Kyle King made it a double-double. The new Canadian captured his second international win of the day at Thunderbird Show Park’s Summer Fort Welcome, piloting his “heart horse” to victory in the $75,000 Steel Craft Doors CSI3* Grand Prix on Saturday.
Fresh off his win in the JustWorld International Winning Round 1.45m earlier in the day, King returned to the Fort Grand Prix arena and delivered another flawless performance to claim the feature class of the week. The first of four to return for Peter Holmes’ short course, King set a speedy standard aboard Replay Touch van de Stapelheyde.
“Some of the fastest people on the West Coast are here with James Chawke and Karrie Rufer coming behind me,” said King. “So going first, I figured I might as well let it all hang out and go as quick as I could.
“He was really good. He was very bold down to the double verticals. I think that’s where I was maybe a little quicker than the other ones.”
The pair stopped the clock in 38.10 seconds. Three more gave chase. James Chawke (IRL) and One Edition came closest to their time, settling for second in 38.75. Bryna Closson (USA) and Meteoric Rise took third in 39.71.
King credited the horse he calls “his dude” for the victory—a mount he nearly passed on not once, but twice.
“I think James and I pretty much took the same steps,” King said. “I took a big cut to the last one and [Hyde] twisted and tried like he always does. I’m really proud. He’s my favourite horse.”
The story of how King came to ride Hyde is one of reluctant persistence. The first time King saw the horse in Belgium, he refused to get on, put off by the Belgian Warmblood’s unconventional style and Thoroughbred breeding on the dam side (Vannan x Narew XX).
“I wouldn’t sit on him. My back was sore and I didn’t like his technique and he makes a little noise when he canters. And he wasn’t top fit then,” King recalled.
On a second trip, he remained skeptical, despite ample encouragement by friend Kirsten Rombouts.
“I stayed at their house for three days, which is above the barn, and I looked at his eye—he’s got that real sharp look—and thought, I’m not sitting on him,” King said. “Finally the last day, [Kirsten] basically forced me to sit on him. I jumped literally my first X and I said, ‘Done. This is the horse.’”
What changed King’s mind over that single jump?
“I’ve never really quite had a feeling like him—he’s like a feather,” King said. “He doesn’t make a sound off the ground. He lands lighter than he takes off. It is cool.
“He’s a little bit of an underdog type. He breathes a little funny and jumps his own style. He’s jumping better now, but yeah, I don’t know. There’s something about him. Kayenne Z is the queen [of my string] and this horse is my dude. He’s fun.”
Saturday’s win marks the third Grand Prix title for King and 9-year-old gelding this season. King now heads into the World Championships in Aachen, Germany later this month as the reserve rider for Team Canada—ready, as he put it, to “let it all hang out” if called upon.
$75,000 Steel Craft Doors CSI3* Grand Prix 1.50m Top 10
Rank / Horse / Rider / Nation / Faults – Time
1. Replay Touch Van De Stapelheyde, Kyle King (CAN) 0 / 0 – 38.10
2. One Edition, James Chawke (IRL) 0 / 0 – 38.75
3. Meteoric Rise, Bryna Closson (USA) 0 / 0 – 39.71
4. Stern Dei Folletti, Karrie Rufer (USA) 0 / 8 – 43.74
5. Kannandine, Braden James (CAN) 4 – 74.33
Full results here.
Stella Chernoff and Lady Cassini 3. (Kim Gaudry Photography)
Stella Chernoff and Lady Cassini 3 Race to U25 1.40m Grand Prix Win
If Tate McRae needed a muse for her chart-topping anthem “Sports Car,” she need look no further than Lady Cassini 3. The 10-year-old mare lived up to her theme song in Sunday’s U25 1.40m Grand Prix, protected by Western Pacific Emergency Response, at Thunderbird Show Park’s Summer Fort Welcome, leaving the competition in her rearview mirror.
The second of three to return for the jump off, Stella Chernoff and Lady Cassini 3 sped around Peter Holmes’ track with a double-clear effort, stopping the clock in a blistering 40.99 seconds—more than five seconds quicker than the runner-up combination. Canada’s Mya Viczko (22) and Ezio De Emeraud settled for second with 4 faults in 46.48 seconds, while 17-year-old Iris Hickey (USA) and Daiquiri rounded out the podium with 8 faults in 46.81 seconds.
It was a performance that was pure pole position—by a mare has one preferred gear, fifth.
“Even the first round felt like I was riding the jump off already,” said Chernoff of her speedy mare. “You’re never worried about the time allowed with her. I never have once thought about it.”
Sunday’s victory capped a breakthrough week for the 21-year-old rider, who acquired the Lord Fauntleroy mare last summer from Germany but spent much of the past year away from the saddle while finishing her Kinesiology degree at Queen’s University.
“I showed her a bit last summer and then September came around. I went back to school in Ontario, so I wasn’t really riding for most of the year,” Chernoff explained. “I came back here in April and we did four weeks of Spruce Meadows together, which I would say was a lot of ups and downs.”
Those summer struggles tested the partnership, but the young Canadian never lost faith in her mare’s fighting spirit.
“She’s definitely been a bit of a tricky one to figure out, but I feel like this show everything is starting to click,” said Chernoff, who also finished second in Wednesday’s U25 1.35m and fifth in Friday’s U25 1.40m classes with “Lady.”
“She has such a big heart. Even if she gets a little nervous, she always wants to get to the other side of the jump, which is an amazing quality. I think she never gave up on me and I never gave up on her. And then now here we are.”
The turning point came through patience and persistence—in and out of the tack.
“I’ve been working on not doing too much, because I think before I was trying to make too many adjustments and it was just not working between the two of us,” Chernoff said. “We did end up changing the bridle, which also helped a ton.
“This summer we’ve had a lot more time to work on our partnership—both riding and just in the barn spending a bit more time with her, getting to know her better. She loves her scratches—so always make sure she gets her scratches. She trusts me a lot and I can trust her.”
Showcasing the next generation of show jumping talent, the U25 division, protected by Western Pacific Emergency Response, returns to tbird next week with the Summer Fort Classic, culminating with the Finale in September at the Harvest Festival.
U25 1.40m Grand Prix
Rank / Horse / Rider / Faults – Time
1. Lady Cassini 3, Stella Chernoff (CAN) 0/0 – 40.99
2. Ezio De Emeraud, Mya Viczko (CAN) 0/4 – 46.48
3. Daiquiri, Iris Hickey (USA) 0/8 – 46.81
4. Caya, Darby Cook (CAN) 4 – 76.43
5. Raisienne Van De Padenborre, Reagan Tomb (USA) 4 – 78.77
Full results here.
More News
