Richard Vogel came to Calgary chasing history. Ben Maher left with the trophy.
On the final day of the 2026 CSIO Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ on Sunday 13 September, Maher won the CPKC ‘International’, presented by Rolex, riding Enjeu de Grisien. It is the world’s richest show jumping Grand Prix, and he won it a day after a heavy fall. It was his first ever show jumping ‘Major’ win. The win also means Vogel’s attempt at the Rolex Grand Slam is over, and Maher now takes up the chase himself.
A record purse and a Grand Slam on the line
The $5 million purse was first offered for Spruce Meadows’ 50th anniversary in 2025 and returned for 2026. It is still the largest prize fund ever put up for a single show jumping competition.
Most of the attention before the class was on Vogel. The German had won the first two Majors of 2026, taking the Rolex Grand Prix at The Dutch Masters and then winning again at CHIO Aachen with United Touch S. By the time he reached Canada he was World No. 1. A win on Sunday would have made him only the second rider ever to complete the Rolex Grand Slam. The only other rider to do it, Scott Brash, completed his in 2015 in the same International Ring.
Two rounds, no double clears
Leopoldo Palacios designed the two-round course, and 39 combinations started. The top 12 after the first round came back for Round Two in reverse order of merit, with their first-round faults carried forward. The track caused plenty of trouble. There was one elimination, one withdrawal and seven retirements, and Scott Brash, Martin Fuchs, Piergiorgio Bucci and Daniel Deusser all missed the second round.
Seven riders jumped clear in the first round: Vogel (GER), Lillie Keenan (USA), Katie Laurie (NZL), Sameh El Dahan (EGY), Yuri Mansur (BRA), Daniel Coyle (IRL) and Roy Van Beek (BEL). Nobody managed a double clear across the two rounds, however six riders finished level on four faults, so the result went to a jump-off.
The jump-off
Steve Guerdat went first and set the target with a clear round in 42.25 seconds. Maher and his Selle Français gelding came next and went just under a second faster, finishing in 41.40 to take the lead.
The biggest moment of the day came with Vogel. His run at the Grand Slam ended when he knocked down the second part of the double, but the Spruce Meadows crowd still gave him a standing ovation. That rail left the world’s top-ranked rider in fifth place.
Keenan was the last to go. She kissed Fasther on the neck before starting, then jumped clear, but her time was 0.45 seconds slower than Maher’s, which put her second. Guerdat, the reigning world champion, finished third for the second year in a row.
Riding through injury
The win meant more because of what had happened the day before. In Saturday’s BMO Nations Cup, Maher and his newer ride Catelly fell in the second round. The horse was not hurt, but Maher landed hard on his shoulder. He had serious doubts about riding on Sunday but chose to compete, and kept going even after a rail in the first round.
Maher said he talked it through with his doctors, his physio and his family that morning. He was checked over and passed fit, and after riding Enjeu a lot that morning he felt comfortable enough to start.
Maher has won more than 20 five-star 1.60m grands prix, but this was the former Olympic champion’s first Rolex Major. He said that winning it at Spruce Meadows, where he had never had much luck in the Grand Prix, made it especially important to him. He described the CPKC ‘International’ as “one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Grand Prix in the world”, and said his family, owners and team shared the credit. He also praised Enjeu as a horse with endless energy who never seems to get tired.