Ian Millar takes 2nd John Deere Canada Cup Championship

Ian Millar of Perth, Ontario, clears this jump at Sunday's Tournament of Champions He was riding Redefin, owned by Sue Grange of Cheltenham.

It rained on Captain Canada's parade Sunday, but Ian Millar still emerged as the John Deere Canada Cup champion at the Tournament of Champions horse show. This was his second consecutive title.

Though a single fallen rail during Sunday's $100,000 World Cup Qualifier and the third phase of the John Deere Canada Cup Championship ended Millar's quest to win all three phases of the championship, he still accumulated enough points over three days to win the Cup title.

Laurie Bucci, 35, of Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec won Sunday's class, held in soppy conditions, often during driving rain. Bucci was one of only three riders out of 22 to cleanly jump the course in the first round. Though both Courtney Vince (Toronto) and Eric Lamaze (King) also went clean in the jump-off, Bucci, the final rider, galloped boldy through the mud to take victory at 52.79 seconds aboard her nineyear old Holsteiner gelding, Quidam's Ramiro.

"The footing wasn't the best, but my horse handled it well," said Bucci. "He's a very, very brave horse and I had every confidence he'd be okay with it. I had more trouble staying in the saddle because the rain made it slippery."

Meanwhile, Millar, of Perth, said his horse, In Style, his winning mount in both Thursday's $25,000 John Deere Canada Cup Speed Class and Friday's $50,000 John Deere Canada Cup Jumper Classic, was initially put off by the conditions. The skies opened just as Millar and In Style entered the ring.

"In Style is much like thoroughbred racehorses, sensitive, sensitive, and some of them don't like getting dirt splashed onto their bellies. The mud was going everywhere, and he was a little distracted at first," said Millar. "He knocked down a rail at the second fence, which is unusual for him, when he's been so consistent in this competition. But after that, he got his mind on the job."

In the original field of 32 horses, 10 scratched before the class.

Millar was competing with a broken hand, suffered two weeks ago while he was riding at the Master's Tournament at Spruce Meadows, Alberta, where he and In Style were members of the Canadian Equestrian Team that won the prestigious Nations' Cup competition. Millar has competed more than 25 times in the Nations' Cup at Spruce Meadows, but this was the first time the Canadian team has won it in 29 years.

This is the second year consecutive year Millar and In Style have won the John Deere Canada Cup Championship at the Tournament of Champions.

"Next year, we'll be going for the hat trick," said Millar.

Eric Lamaze on Ronaldo was second with a time of 55.90 seconds. Courtney Vince of Toronto was third, aboard Nalla, in 58.55.

Mario Deslauriers of Bromont, Quebec was fourth on Paradigm in 50.61 seconds. Ian Millar was 5th, in 50.67 sec.

Viewers can catch the Tournament of Champions action during TSN's 60 minutes of primetime coverage later this fall.