By Charlene Strickland

"It's not a walk in the park," said Jan Ebeling about the way the U.S. squeaked by Canada. At the end of Day 1, Canada's all-female team had almost 3 points lead over the two U.S. female riders, Kristina Harrison-Naness and Carol Lavell.

On Day 2, Pierre St Jacques logged the highest score of either country, switching the lead to the U.S. As the fourth U.S. rider, Ebeling cranked up the pressure on Canada with the highest U.S. score, and the U.S. won with 206.55 compared to Canada's 206.30.

The initial U.S. rider in the Prix St. Georges was Harrison-Naness on Kantor. The steamy tropical heat affected her during the test, and she dismounted red-faced and dripping with sweat. "LA has been more humid for us lately, but it's no comparison to here!" she reported after cooling off. "We ride him in the heat of the day to prepare, but you need to experience this heat." She rode "Scooby" while carrying a silver dollar as a lucky charm. The coin had helped her top the field at Gladstone--in Santo Domingo, its luck only held her in first place for the first 10 rides of the team competition. Canadian Ashley Holzer's score nabbed first place, and she held it the rest of Day 1.

Lavell and Much Ado battled the elements in their test, when a torrential rainstorm started. Lavell had already weathered a huge spook in the warmup. "To Do" leaped at the sight of jump standards, and almost fell down when his hind feet slipped in the sodden footing from an earlier downpour. Rain pelted Lavell from her salute on, and her horse hydroplaned through most of the test.

Long-time coach Michael Poulin praised "a good rapport between her and her horse in the rain." He added, “Their score will be good enough to help the team win the gold medal."

Lavell said, “My job was to try to get the job done--so we could get a good team score.” She was excited about her second trot extension, saying, “It was the best I’ve ever done.” She wasn’t so excited to be picked for drug testing (on her, not the horse).

Lavell’s score placed the U.S. at 131.60. Canada’s Evi Strasser boosted her country to first place, with 134.15.