Olympians seeking glory at Masters
World’s top show jumpers, including Eric Lamaze, are coming to Calgary
Fresh from the Rio Games, the world’s best show jumpers have converged on Spruce Meadows in pursuit of more triumph.
Leading the charge for Canada will be bronze-medallist Eric Lamaze, who was one fallen rail from taking gold in Rio, followed by a Canadian team that finished fourth at the recently concluded Summer Olympics.
They’ll be going up against tough competition, including members of the gold-winning French equestrian team as part of five days of competition that kicks off Wednesday and runs through Sunday.
At a Tuesday luncheon, Spruce Meadows president Linda Southern-Heathcott praised the Olympians, giving an extra nudge to the Canadians.
“They were punching above their weight class at the Olympics,” she said, while giving credit to the team that beat the Canadians for bronze.
“The German team is just really tough, isn’t it?”
It’s a busy sport, noted Southern-Heathcott, and Spruce Meadows doesn’t take the presence of its international competitors lightly.
“You have many choices in the world now to compete and we’re very humble you’ve chosen to come to Calgary,” she told an audience that included many riders.
The Masters, the most prestigious of the three major tournaments at Spruce Meadows, brings to an end the venue’s first competitive season without its co-founder, Ron Southern, who died in January.
Southern-Heathcott said it’s been a year of challenges that have been met, that’s seen some notable additions to the complex, including a new seating-broadcast area in the southeast corner of the International Ring.
Improved footings have also been added to the practise rings — work that endured a rainy summer construction season.
That’s been completed in time to greet an expected 200,000 fans and 75 riders, their horses and entourages.
For the first time, Spruce Meadows is offering a $2-million purse for Sunday’s CP International Grand Prix — four decades after the tournament’s first instalment.
“Nineteen-seventy-six was the first grand prix and, at that time, the purse was $10,000, so you can see how this sport has evolved,” said Spruce Meadows’ senior vicepresident Ian Allison.
Setting the stage for the Masters was an airlift that landed 62 horses in Calgary on Saturday in a flight from Liege, Belgium.
Many of the animals, like their riders, had competed in Rio just a few weeks before.
More permanent mementoes of those Olympics are several jumping fences acquired from Rio, some of which will be used in the International Ring.
That airlift is also bringing a colourful profusion of tulips from the Netherlands to decorate the grounds — a symbol of friendship between that country, Canada and Spruce Meadows.
During these tight economic times, said Southern-Heathcott, Spruce Meadows has retained a loyal corporate sponsor base that’s helped keep the adult entry price to the venue at $5.
“The economy’s very difficult but they have provided a great venue for our athletes and for our fans,” she said.