The $500,000 AON Grand Prix, presented by Rolex was the feature competition for the ‘Pan American’ CSI5*, presented by Rolex Tournament. Twenty-six athletes stepped through the Clock Tower to challenge FEI Course Designer Anderson Lima’s (MEX) strong, 1.60m track that featured 14 obstacles (17 efforts) that included the open water and a triple combination towards the end of the course.
Matthew Sampson (GBR) was one of four horse/rider combinations to advance to the jump off. Ireland’s Daniel Coyle, Jordan Coyle and Darragh Kenny were hoping to see the colours of Ireland atop the flag pole but today was not the day.
Sampson aboard his grey stallion, Daniel (Heartbreaker x Cavalier), bested Daniel Coyle’s quick jump off time of 43.86s by six one-hundredths of a second and stopping the clock at 43.72s for the victory. Daniel Coyle finished second aboard Incredible (Clinton x Heartbreaker), while Jordan Coyle and Chaccolino (Chacco-Blue x Heartbreaker) completed the stage.
“I guess every week is a different course designer, and it's not only hard for us to, to make the best rounds every week with different course designers and space here at Spruce Meadows. With such depth in the jumps and and where they're placed, even for that matter. So it’s very hard for the course designers to get it all right - I think today he (Anderson Lima) nailed it.” - Daniel Coyle (IRL) on competing at Spruce Meadows throughout the summer.
FUN FACT: Sampson’s win in the International Ring for Great Britain this afternoon comes 35 years to the day since her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Spruce Meadows on June 29, 1990. Next week, Sampson, along with the Coyle brothers, as well as a host of top show jumpers from around the world, will be looking for a victory in the competition that honours Her Majesty, the ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the main event of the ‘North American’.
