PALGRAVE, Ontario - It rained on ´Captain Canada´s parade today, but Ian
Millar still emerged as the John Deere Canada Cup champion at the
Tournament of Champions horse show.

Though a single fallen rail during today´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, Ont.) 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
nine-year-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, Ont., 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.

``InStyle 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 InStyle 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 InStyle 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.

The 2006 Tournament of Champions is proud to support both the Children´s
Wish Foundation of Canada and CARD (Community Association for Riding for
the Disabled).

Sunday September 24th  Results

$100,000 John Deere Canada Cup Final
          Name                Horse            Faults Time
1st       Laurie Bucci        Quidam´s Ramiro   0 0   52.79 sec
2nd       Eric Lamaze         Raldo             0 0   55.90 sec
3rd       Courtney Vince      Nala              0 0   58.55 sec
4th       Mario Deslauriers   Pardigm           4     50.61 sec
5th       Ian Millar          InStyle           4     50.67 sec