Eric Lamaze managed a hasty dismount in the Ride and Drive competition at the recent tournament of Champions. They call Yann Candele "The Flying Frenchman" for good reason.

The French rider and Brian McManus of Team Dynamic were the winners in the Celebrity Ride and Drive horse and car relay Saturday at the Tournament of Champions horse show at the Caledon Equestrian Park in Palgrave, with a time of 139.53 seconds.

The crowd-pleasing event, a fund-raiser for the Children's Wish Foundation, pairs celebrity and corporate representatives with grand prix riders. The celebrities negotiated an obstacle course in a Torrent, supplied by the Cedar Hills dealership, then as soon as they passed the checkered flag, their rider partners jumped a show jumping course with their horses. The riders then leaped off their horses and took the driver's seat, with the fastest combined horse and horsepower time winning.

McManus put in a smooth round in the car, then Candele, famous for his pedal-to-the-metal style at the reins and behind the wheel, didn't disappoint.

Candele said his usual driving is a little more conservative.

"I try to avoid speeding tickets as much as possible," said Candele, who now calls King Township home.

He said piloting the car was trickier than guiding the horse through the twisting course.

"It was slippery and the car was sliding a bit," he said.

Candele said the key to winning was using the hand brake to slow, so he didn't have to remove his foot from the gas pedal.

Second was actor Chris Potter (of TV and movie fame) and American rider Leslie Howard, who earlier in the day won the AMJ Campbell Van Lines $25,000 Speed Derby. Other celebrity drivers included CTV sports anchor Lance Brown, actor Art Hindle, singaer/actor Michael Burgess and rock legend Ronnie Hawkins.

Colin Ayers of the Home Depot, sponsor of the event for the fifth consecutive year, also participated as a driver, but said the real winner was the Children's Wish Foundation. Ayers says what's rewarding for him is seeing the reaction of the children with lifethreatening diseases whose horse wishes are granted at the Tournament of Champions.

This year's recipient children in attendance were Simon Villeneuve and Joannie Houde from Quebec and Amber Thomas from Alberta. A fourth child also had her wish granted but was unable to attend.

The Tournament of Champions has raised $450,000 for the Children's

Wish Foundation in seven years and granted the wishes of 12 children from across Canada.