He could have quietly continued savouring his triumph in the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen. Richard Vogel preferred to board a plane for the Canadian Rockies. No Canada Day on the programme, no sightseeing between Calgary and Banff either — well, maybe a little. The German came to get his bearings on Spruce Meadows’ International Ring. A courtesy visit? Not really. More like a half-dress rehearsal before the appointment that could send his career into another dimension.
Where legends make their appointments
There are shows that hand out rosettes. And then there is Spruce Meadows.
Calgary’s vast green cathedral is unlike any other playground. Its International Ring forgives nothing, its stands breathe history and, in September, during the Masters, every fence seems to carry a few extra kilos.
That is exactly where Richard Vogel will return in a few weeks with an ambition that is every bit as XXL.
Since his masterful victory in the Rolex Grand Prix at CHIO Aachen a few weeks ago, the German is officially chasing the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. A club of which only one man currently holds the membership card: Scott Brash. To complete his incredible run, Vogel will have to win the CP ‘International’ and secure the second line on the roll of honour of the great circuit backed by the crowned brand.
No United Touch S… but the message was received
This week, however, the German phenomenon did not roll out the Big Bertha.
No United Touch S in sight. His extraordinary Westphalian stallion, European champion and true genetic UFO, stayed at home to rest. A horse whose pedigree intrigues as much as it impresses: the same granddam appears on both the paternal and maternal sides, an inbreeding pattern that would have made many breeders shudder. In United Touch S, it mostly produced an extraterrestrial.
At Spruce Meadows, Vogel had chosen another partner: Phenyo Van Het Keysersbos, an 11-year-old BWP stallion by Corydon Van T&L and Heartbreaker.
And the German did not take long to remind everyone that he had not crossed the Atlantic to collect fridge magnets.
A win that smells like course reconnaissance
On Saturday, in the Friends of the Meadows Cup, a 1.50m feature class during the “Pan American” week, forty-six combinations tried their luck over Anderson Lima’s course.
Thirteen fences, sixteen efforts, and a ruthless clock.
In the end, only five earned their ticket to the jump-off.
Among them, naturally, Richard Vogel.
The world number two produced a crystal-clear jump-off to stop the clock in 45.53 seconds, leaving America’s Lillie Keenan and Emerlon nearly a second and a half behind on 46.93 seconds. Britain’s Robert Whitaker completed the podium with Strike a Pose.
A win that is not a Rolex Grand Prix, admittedly. But one that confirms one thing: Vogel adapts very quickly to the very particular demands of Spruce Meadows.
“Here, you can breathe”
The German makes no secret of the pleasure he is taking in discovering the Canadian Summer Series.
« The Summer Series are really fantastic. For two weeks for me (the event lasts five weeks in total, with a week’s break)you have time to enjoy the venue. You can jump smaller classes with the young horses, without putting too much pressure on them or on ourselves. You can simply enjoy the facilities, and that is exactly what we are doing. »
A statement that says a lot.
Because Spruce Meadows is not just a show. It is a showjumping campus where the best riders come as much to perform as to learn how to understand a venue unlike any other in the world.
And Vogel seems to have perfectly grasped the philosophy of the place.
Eyes already turned towards September… and Aachen before that
The real objective, of course, is not this summer victory.
The appointment is set for September.
A few days after the World Championships, where Richard Vogel will be aiming to play a leading role with the inevitable United Touch S, the pair will return to the International Ring and try to write a page of history.
The equation is simple: keep the form. Shine at the Worlds. Then tame Spruce Meadows.
In the meantime, Vogel will leave with a first Canadian trophy in his luggage.
Like a discreet sign planted in the middle of the Rockies.
« I’ll be back.«
Find the full results of the Friends of the Meadows Cup here.
(Photos © Spruce Meadows Media/Mike Sturk)
