Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson, winners of the CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex, which carried a record prize purse of CAD $5 million. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam/Ashley Neuhof.
Press release from the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping
The 2025 edition of the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament culminated in the third Major of the calendar year, the prestigious CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex, which carried a record prize purse of CAD $5 million. And in fitting with Spruce Meadows’ 50th anniversary, Calgary’s knowledgeable equestrian crowd was treated to some extraordinary levels of horsemanship and drama.
As always, the 1.60m Grand Prix class was contested over two rounds in the iconic and sun-drenched International Ring, this year by 36 of the world’s finest horse-and-rider combinations, including 17 of the world’s current top 50 ranked riders, representing no fewer than 13 nations. Venezuelan course designer, Leopoldo Palcios, set a typically testing track, consisting of 17 obstacles in round one, and 15 in round two, with the latter featuring a vertical followed by a double combination through the trees.
The first round witnessed 11 clears, amongst them the German trio of Daniel Deusser, Sophie Hinners, and Jorne Sprehe, the current Rolex Grand Slam Live Contender, Martin Fuchs, three-time Major winner, Steve Guerdat, and 2015’s Rolex Grand Slam champion, Scott Brash. These six riders – four of them previous ‘International’ winners – and their mounts were amongst the 12 best-finishing partnerships from round one who progressed to the next round.
Round two proved to be an even tougher challenge for the 12 qualifiers, with none of the riders able to post a clear round. However, Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Kyle King of the United States triggered a jump-off after their aggregate scores were tied on four faults each.
First to go in the jump-off, Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson, navigated the eight-obstacle course faultlessly, crossing the finish line in a time of 46.97s, thereby putting the pressure firmly on his American rival. Despite clearing the first six obstacles, Kyle King and his 10-year-old bay mare, Kayenne Z, came unstuck at the Canada planks and in doing so handed victory to Brash and his 16-year-old bay gelding – a third ‘Masters’ Grand Prix triumph at Spruce Meadows for the Scot on the 10-year anniversary of his historic Rolex Grand Slam win.
Commenting on his fifth Major victory, a visibly thrilled Scott Brash, said: “I’m just delighted for the horse [Hello Jefferson], to be honest. He deserved a big win, so to do it here at the biggest Grand Prix in the world – I'm just delighted for him, delighted for my owners, and delighted for my team, as they all work really hard and support me.”
Interview with Linda Southern-Heathcott, President & CEO of Spruce Meadows
Linda Southern-Heathcott. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam/Sofya Sk.
Martin Fuchs was back-to-back winner here in 2023 and 2024 – what are your memories of his victories?
It was fantastic that Martin twice won our CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex. Our Grand Prix is always exciting and unique and, as you well know, many times we don’t have a jump-off, and it’s always considered a very difficult Grand Prix. We also have the richest prize money – but our ethos has always been that the riders have to work for it. It's been great to see athletes excel to the top and they’ve earned it. And the crowd loves it; our crowd loves it. What's interesting about our crowd in Spruce Meadows is they really take ownership of a part of the International Ring, and if a horse jumps clear then they cheer, and this shows how invested they are in the sport, and that’s pretty exciting.
Martin Fuchs comes to Spruce Meadows as the Rolex Grand Slam live contender. It would be a lovely story if he can carry on that journey by winning here on Sunday...
It would be fantastic if Martin can go on to win the Rolex Grand Slam. As you well know, the athletes said it’s not possible [to win the Rolex Grand Slam] when we came up with the idea of the Majors and the Rolex Grand Slam. One of my fondest memories was when Scott Brash won the third Major here and you could hear a pin drop in the International Ring – it was so quiet and then everything erupted. As you know, my father was quite tough and he said, “Linda, I’m proud of you because you really make Spruce Meadows into one of the Majors, and the athletes view it that way, and it would be fantastic if we have another athlete who can do it.” I personally don’t think there’s a better athlete than Martin Fuchs to do it. He’s got the best preparation, so let’s cheer for him this weekend.
This year Spruce Meadows is celebrating its 50th anniversary since it was founded in 1975. How has the venue evolved and what will this year focus on celebrating?
It’ll be really fun for us to show the fans how the sport has evolved 50 years on and also how Spruce Meadows has evolved. It’s really become a sports and entertainment venue, not just a show jumping venue. We have soccer [Cavalry FC], we have just launched a restaurant called Foxtrot, and we’re looking forward to our children taking on the reins and carrying things forward. The celebration for 50 years is about thanking the people, thanking those who have helped to build Spruce Meadows – our sponsors, the fans, the athletes, our founders, and our volunteers. So, it’s really a celebration of everybody coming together and thanking them.
Interview with Leopoldo Palacios
Leopoldo Palacios. Photo © Rolex Grand Slam/Ashley Neuhof.
Please tell us about the course you have designed for Sunday’s CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex...
LP: I believe and hope the course will be very tough, which is very normal here. There won’t be too many differences from my usual designs; however, I will use some features that I haven’t used before. I will be including two big water jumps – one of them a big Liverpool with two poles as a vertical, which will be followed by a left turn to the other Liverpool. This will be the first time that I've used this feature, and I believe this week is the perfect time to use it. I try to include different features in my designs every year – this helps to keep things interesting.
I will also use a lot of CPKC and Rolex fences; for example, I will have one of each of these fences in the jump-off, if we have a jump-off! In the second round, I will use a double Liverpool, a double oxer, and then after that to the bicycle jump. And as we no longer have the bank, I will use a line under the trees, which I think will be very nice. I’ve tried to make a Grand Prix for the occasion, and I hope I succeed.
How long have you been designing Grand Prix courses for at Spruce Meadows?
LP: I started designing courses here in 1994, but I didn’t do the ‘Masters’, I was only designing for the June show. In 1995 I started designing courses for the July show, which included the Queen Elizabeth II Cup. Then in 1996 I did both the June show and the ‘Masters’. If it wasn’t for losing one show in 2020, because of covid, this year would have been my 30th anniversary of designing Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ courses. I’ve built at two Olympic Games, which, of course, was very important, but I believe the courses here are tougher and more demanding than at the Olympics.
What is your favourite memory from your time designing courses here at Spruce Meadows?
LP: I have wonderful memories every year. But I have also had experiences that I’m not very happy with, which are memories – not necessarily with other people, rather with myself and the courses that I’ve set. When you play with the limits, sometimes you overstep those limits. The reality is that this Grand Prix represents the limits for both the horses and the riders, and no other Grand Prix in the world is like this – the results do the talking.
This place is my life, and I try my absolute best all the time, and I’ve succeeded for many years. The Southern Family is like my family. I had a dinner with them in 1992, but when I first properly met them in 1994, this is a memory that I cherish. My other favourite memory is from 2015 when Scott Brash won the Rolex Grand Slam – that it one of the highlights of my life. When Scott finished, I felt so proud, and I was near to crying. It was incredible here that day – when Scott approached the double Liverpool in the last line of obstacles, you could hear a pin drop it was so quiet, and then when he cleared the last fence the crowd exploded. Rolex does a fantastic job with the shows that it sponsors – this has helped to make the sport the best that it is today. For me, these shows are real five-star show.
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