El Dahan learns from past mistake
Egyptian rider makes up for last year’s disappointment at Spruce Meadows
The horse was “chill.” Always is.
But for this grand prix, so too was the rider, thanks to learning his lesson the year previous in the same event at Spruce Meadows.
In the end Sunday, it proved to be a million-dollar show of calmness for Egyptian rider Sameh El Dahan, as he rode Suma’s Zorro triple-clear to win the coveted CP International, the $3-million Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping finale of Masters week at Spruce Meadows.
“I was in this position last year,” said El Dahan moments after the grand prix victory. “I went clean in the first round, and then I think I got too excited after the first round and the second round didn’t go as planned whatsoever. So this time we were a bit more composed. We made sure we stayed more focused to achieve the result, thankfully, that we achieved (Sunday).
“The feeling is really indescribable. I need a few days to make sure everything sinks in and believe that this actually happened. It’s something every rider dreams of to win such a prestigious event at such a prestigious place such as Spruce Meadows. I’m over the moon and delighted — a feeling I will never forget.
“For sure, this is one of the biggest achievements of my career.”
It’s also likely the largest payday of his show-jumping life, as the 33-year-old pockets $1 million for the triumph, which came in a jump-off heads up against Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleuten in front of 71,000 fans.
The two-rider jump-off saw El Dahan follow van der Vleuten, who put up a 42.980-second time on Verdi TN.
“To be honest, I think I had a decent round to put a little pressure on him,” said van der Vleuten, who rode first in the jump-off. “But I knew my time was beatable, because he has a naturally quick horse. But I thought I was clear and a rail (can fall) quickly to the ground.”
After a clear ride, all van der Vleuten needed from El Dahan was one fault — in time or via knockdown — to claim the CP International crown.
But the Egyptian seized the opportunity to put together a quick but clean 42.21s run.
“I know I have a very fast horse, and every time I sit on this mare, I’m super-confident,” said El Dahan, giving credit to Suma’s Zorro, a 14-year-old chestnut mare with a string of successes at Spruce Meadows.
“No matter what is at stake, she always gives her best,” El Dahan added. “She really trusts us and believes in us. She’s such a cool horse, she just does her thing. She’s a very chill horse.”
American Beezie Madden, aboard Coach, settled for third place after suffering a time-fault in the second round, good enough for the third-place paycheque of $445,000.
Portugal’s Luciana Diniz, last year’s runner-up in the CP International, finished in fourth position aboard Fit for Fun.
And last year’s champ, Germany ’s Philipp Weishaupt, clocked in 21st after an eight-fault first round on LB Convall.
Canada’s chances came down to Montreal’s Eric Lamaze after both Kara Chad, of Calgary, and Tiffany Foster, of Vancouver, pulled out before the event and Okotoks’ Lisa Carlsen incurred nine faults in Round 1 and Ontario’s Susan Horn had 20 faults.
But in the second round, Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 knocked down the last two fences to fall shy of the jump-off. The final triple-combination jump of the course was a bear for most of the horses, and it was no different for Fine Lady, Lamaze’s 15-year-old Rio Olympics mount. The superstar Canadian rider and his horse cruised into the triple with no mistakes and had the massive crowd on the edge of its collective seat before Lamaze asked Fine Lady to leave her feet one stride earlier than planned.
The result was a knockdown of the rail on the second-last obstacle before the Canadian tandem also took down the last fence to finish seventh overall for $89,000.
“Yeah. Fine Lady felt great, but it was rider error — my fault,” Lamaze said. “I should’ve held for one more stride, and she would’ve jumped it — my mistake.
“It’s just sometimes you have a split-decision to make an adjustment, and I made the wrong one. I had too long to think about it, and I chose the wrong one.
“She’s 15 this year,” added Lamaze of Fine Lady. “The Rio Olympics was not planned for her to do. It was a last-minute sort of thing. I felt that she gave a lot there, and she still has some very good competition in her.”
The feeling is really indescribable. I need a few days to make sure everything sinks in and believe that this actually happened.