AGE-DEFYING DYNAMIC DUO
Spooner wins Nexen Cup Derby title
Following a picture perfect performance in Sunday’s CNOOC Nexen Cup Derby, Richard Spooner rewarded Cristallo the same way he always does: a pat on the neck and a treat from his hand. The routine is the same. But the feeling — the moment when the veteran 19-year-old Holsteiner gelding finishes a competition — has changed considerably.
“Every round, (with) a horse that gets to that age, you know every round could be your last round,” Spooner said. “I just treasure every moment that I’m out there on that field with him.
“I don’t relish the win, as much as I relish in the experience I have with him.”
The win, of course, came naturally to the duo.
They were the only clear pair to finish the Guilherme Jorgedesigned course without a single fault. The Devil’s Dyke. The bank. The Liverpool.
Cristallo was perfect on all of it. No jump-off necessary.
“It was lead, follow or get out of the way,” Spooner said. “I was just trying to get out of his way because he knows exactly what he’s doing out there.
“It’s my job just to tell him not to do it quite so fast.”
Adding to the best story of the day, Spooner with Cristallo became the third rider in Spruce Meadows history to capture the Derby three straight years (201517). They also won in 2012.
To put things in perspective, a 19-year-old horse is like a 57-yearold human and the top horses in the sport are typically 12 or 13 years old.
Like a fine wine, however, Cristallo seems to just get better with age.
And there was no doubt among the sun-splashed crowd at Spruce Meadows that he’d be anything less than perfect on this day.
“He’s afraid of nothing. He’s incredibly brave,” said Spooner. “And he just kind of drags me around. I have to ask him to slow down. I feel like every time I jump, I’m throwing the parachute out to try and get some wind in our sails and try to slow us down. “I just love this horse.” After an excellent week at Spruce Meadows, Calgarian Chris Surbey entered the International Ring with a pile of confidence aboard Carnaval and it continued as he headed into the difficult Devil’s Dyke triple jump. He was perfectly clear until the third rail when Carnaval kicked over the top.
Adding insult to injury, he also knocked down the final fence, but still finished third. Irishman Daniel Coyle and Ridley had the exact same errors — the Devil’s Dyke and the last jump.
Both riders, however, had productive results at the National Tournament.
The 22-year-old Coyle cashed in $48,275 over five days of competition while Surbey, a local Spruce Meadows rider, earned $39,950.
“I had a really good week,” Surbey said.
“Carnaval was fantastic. As I was walking off, Richard was jumping clear. So, that puts a little more pressure on because it’s a hard thing to do during the Derby.
“Normally, I’m a little slow on that horse but right from the start, I tried to get on the time in case I made a mistake.”
Luis Alejandro Plascencia of Mexico finished second aboard Salamera de la Nutria with eight jumping faults. This was his fifth Derby.
“I was actually very surprised to be second,” he said. “When I ended up second, I was, like, so happy. When I saw (Spooner), I knew he was going to clear and I didn’t want a jump-off."
Thanks to Cristallo, no one had to.
“I usually give him cookies ... I always try to reward my horses with cookies and he responds to it very well,” Spooner said with a chuckle.
In all seriousness, Spooner and Cristallo’s partnership has been building since the horse was five years old. Sunday was special for both of them.
“I can’t put into words how I feel about that horse,” he said. “He means a lot to me.”