Calgary, Alberta—Sept. 14
“I can honestly tell you that I never thought I’d win this grand prix again,” Ian Millar admitted. “I won it twice before, and that was a long time ago. The sport has changed so much. I’m a little more mature than I was. These young people go plenty fast, and they’re really, really good. To go up against them is no easy task. The afternoon just seems to fly by. It happened so fast, and the tension is incredible. It’s a heck of a payday. It’s just a thrill beyond words.”
Canadian show jumping legend Millar, 67, triumphed in a two-horse jump-off over young U.S. phenom Reed Kessler in the $1.5 Million CP International to cap this year’s Spruce Meadows Masters tournament. Millar won this class twice before with his superstar Big Ben—in 1987 and 1991. Both those victories came before Kessler was even born.
When asked about the difference winning the CP International now, versus then, he stated, “The perspective of time. I’ve had other horses and sometimes I’d walk a course and I’d look up at the sky and say, ‘Big Ben, where are you when I need you?’ I know he’d do it for fun. When you’ve had a great horse, this can sometimes be a bad thing for a rider because the next one doesn’t quite measure up. You just don’t get that many times in your life. I’ve had a lot of really good horses, but the great ones are elusive. Dixson is the real thing for me.”
Ian Millar and Dixson on their way to their big $1.5 Million CP International payday.
Millar describes Dixson as “a little tricky to ride and train, a little strong.” He continued, “You don’t just take him head on, because he’ll just say, ‘Is that the best you got?’ You just gotta sell him on it and let him think it’s half his idea. He really, really wants to be a good horse. I’m very fortunate to have him. It’s really thrilling when you hope a horse is going to do this, and then they do it.”
Millar and Dixson, owned by Susan and Ariel Grange, triumphed through two rounds and a jump-off Kessler and Cylana. More than 89,000 spectators were on hand to witness the event, which was the second leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Now, Millar is next in line to try and take equestrian sport’s sought-after Rolex Grand Slam title.
Both courses today, set by Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela, were extremely tall, technical, and challenging. “It was a fantastic day,” Palacios said. “For Ian to win in his home country is great. This is the third time I’ve had a jump-off here. The courses were really strong, heavy, the heights hard, the lines difficult. I am very happy. The team of Spruce Meadows, how they maintained the footing was incredible. The jump crew and groundskeepers, I thank all of them.”
After two rounds of tough jumping, it was only Kessler and Millar left with a clean slate. First in for the jump-off was Kessler on Cylana, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Kessler Show Stables. Kessler was fast and efficient, and Cylana made easy work of the jump-off course, finishing clear in 49.50 seconds.
Millar had the advantage of seeing Kessler go. He and Dixson, an 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding by Vigo D’Arsouilles, made tighter turns and put the gas pedal down across the big grass field of the International Ring. When the timers stopped on a winning time of 47.33 seconds, the spectators gave a standing ovation to Millar.
“I had the good fortune of going second, so I saw exactly what she did,” Millar acknowledged. “Her strategy was exactly correct; she did just what I would have done and put just enough pressure on. I was quicker on the turn from (fence) 1 to 2, and to the double liverpools. It was just a little here and there, and that was the difference.”
Millar seemed pleasantly surprised by the occurrence of factors that came together today for his third victory in what he calls “the most prestigious grand prix in the world.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Kessler was excited to be back at Spruce Meadows again after staying in Europe this summer to compete with trainer Marcus Ehning. “[Spruce’s summer series] just didn’t quite fit into my schedule,” she pointed out. “I really missed it because she’s just so spectacular here. I really wanted to make sure that I could come back here and jump the Masters. She jumps her best here. You just have a feeling with a horse; she loves this class. I know that if one day I can get it right, she’s going to win it. I thought the footing was impeccable, which is a testament to this show and their team. I’m really thankful that I could come this year.”
Reed Kessler returned to one of Cylana’s favorite venues to place second in the $1.5 Million CP International.
Swiss rider Marie Etter finished up in third, with a clear go in Round 1 and just 4 faults in Round 2 on Admirable. For Etter, the experience of competing at Spruce Meadows Masters and finishing in third is more than just a good result. The pair have been together for seven years; Etter found the now 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding by A Jungle Prince competing in small national classes in Germany. “I fell in love when I saw his face, the eyes,” she said.
They worked up to the international level together, and Etter’s husband took over the ride when she was pregnant. Etter and Admirable teamed up again, but he ended up having two colic surgeries.
“He was dying. He spent two months in the clinic. We did everything for him. My groom did a really good job; he was there everyday. We had a good relationship before, but after that, the connection is just amazing. I’m happy to be third, but I’m really happy how he fought for me. We do this because we love horses. When you feel your horse fighting for you and giving everything for you, that’s the best feeling,” she related.
Marie Etter’s partnership with Admirable has included life-threatening colic surgeries and now,
third place in the $1.5 Million CP International.
Etter said it was a dream to be at Spruce Meadows Masters, having watched the grand prix every year on television before. “I’m not used to jumping at this level. Calgary is really special. I was feeling a bit small the first day. OK, I am small, but I was feeling really small! Today I’m feeling a little bit less small!” she said with a smile.
Beezie Madden came to Spruce Meadows straight from France, where she won two bronze medals in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games abaord Cortes ‘C’. She brought Simon to Spruce, and not only anchored the U.S. team to second place in the BMO Nations Cup with two clean rounds, but also claimed fourth in the $1.5 Million CP International with a clean first round and just 5 faults in Round 2.
With his victory today, Millar is in the running for the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. The next leg is at CHI Geneva in December. While Millar originally hadn’t planned to show in Geneva, he said he would discuss with Dixson’s owners about taking the trip to Europe this winter. “Circumstances change plans. I think it would be a lovely idea to go to Geneva in December,” he remarked.
Millar never imagined that he would have such a payday when he started his career. He explained, “The way the sport has evolved is incredible. Every rider and horse is probably good enough to win this thing. The set of circumstances that have to come together to let you win it, it’s extraordinary. You couldn’t write the script on what it takes to win. When it happens, you really enjoy it.”
Click here for full results of the class.
Final Results: $1.5 Million CP International, presented by Rolex
ADVERTISEMENT
1. DIXSON: Belgian Warmblood / G / 11 Vigo D Arsouilles x Olisco, IAN MILLAR (CAN), Susan & Ariel Grange: 0/0/0/47.33
2. CYLANA: Belgian Warmblood / M / 12 Skippy II x Darco, REED KESSLER (USA), Kessler Show Stables: 0/0/0/49.50
3. ADMIRABLE: Hanoverian / G / 14 A Jungle Prince x Rhytmo, MARIE ETTER (SUI), Ecurie Galoubet: 0/4/82.64
4. SIMON: Dutch Warmblood / G / 15 Mr Blue x Polydox, BEEZIE MADDEN (USA), Abigail Wexner: 0/5/79.46
5. CABRIO VAN DE HEFFINCK: Belgian Warmblood / S / 12 Cassini I x Calato, OLIVIER PHILIPPAERTS (BEL), Stoeterij Dorperheide/H. Van de Heffinck: 0/5/82.05
6. QUARTZ ROUGE: Selle Francais / S / 10 Ultimo van ter Noude x Qredo de Paulstra, JEROME HUREL (FRA), Deborah Smaga: 0/5/84.47
7. ZIGALI PS: Dutch Warmblood/ G / 10 Kigali x Palfrenier, ERIC LAMAZE (CAN), Artisan Farms, LLC: 0/9/81.70
8. NASA: Selle Francais / M / 13 Cumano x Prince d’Elle, STEVE GUERDAT (SUI), Urs E. Schwarzenbach: 0/9/83.57
9. ESTOY AQUI DE MUZE HDC: Belgian Warmblood / M / 10 Malito de Reves x Kashmir van Schuttershof, KEVIN STAUT (FRA), Haras des Coudrettes: 4/8/78.11
10. GOLDEN HAWK: Belgian Warmblood / S / 9 Vigo D’Arsouilles x Chin Chin, SHANE BREEN (IRL), P Sultan and Breen Equestrian Ltd: 0/13/81.02
11. WIVEAU M: Dutch Warmblood / S / 11 Niveau x Concorde, ALAIN JUFER (SUI), Lutta Gian-Battista: 0/13/84.33
12. CATWALK IV: Holstein / G / 11 Colman x Corleone, ROBERT WHITAKER (GBR), Mrs. C Whitaker: 1/13/85.48
