September 10, 2016 
Come Sunday, 40 of the world’s top horse and rider combinations will take to the International Ring at Spruce Meadows in Calgary to contest the CP International. At $2 Million in prize money, it’s the richest event ever hosted by the iconic venue.
The winner will take home an inconceivable $660k. The 12th place finisher, a cool $20k. (There’s a $3,000 payday just for completing the course.)
With potentially life-changing purse on the line, you can bet that every qualified rider has spent a considerable amount of time strategizing their preparation for the class. And it’s going to be different for each one of them.
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Roger-Yves Bost, fresh off a team gold win in Rio, will contest the Nations Cup with Quod’Coeur de la Loge prior to Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“I think this is the third time this horse has come to Calgary. He knows the place and he likes the grass arena. I rode his father here—Ideal de la Loge. I won Nations’ Cup with the father and I hope he does the same,” said Bost.
“Sunday we’ll do the Grand Prix. Hopefully, he’s not tired.”
It’s a position many team riders find themselves in going into the weekend. But it’s not necessarily a disadvantage, says the French rider.
“When you see the result of the last couple of years, many times the winner [of the Grand Prix] jumped the Nations Cup the day before.”
The Netherland’s Frank Schuttert opted to rest his mount until Sunday after earning top two placings with Winchester HS on Wednesday and Thursday at the Masters Tournament.
“I think he deserves it,” smiled Schuttert.
“He has a little bit his own style. He has a lot of character. As soon as he comes into the ring he always fights for me and wants to do a good job. He has all the scope you could want and I think the most important thing is that he always wants to go for the clear round.”
Like Bost, Sergio Alvarez Moya (ESP) planned to compete in one more class, the ATCO Six Bar. But his was a strategic choice. Moya has only been riding his mount Arrayan for six months and says the 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood is not always easy to control.
“On Sunday that is going to be the biggest class I have ever jumped with him, and I am thinking the Six Bar could be a good exercise for him before the Grand Prix,” Moya explained.
“It makes the horses think, and it is good when they understand that they have to stay quiet between jumps, and use their bodies. Normally he always thinks forward and it is hard for him to sit, so I think the Six-Bar could be good for him and we could maybe get a good result. Then I will give him a day off on Saturday and try our best on Sunday.”
When the last horse gallops through the timers tomorrow, we’ll know which strategy pay off.
