Collingwood, Ontario - On a Grand Prix ring that had been plagued by rain on and off for two weeks, Ian Millar, " aka Captain Canada," and his horse Roulette took home $15,000 and first place in the $50,000 CIBC Grand Prix presented by Audi at The Collingwood Classic Horse Show. The day before this event, torrential rains had dampened more than spirits and no morning classes were held in the big ring to give it a fighting chance to dry up. Course designer Dave Ballard altered a few jumps and toned down the track in view of the soggy conditions and early morning cloud gave way to sunshine and cool winds just before the event. Show organizers and sponsors breathed a sigh of relief as the crowds flooded in to watch the event televised by TSN. This event was the fourth in the five event Audi Classics Series and Millar will ride at the Royal Horse Show in Toronto to see if he can make it two in a row; he drove off with an Audi last year as winner of the 1999 series.

Twenty four competitors tackled the track after a careful course walk in the morning; seven came back to go for broke for the big bucks. Millar and Roulette set the tone and the time in the jump off by posting a clear round and a time of 34.730 and none of the other riders could match his efforts. Millar was also sixth with Future Folly and they were first in The Patricia Watt Memorial Open Stake a few days before the Grand Prix. Millar commented after the event that thoughts of the Olympic Games have been with him for months and news from Australia is that the facilities are ‘incredible' and the Canadian horses fared very well throughout their long flight ‘ down under.'

Young Chris Delia and his horse Double Diamond were delighted with their second place win and Delia said: " Ballard did a good job of creating a course that was technical enough but safe considering the ring conditions. My horse is an Irish horse so he doesn't mind the muddy conditions anyway." Delia had also placed fifth earlier in the week in the Patricia Watt Memorial Open Stake with the big grey.

Mark Elder, son of long time Olympian and national team member Jim Elder, placed third with Dragonslayer. The only female presence in the ring was Margie Sproule, daughter of Tom Gayford who represented Canada in show jumping many times in years gone by and she rode her ex-racehorse thoroughbred Inglewood to fourth position. Inglewood was a star earlier in the week by taking the red ribbon in The Gary Cooper Chev-Olds Dealer Rising Star class.

Jay Hayes, co - chair of the two week Collingwood Horse Shows and his horse, "And the Jets" were looking good at one point on course for a solid second but were fractions slower than Millar and had a rail for a final fifth place.

The Collingwood Horse Show has been an annual event for riders and horses since 1986 and this is the second year that the event has run to two weeks, bringing an estimated 8 to 10 million dollars into the regional economy. It has grown from a small event at the local fairgrounds into a competition with two nationally televised Grand Prix.

1- Ian Millar and Roulette 34.730
2 - Chris Delia and Double Diamond 37.325
3 The Dragonslayer ridden by Mark Elder 38.066
4 - Inglewood ridden by Margie Sproule 39.776
5 - And The Jets ridden by Jay Hayes 35.183 plus 4 jumping faults
6 - Future Folly ridden by Ian Millar 37.071 plus 4 jumping faults
7 - Chequers ridden by Chris Pratt 36.353 plus 8 jumping faults

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