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Beezie Madden and Judgement Go Clear in Three Rounds to Win the $1,000,000 CN International Grand Prix
It was a class that hosted 49 horse and rider competitions over three very challenging courses set by Leopoldo Palacios. The first round included a very difficult triple combination that tripped up many horses and ranged from 1.40m to 1.60m. Despite worries about the footing and the controversy that came from the cancellation of the Nations’ Cup yesterday, twelve riders managed to clear the first round. For the second round, Palacios and his crew moved jumps to drier, more intact ground and set a new course that included a very short one stride in front of the in-gate that turned to a very tall upright vertical. Palacios also set a very tight time allowed that caught two riders. Canadian favorite Mario Deslauriers and Paradigm and German Olympian Ludger Beerbaum and L’Espoir Z both had a heartbreaking one fault. Five riders in the second round had more than four faults, while four ended up with just one rail. The sixth horse back in for the second round was the handsome Oldenburg stallion Arko III and British rider Nick Skelton. They powered around the course for the first double clear round. Four horses later, Madden and Judgement put in a clear round and thrilled the packed bleachers. The last one to return for the second round was Eric Lamaze and his somewhat experienced mount Hickstead. The Canadian crowd held their collective breath for their countryman, and screams of disappointment sounded throughout when Lamaze had the final jump down. The third round started with a blazing fast trip by Skelton, who knew he had to be fast and clear. He and Arko tripped the timers in 48.02 seconds. Everything came down to the final competitor. Madden was the anchor for the 2004 Athens Olympic team and is the most dependable American rider when it comes to clinch situations. Although this event was not for a team, Madden was still able to pull through in the clutch. Madden and the long-strided Judgement flew around the jump-off and stopped the timers in 46.05 seconds. Madden believed that she made up time in one rollback and that Judgement’s large stride helped him in a jump-off full of long gallops. Madden made a late decision to ride Judgement in the grand prix today. “This morning, when we saw that conditions were similar to yesterday, we decided that Authentic didn’t need to do two days in a row,” Madden explained. “Judgement was fresh,” Madden mentioned. “He’s loved this place in the past, and we always thought that this was a class he might be able to win someday. Here he is!” “I’m lucky that my horses have been great for me all summer,” she added. “This was the climax.” Skelton admitted that he was worried about Madden following him. “In that situation-in a two horse jump-off- whatever I do, Beezie can do better. At that point, I have to jump clear. I went as quick as I could. That’s the way it happens,” he said pointedly. The riders all said that the sunny weather conditions today made their decision to show and everyone was happy with how Palacios designed the course. “I thought it was much better today. Leopoldo did a beautiful job and it helped that it wasn’t raining today,” Madden said. Skelton also chimed in, “He forgot about the course designing and put the jumps where they needed to go. He did a great job.” Palacios proclaimed that he was “more than happy with the results of the class.” He also acknowledged, “Course designers have a huge responsibility for the welfare of the horse and for riders. I do not want to have accidents. I’m happy for the two days and there were no accidents.” By winning today’s grand prix and this summer’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Madden also scored a rider bonus of $50,000 to add to an already large purse. She will return home as one of the most decorated riders of the year. Official Results- CN International Grand Prix
The early morning feature of the final day of the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament was the $75,000 Molson Cup. It was a faults converted speed class held in the All Canada ring. The winner of the class was the sixth horse into the ring. Richard Spooner, of Burbank, CA, hauled around the lengthy course on the 10 year old Oldenburg gelding Quirino 3. Although there were many fast rounds that followed him, no one was able to beat his time of 87.58 seconds. The closest competitor was Great Britain’s John Whitaker on Lactic 2, who clocked in at 89.24 seconds. “I was lucky that I got to go early,” Spooner admitted. “I got fresh footing.” Spooner was a member of yesterday’s Nations’ Cup team that decided not to show in the second round. He was happy with the footing in this morning’s class. “That ring has a natural grade that’s incredible and quite steep, so the water seems to sheet off that ring much faster than the International Ring.” Spooner said that despite the wet footing, he did not hold back. “I went as fast as I could with those conditions,” he explained. “I made the turns slower and tighter, rather than faster and longer. The momentum tends to be our enemy in that kind of footing.” Quirino 3 seemed to have no problems with showing on the footing on the last day of the show. “I think the advantage he had today is that he’s a very careful horse. As the week wears on, some horses tend to lose their caution. He doesn’t have that problem,” Spooner said. Audio interviews with CN International Grand Prix winner Beezie Madden, Molson Cup winner Richard Spooner, and the riders from the press conference following the CN International can be found at www.towerheads.com. Official Results: Molson Cup
Photo Credit: Beezie Madden and Judgement over the final jump to win the $1,000,000 CN International Grand Prix. Photo by Ken Braddick- HorseSport USA. |
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Calgary,
Canada- September 11- The sun made an appearance today to shine down
on the International Ring for the $1,00,000 CN International Grand Prix.
However, the brightest star of the day was Beezie Madden of Cazenovia,
NY. She and the 14 year old Dutch Warmblood stallion Judgement went
clear through three rounds of competition to capture a prize of $325,000.
