So much incredible competition went on in all the disciplines this weekend that it was positively head-spinning trying to keep up. But we managed.
First, let’s deal with the richest grand prix in the world, the $3 million (Canadian) CPKC International, which went to Martin Fuchs of Switzerland with the incredible Leone Jei for the second year in a row at Spruce Meadows. The class, presented by Rolex, is part of the Rolex Grand Slam series of competitions, with the next leg coming up in Geneva in December.
With $2.2 million American on the line Sunday in Calgary, Alberta, a field of 39 was whittled to 12 over a course designed by Leopoldo Palacios. The biggest surprise in the initial round was when McLain Ward fell off as his Olympic mount, Ilex, crashed through the first fence. The top 12 who qualified for the second round included riders who had knockdowns and accumulated time penalties, but it wound up with three riders tied on zero penalties set for a jump-off.
In the tie-breaker, Martin had the third fence down, an oxer with brown rails, which was difficult to see in a shadow. Martin felt he over-rode it. So at that point, he needed to hustle and got his horse through the timers in 40.22 seconds.
Then he had to wait.
Ireland’s Darragh Kenny and the stallion Cartello also toppled a rail at the same obstacle and exceeded the 42-second time allowed to finish with 4 jumping and 2 time faults. Last to go was 2022 CPKC winner Daniel Deusser of Germany, the country that won the Nations Cup on Saturday.
Daniel and Killer Queen had a rail at the first part of the double, 6A. He knew after that he had to rush to beat Martin’s time, but that was not the way to approach the last fence, the colorful Hong Kong wall. Blocks flew off the top, leaving Martin the winner, Darragh second and Daniel third with 8 faults.
“It was touch-and-go,” Martin admitted about his feelings as he waited for the placings to resolve.
“But today was really my day, the other guys had some unlucky rails and I am very happy to defend this grand prix. It was very dramatic and I am glad it worked out for me today.”
It’s selfie time for the top three in the CPKC International: Daniel Deusser, Martin Fuchs and Darragh Kenny. (Spruce Meadows Photo)
Of the gray gelding who carried him to victory, Martin noted, “He has jumped 13 majors and placed in 12 of them. He’s always there when the majors are on. I’m blessed I have a partner that feels the same about those great shows.”
The big news from Spruce Meadows was that this grand prix will have a $5 million (Canadian) prize in 2025 to mark the facility’s fiftieth anniversary. There has never been a prize like that in show jumping.
Complete results of the CPKC International here
Now, on to the hard-fought Defender Burghley 5-star Horse Trials, where world number one eventer Ros Canter of Great Britain showed why she deserves that title by taking top honors with Lordships Graffalo on 23.6 penalties. She added only 1.6 time penalties to her dressage score for her trip over the show jumping fences that wrapped up the British event.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo rose to first place after cross-country at the Defender Burghley Horse Trials and kept it through the show jumping to win. (Defender Burghley photo)
New Zealand’s Tim Price had a rail down with Vitali to finish second on 29.5. He was followed in third and fourth place by Harry Meade of Great Britain with the fault-free Cavalier Crystal (72.84) and Annaghmor Valoner, who had a rail to total 75.79. And can you believe busy Harry also was twelfth on Superstition (42.9) with a clean show jumping trip?
The top American finisher was Cosby Green with Copper Beech, sixteenth with 49.6. She had only time faults on cross-country, and a rail and 1.2 time faults in the show jumping. Jennie Brannigan finished twenty-third on FE Lifestyle (57.9) after a bad few minutes when her mount was sent to the holding area during the final horse inspection. They had two rails down in show jumping.
Andrew McConnon and Wakita 54 (70) dropped two rails in show jumping to finish twenty-seventh. Mia Farley and the thoroughbred Phelps picked up 20 jumping penalties on cross-country at the Rolex corners and added time penalties in that phase as well. Four fences down and time penalties in the jumping resulted in a score of 94.5 penalties that put this combination thirty-second.
The other American entry, Hannah Sue Holberg and Capitol HIM, ended their run when she had a fall at the twenty-second of 30 cross-country fences and was eliminated.
For full Burghley results, click here.
In the Paralympics, the U.S. ended with a record medal haul that topped the tables for dressage. Americans won seven medals, eclipsing their previous Paralympic Games best of two golds and a bronze at Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2021. Two U.S. riders were triple gold for the Games.
Becca Hart and Floratina had a narrow win in the Grade III freestyle to score a gold medal hat trick for the Games, having previously won the individual competition and contributed to the USA’s first team gold. Becca’s freestyle score was 83.534 percent to 83.007 for the Netherlands’ Rixt van der Horst on Royal Fonq in the Grade III competition. Natasha Baker of Great Britain was third on Dawn Chorus (77.140).
In Grade II, Fiona Howard earned her third gold with Diamond Dunes in her Paralympic debut. She was marked at 81.994 percent.
Georgia Wilson of Great Britain, rode Sakura to 79.374 percent for silver while 69-year-old Heidemarie Dresing of Germany, the oldest Para Dressage athlete in Paris, won her first individual medal after three previous fourth place finishes, taking bronze on Dooloop with 76.127 percent.
Triple gold medalist Fiona Howard. (US Equestrian photo)
In Grade IV, Kate Shoemaker and Vianne took bronze with a personal best of 80.170 for her ride to music from the movie Forrest Gump, so all the U.S. Paralympians brought home at least one medal. It was Kate’s first individual medal after earning bronze with the team in Tokyo three years ago.
Demi Haerkens of the Netherlands won her second individual gold on her Paralympic Games debut, and third medal in all, as she and Daula won the Grade IV gold earned an impressive 83.390 percent. Anna-Lena Niehues of Germany on Quimbaya 6, scored 80.900 percent to take silver, adding to their two bronzes in the Individual test and Team event.
Meanwhile, the World Driving Championships in Hungary ended with – no surprise – world champion Boyd Exell of Australia in first place. But the USA’s Chester Weber, who set a record last week in winning the dressage phase, wound up third to reach the podium.
Boyd Exell in action. (FEI photo)
Second after Saturday’s marathon, Chester had two knockdowns in the cones segment Sunday for a total of 159.13 penalties. That put him third behind the Netherlands’ Bram Chardon, with a total of 157.74 after a clean round in cones. Bram won that phase to move up from third place to second.
“It was a very different track from a lot of the sort of Dutch-esque tracks,” Chester said of the marathon course. “But I was very pleased with how the horses handled it and their performance.”
Chester Weber gives Boyd Exell a champagne shower. (FEI photo)
His score contributed to the unprecedented twelfth team gold for the Netherlands which gave his father, Ijsbrand, his thirty-sescond world medal and fourteenth gold. Together with Koos de Ronde, they won the team competition on 322.69.
Boyd had one down in cones, but a score of 146.93 penalties for all three phases left him untouchable and continuing on top of the world rankings with his seventh consecutive gold medal. Amazingly, the two-member Australian team that also included Tor van den Berge won their first world medal with bronze (340.77). Germany captured silver (330.33).
The U.S. did not finish as a team because its only other member, Jimmy Fairclough, did not compete in cones after one of his horses incurred an injury in his stall overnight.
Get the driving results by clicking here.
Read about the HITS grand prix in our Previous Columns here .
