The $138,000 Big Ben Challenge had an improbable winner last night, as international show jumping got under way in earnest at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair.
The field of 24 was star-studded, including 2021 Olympic individual gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain; Ireland’s Conor Swail, who is leading World Cup standings for the 2023 finals and McLain Ward, the man makes a habit of winning at the Royal.
The course designed by Canadian Michel Vaillancourt was extremely tough. It was not until the tenth rider in the field, Kent Farrington on Landon, showed how it could be done that the clear rounds started coming.
Kent Farrington and Landon. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Six qualified for the jump-off, including, appropriately, Amy Millar. She is the daughter of Ian Millar, who was the rider of the class’s namesake, the iconic Big Ben—considered a Canadian equine national treasure.
Amy was getting vocal encouragement from her father in the stands, as she tried to best the fault-free trip in 34.15 seconds set by Kent, the former world number one-ranked rider who was first to go in the jump-off on his very accurate chestnut Zangersheide. Amy had a rail down with Truman however, and ditto the others in the tie-breaker with one exception—Nick Dello Joio.
He was last to go and some people already were leaving their seats, when he turned in a searing trip on Cornet’s Cambridge, a 10-year-old by Balou du Reventon. Could he beat Kent’s time? It seemed unlikely. Kent is an Olympic medalist who has won everywhere, while Nick got into the Royal only because another jumper competitor dropped out.
But a look at the clock revealed not only that Nick had taken the red ribbon (in Canada, first place is red, not blue) he did it by slicing well over a second off Kent’s clocking, finishing in 32.53.
Calling Cornet’s Cambridge “the most intelligent horse that I’ve ever been around,” Nick noted, “He knows just when to kick it into gear.”
“This is probably my favorite show that I’ve done so far and I’ve only been here for two days,” said Nick, moments after the trophy presentation.
“It’s just next level, it’s a real show. I love the size of the classes and it’s great because it’s not that it’s easier, because all 24 people that are here can win on any given night. It’s not that you feel that maybe there’s 40 and only 20 can win–everybody here earned their right to get here.”
Nick is the son of Norman Dello Joio, who was leading rider at the Royal during his spectacular career. Prior to this week, Nick had just come to the Royal once, with his father, and the only thing he remembers were the cinnamon rolls, the highlight of that trip. Now he has something else to remember from the Royal, which is marking its hundredth anniversary with the appropriate pomp and circumstance.
