On September 8th, just one day following the easing of federal border restrictions, nearly 100 horses from 14 nations were presented to the FEI Veterinary Commission for inspection in advance of competition commencing in the International Ring on Thursday.
Plenty of star power has arrived, including Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat (SUI), Max Kuhner (AUT), Scott Brash (GBR), Zoe Conter (BEL), and McLain Ward (USA). Canada is well-represented and will be fielding two teams for Saturday’s BMO Nations’ Cup. The five participating teams will consist of:
Canada #1
Tiffany Foster
Erynn Ballard
Eric Lamaze
Amy Millar
Chef d’equipe – Mark Laskin
Canada #2
Ben Asselin
Samantha Buirs
Mario Deslauriers
Brian Morton
Chef d’equipe – Gail Greenough
Mexico
Federico Fernandez
Paola Amilibia
Daniel Pedraza Littlewood
Carlos Hank Jr (Guerreiro)
Chef d’equipe – Eduardo Menezes
USA
Alex Granato
McLain Ward
Bliss Heers
Natalie Dean
Chef d’equipe – Robert Ridland
Ireland
Jordan Coyle
Daniel Coyle
Darragh Kerins
Conor Swail
Chef d’equipe – Michael Blake
Friday features the WestJet Evening of the Horse, opening with the Tourmaline Cup and the ATCO Electric Six Bar; a favourite event at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament, the night will conclude with the Spruce Meadows’ official colour guard, the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), performing their Musical Ride under the lights.
Saturday features the exciting BMO Nations’ Cup, one of show jumping’s most coveted team titles. Prior to the BMO Nations’ Cup, fans will be treated to the Suncor Winning Round.
Sunday of the ‘Masters’ is the highlight of the international show jumping calendar with a staggering $2,500,000 up for grabs in the CP ‘International’, presented by Rolex. The most prestigious Grand Prix in the sport, the CP ‘International’ is part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. After an historic performance in 2015, Scott Brash (GBR), who jumped to Rolex Grand Slam victory, returns looking for his third win in the event. The pressure will also be on the likes of Canada’s Eric Lamaze, Kent Farrington (USA), former Olympic champion Steve Guerdat (SUI), McLain Ward (USA), Nayel Nasser (EGY), and Beezie Madden (USA), who was the last to jump to victory in the event in September 2019.
Having just completed the ‘National’ tournament, the Spruce Meadows Organizing Committee recently announced a decision to allow limited attendance for fully vaccinated spectators for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the ‘Masters’. The decision will allow up to 2000 fans per day to attend the tournament, with advanced ticket sales only and Covid mask protocols in place.
Linda Southern-Heathcott, Spruce Meadows’ President & CEO stated “We have been discussing it for quite some time, while working with our partners and the authorities. In the end, we want to be able to welcome fans back to Spruce Meadows and for everyone to feel safe and compliant with the government approvals that Spruce Meadows has received and the Covid-19 mitigation plan that is in place for us to operate under our National Interest Exemption. We also want to welcome our fans back in a safe and respectful manner.”
For more information, visit sprucemeadows.com
Watch the livestream and video on demand here and also online on CBC.ca here.
~ with files from Spruce Meadows Media
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