Royal Horse Show Gets Ready to Welcome the World

Show jumping athletes from around the globe will meet in Toronto to contest world-class competition at the Royal Horse Show, held as part of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from November 3-12, 2023.

Taking place in the Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place in downtown Toronto, ON, the international division is held over four nights, culminating in the prestigious Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto on Saturday evening, November 11. Last year’s winner, Daniel Coyle of Ireland, will be back to defend his title riding Legacy, owned by Ariel Grange of Cheltenham, ON.

“Winning the World Cup class with Legacy at The Royal last year was a special victory to check off my bucket list,” said Coyle, who is currently ranked number 11 in the Longines World Rider Rankings. “The Royal is a very important part of our fall schedule, and the atmosphere was electric last year. Toronto feels like home for the Lothlorien Farm team – it is Ariel Grange’s hometown – and the Canadian crowds have always felt like my own crowds; they are so supportive.

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“Legacy is coming off a short break after our summer in Europe and she feels in top form going into the fall World Cup qualifying season,” continued Coyle. “We are looking forward to defending our title.”

Coyle will face stiff competition from numerous heavy hitters, including 2004 Olympic Champion Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil, who is also a three-time consecutive winner of the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Americans Kent Farrington and McLain Ward, both past winners of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto, will also have their eyes on the coveted prize. Currently ranked seventh and eighth respectively in the Longines World Rider Rankings, Farrington is an Olympic team silver medalist while Ward has claimed two Olympic team gold medals for his country. Ward was also the winner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in 2017 riding the great HH Azur.

Swiss Olympic silver medalist Beat Mändli will also be hoping to earn his way to another Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final appearance, having won the annual title in 2007. Two-time Olympian Daniel Bluman, currently ranked 13th in the world, will fly the Israeli flag in Toronto in the hopes of victory.

The Canadians will put up a strong fight with a roster of Olympians hoping to claim victory on home soil. Having finished third in last year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto, Tiffany Foster of Langley, BC, will be looking to improve on that result while Quebec native Mario Deslauriers, who remains the youngest rider to ever win the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final – a feat he accomplished in 1984 at the age of 19 – is sure to be in the final reckoning. Olympic team silver medalist Mac Cone of King City, ON, will be in the hunt while 2016 Rio Olympian Amy Millar of Perth, ON, will be looking to capture her first Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto title. They will be joined in the international division by fellow Canadians Sean Jobin, Vanessa Mannix, and Nicole Walker, as well as the top two athletes not already qualified in the Canadian Show Jumping Championships, taking place on November 3 and 4, 2023.

International show jumping will include ticketed evening events on Wednesday, November 8, when the action opens with the McKee Family International Jumper Challenge. The sentimental favourite Big Ben Challenge, presented by Mad Barn, will highlight Thursday evening’s schedule followed by the Canadian International Speed Challenge on Friday night. Then it’s all to play for in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Toronto on closing night as athletes vie for top prize money as well as valuable World Cup qualifying points for the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final taking place next April in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 10-day Royal Horse Show also features numerous other competitions and special features for horse sport fans. Opening weekend of the Royal Horse Show will feature the Canadian Show Jumping Championship, presented by Henry Equestrian, over two nights of competition, with 2022 champion Ali Ramsay returning to defend her title against a field of top Canadian athletes as well as younger rising stars. The Mad Barn Indoor Eventing Challenge will feature three-time Olympic medalist Philip Dutton competing alongside his 23-year-old daughter, Olivia.

The Canadian Hunter Derby National Championship will run over two days on November 5 and 7, and the Jump Canada Medal Final and prestigious CET Medal Final will crown the nation’s top equitation competitors on November 7 and 9, respectively.

Newly-introduced “Polo at The Royal” will thrill spectators on Wednesday evening, November 8, while the “Battle of the Breeds” will see various breeds going head-to-head as they demonstrate their various qualities during evening performances on November 9, 10, and 11. Throughout the 10-day Royal Horse Show, popular Australian horseman, entertainer, and bush poet Guy McLean will be delighting audiences with his team of liberty horses during select performances.

Sunday is Family Day at the Royal Horse Show; take in our matinee performances on November 4th and 5th where friends and family will enjoy over 30 breeds of horses and ponies competing for the title of ‘Royal Champion’ in the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Pay one low price for any seat in the house on Sunday, November 5th as the Toronto Star presents Family Day. will be delighting audiences with his team of liberty horses during select performances.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show, including daily schedules and to purchase tickets, visit www.royalfair.org/royalhorseshow.