Saturday was British Day in several ways at the Spruce Meadows Masters.
The designation was made long before the hard-fought BMO Nations Cup took place this afternoon, with Sophie, Britain’s Duchess of Edinburgh, as the honored guest.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, with Spruce Meadows’ Linda Southern Heathcott. (Spruce Meadows Photo)
But the British team didn’t get a freebie in the competition because of the honor, and had to fight for its first victory in the class since 1996 at the show in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The question of who would take the towering trophy came down to Britain’s final rider, the last to compete in the class. That was Donald Whitaker (nephew of former British team mainstays Michael and John), and his dependable mount, Millfield Colette.
Before Donald entered the arena, Richie Vogel of Germany, who won the European championship last month, had just dropped a rail with Cloudio at the last of 12 fences on course, giving his nation a total of 4 penalties over two rounds. Three Germans had gone clear in the first round, so he didn’t have to ride at that point.
But his best effort was needed in the second round after Olympic champion Christian Kukuk toppled a pole at the first element of the triple combination. Once both rounds were completed, the Germans found themselves on a total of 4 penalties and Richie commented that he thought he overrode the liverpool obstacle.
But Richie’s score meant that if Donald could go fault-free for Britain, the title would belong to his nation.
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette
Donald was, as British Chef d’Equipe Di Lampard described it, “steely cool” in delivering the hoped-for outcome on his lovely gray mare.
Di included the other members of the squad, Joseph Stockdale, Matt Sampson and 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher in her praise, saying, “The spirit of this team is second to none. It’s fantastic and it’s come together so well this year. To have the win here, I’m so proud of them all.
Ben Maher of Great Britain on Enjeu de Grisien. (Spruce Meadows Media/Mike Sturk)
How important was it to take the title again for the first time in nearly three decades?
“It was huge,” she emphasized.
“Prior, it was won several times by the British, year after year. We do take a little stick from home for not following on. Finally we’ve come together and done it.”
She was confident her anchor rider could deliver.
“Donald has been in that position before for us this year. The progress he has made throughout the year in that position, I was happy he was last.”
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette, partners in triumph. (Spruce Meadows Media/Mike Sturk)
While there was undoubtedly immense pressure on Donald, with a crowd of more than 25,000 on hand to watch and celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the show (not to mention the presence of a member of the royal family) he relished the chance to demonstrate what he and the dynamic mount could produce.
“It’s kind of everything you always dreamed of doing, really,” he said.
“Spruce Meadows, last to go to win it. It’s kind of a fairy tale in your head sometimes.”
How did he handle it?
“Just tried to stay relaxed,” he commented.
The British team: Ben Maher, Joseph Stockdale, Chef d’equipe Di Lampard, Matt Sampson, Donald Whitaker (Spruce Meadows photo)
The route for the class was laid out by Spruce Meadows’ perennial course designer, Leopoldo Palacios, who did not put pressure on the riders with a tight time allowed. But the clever arrangement of fences meant that faults were well-distributed, though the water jump fronted by a wavy wall that confused some horses drew plenty of penalties.
Eleven riders collected faults there, but even the first fence took its share of errors. It was the Austrian obstacle flanked by standards that resembled mountains and with a panel of musical notes, calling to mind the movie, “The Sound of Music.”
The vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination under the trees also caused its share of heartbreak as the afternoon wore on and shadows lengthened.
The first round drew 11 nations, with six coming back for the second round.
The U.S. was tied with the Germans on 4 penalties before Aaron Vale was the last to go for his team. He had 4 penalties in the first round with Styles, but that wasn’t the drop score, since 21-year-old rookie Elena Haas had two rails on Claude.
It appeared Aaron really didn’t have to ride a second time, because there was no way a even a fault-free trip could displace the Brits. But Coach Robert Ridland sent him out, explaining that ties other than for first place are broken by cumulative times of the top three scores in the second round.
So Aaron raced against the clock.
“When he went in, we still had a chance to be second if we could get a faster clear,” Robert explained.
“Bottom line — we weren’t going to concede second place.”
But as it turned out, Germany claimed the runner-up spot because it was timed at 232.56, while the U.S. wound up third on 234.34, even though Aaron delivered a quicker trip than his teammates, all of whom were clear, as he was.
It’s been quite a summer for the U.S. team, with podium finishes across Europe and a victory at the all-important Aachen show, at the venue which will host the 2026 world championships.
Robert was pleased with his crew, noting both Aaron and Laura Kraut (Tres Bien) “had young horses who were spectacular today. Pathfinder Lillie Keenan (Argan de Belliard) “has proven to be a double-clear machine” with that score in March at the League of Nations in Ocala, as well as Rome and Aachen, in addition to Spruce.
Lillie Keenan of the USA and Argan de Belliard.
“And finally,” Robert added, “Elena was outstanding in her first major 5-star Nations Cup and rode a picture-perfect second round under immense pressure.”
By the way, Robert rode on the USA’s winning Nations Cup team at Spruce Meadows in 1986. So he doesn’t just talk a good game.
In keeping with the festive anniversary of the show, horses were given dress sheets with a giant 50 emblazoned on them, and Britain’s Household Cavalry made an appearance complete with gold braid and smart uniforms.
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