For the 50th anniversary of the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, the organizing committee went big. Action starts today, with competition leading up to Sunday’s finale, the $5 Million CPKC ‘International’ as part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. The $5 million (approximately $3.62 million USD) in prize money is the largest single-day purse for a sporting event in Canada this year and the biggest ever in show jumping.
Among the contenders are Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and his championship mount Leone Jei. In addition to being two-time winners of the CPKC International, as winners of the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen (Germany), they are the live contenders for the Rolex Grand Slam. They’ll face stiff competition though, including Olympic champions Christian Kukuk and Checker 47 of Germany, as well as newly crowned European champions Richard Vogel and United Touch S, also of Germany.
Great Britain’s Scott Brash, who is the only rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam, brings Hello Jefferson, whom he rode to team gold at the Paris Olympics, and Swiss rider Steve Guerdat, who has countless medals to his name, is bringing Albfuehren’s Iashin Sitte and Venard De Cerisy, with whom he won the feature grand prix in 2021.
For the United States, Elena Haas (Claude), Lillie Keenan (Argan De Beliard, Fasther and Kick On), Kyle King (Kayenne Z, Odysseus and SIG Chiari), Laura Kraut (Bisquetta, Emeraldo 4 and Tres Bien Z), Will Simpson (Chacco P and Imar) and Aaron Vale (Carissimo 25 and Styles) will be competing in the Fédération Equestre Internationale classes.
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Haas, Keenan, Kraut and Vale will representing Team USA in the BMO Nations Cup, which begins at 11 a.m. Mountain Time (1 p.m. Eastern) Saturday. The order of go will be set later this week. As part of the anniversary celebration, the ATCO Cup, which takes place Thursday, will have the same track as the 1976 Masters Grand Prix.
Sixty-six athletes from 18 countries presented 143 horses during Tuesday’s FEI veterinary inspection, 98 of whom flew from Europe—a record for the show.
