The second week of international competition kicked off Tuesday night with a speed class, the 1.45 m $35,000 Friends of Rocky Mountain Cup, Presented by Pure North and Sponsored by Mermac Construction, Volker Stevin and NSI Scapes. While competition was more intense than the first week with many Americans and Canadians arriving in Calgary from the FEI World Cup Qualifier in Del Mar, California, this past weekend – the results remained the same as last week – Daniel Coyle and Fortis Fortuna took the win in the first night of competition.
Going 4th in the order of go out of 38 starters, Coyle was so smooth in his inside turns and gallops between fences, the crowd was sure that he would be surpassed. However, after holding their breath time after time with the likes of Andy Kocher, Beth Underhill, Lauren Crooks, and Hardin Towell – they saw a tight five to a narrow plank come down time after time and inside turns go awry leading to more conservative rides later in competition.
Fellow Irishman Conor Swail looked like he might catch him, first setting the pace with CK Coco Chanel, who eventually finished 4th, and then later on with two-time winner from the first week, Flower, who finished 3rd in tonight’s competition.