ON, has also been named to Canada’s four-member Pan American Games team with Dixson.
Candele will be making his Pan American Games debut in his hometown, as equestrian events will be held at the Caledon Pan Am Equestrian Park. He has been named to the Pan American Games team with Showgirl, a 15-year-old chestnut selle francais mare (Gold de Becourt x Elf III), and First Choice 15, a 12-year-old bay Hessen gelding (For Keeps x Angard). Both horses are owned by the Watermark Group.
“To be able to represent both Canada and Caledon at the Pan American Games is an honour,” said Candele, 44. “To jump in front of family and friends is a special moment.”
Candele also noted the legacy that will be left for athletes to enjoy at the conclusion of the 2015 Pan American Games, saying, “To have these facilities that have been built for the Games, not only for equestrian but for all sports, is a great thing. The legacy that we are going to have for generations to come is wonderful.”
Foster will also be making her Pan American Games team debut. She has been named with Tripple X III, a 13-year-old dark bay Anglo European stallion (Namelus R x Cantango) owned by Andy and Carlene Ziegler’s Artisan Farms LLC.
“I’m very excited to represent Canada at my first Pan Am Games this July,” said Foster, who will celebrate her 31st birthday during the show jumping events. “It is always an honour to ride on the Canadian Equestrian Team, and to be able to do so in front of a home crowd in Caledon just makes it that much better!”
Eric Lamaze of Schomberg, ON, is a veteran of Pan American Games competition with Toronto marking his fifth consecutive Pan Am Games appearance. He currently holds a team bronze medal from the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, MB, and a team silver and individual bronze, earned with the great Hickstead, at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Lamaze is nominated to the 2015 Pan Am team with three mounts: Fine Lady 5, a 12-year-old bay Hanoverian mare (Forsyth x Drosselklang II) owned by Artisan Farms LLC; Coco Bongo, a 10-year-old bay Rheinlander stallion (Caretino x Calido) also owned by Artisan Farms LLC; and Rosana du Park, a 10-year-old bay selle francais mare (Kannan x Quinine de Livoye) owned by Artisan Farms LLC in partnership with Lamaze’s Torrey Pines Stable.
“We are really looking forward to having the Pan Am Games at the Caledon Equestrian Park, a venue that we’ve spent so much time competing at over the years,” said Lamaze, 47. “With so many friends in the area supporting us, it should be a great ambiance for Canada. These Games are especially important for us, as Olympic qualification is on the line.”
The top two countries in the final team standings, excluding those already qualified, will earn Olympic qualification at the 2015 Pan American Games. As the host nation, Brazil is pre-qualified, as is the United States, based on its bronze medal performance at the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Show jumping events take place during the final week of the Pan American Games. The first individual qualifier will be held on Tuesday, July 21; the two-round team competition, after which team medals will be awarded, takes place on Thursday, July 23; and the two-round final to determine individual medals will be held on Saturday, July 25.
Source: Starting Gate Communications