Photo credit to Cealy Tetley.
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Yann
Candele and Mill Creek Sweet Dream Finish Second at World Cup
Final
Milan, Italy It was a dream come true as Canadian-based
show jumping athlete Yann Candele of France and Mill Creek
Sweet Dream finished in the runner-up position in the second
leg of the 2004 World Cup Final held April 22-25 in Milan,
Italy.
Riding
Mill Creek Sweet Dream for owner Mill Creek Stables of Cambridge,
ON, Candele was seventh in the starting order from a field
of 36 horses and posted the first clear round over a tough
and technical course designed by Uliano Vezzani of Italy to
advance to the jump-off where six others joined him.
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First
to go in the jump-off, Candele laid down another clear round, stopping
the timers in 36.58 seconds. The top names in show jumping challenged,
but it was fellow Frenchman Bruno Broucqsault riding Dileme de Cephe
who was able to best him, shaving fractions of a second off of Candeles
time to clock in at 36.55 seconds.
Meredith
Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany also posted a second clear round in
the jump-off, but her time of 36.74 seconds riding Shutterfly kept
her in third place while Belgiums Ludo Philippaerts clocked
in at 37.75 seconds aboard Parco for fourth position. The other
three riders all had eight faults in the jump-off including Marco
Kutscher of Germany who placed fifth riding Montender, Olympian
Laura Kraut of the United States who was sixth riding Anthem and
seventh-placed Rolf-Goran Bengtsson with Mac Kinley.
I
am very happy just to be here, the horse is full of promise for
the future, noted Candele, 33, of Mill Creek Sweet Dream,
a nine-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare. My aim was to be among
the top twenty riders that get through to the Final on Sunday and
I have done that. Maybe the other riders are more used to this level
of competition than I am, but I will be at ease competing on Sunday."
The
33-year-old Frenchman was sitting in 32nd position following Thursdays
opening speed round where Candele incurred 12 faults, but Fridays
fantastic performance catapulted him into the top twenty to secure
an appearance in Sundays Final.
Candele
also enjoyed an early victory on Thursday, the opening day of the
event, when he and Mill Creek Marco Taere, a 10-year-old chestnut
Belgian Warmblood gelding by Darco, won the 1.40 meter speed competition
by one one-hundredth of a second over Sencer Can of Turkey. The
class gave the World Cup Finalists an opportunity to compete with
their second horses.
A
native of Normandy, France, Candele has been based at Torrey Pines
Stable in Schomberg, ON, with current Canadian Show Jumping Champion
Eric Lamaze since 1999. Candele enjoyed a successful season on the
Canadian World Cup League circuit, winning three of the four World
Cup Qualifying events he contested to earn an invitation from the
International Equestrian Federation (FEI) to the 2004 World Cup
Final. This marks Candeles debut at the annual indoor event
although he was qualified for the 1992 World Cup Final in Del Mar,
California, but was unable to compete due to restrictive quarantine
requirements. Candele first represented France in Nations
Cup competition at the 2001 Spruce Meadows Masters tournament in
Calgary, AB, riding Mill Creek Chardo.
Candeles
sponsor, Phil Henning of Mill Creek Stables, now has numerous horses
now competing at the grand prix level and continues to develop a
large string of up-and-coming young prospects. Henning is a proud
supporter of show jumping sport and was recently recognized for
his valuable contribution with the Jump Canada Owner of the Year
Award. In 2003, Mill Creek Rosalinde competed at the 2003 Pan American
Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, under Eric Lamaze and
also represented Canada in the $250,000 BMO Financial Group Nations
Cup at the CSIO Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament. Mill Creek Raphael,
whom Henning generously donated to Equine Canada earlier this year,
was named to the 2000 Sydney Olympic team and represented Canada
at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, before winning
his second Canadian Show Jumping Championship title with Lamaze
in 2003.
Located
in Cambridge, ON, Mill Creek Stables is one of Canadas largest
sport horse breeding and sales barns, offering prospects in a variety
of disciplines to suit all budgets. For more information, please
visit www.millcreekstables.com, call tel: 519 740-1121 or e-mail:
phenning@millcreekstables.com
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