June 29, 2025 
The final day of the CSI5* Spruce Meadows Pan American was looking to be an Irish clean sweep. With the top four finishers in the day’s first 5* class, the West Canadian Cup, all hailing from Ireland, history just nearly repeated itself.
Until Matthew Sampson decided to shake things up.
The British rider came in confident to the AON Grand Prix, not just because he has an incredible horse in his 17-year-old stallion Daniel, but also because the pair won this same class just a year prior.
They knew they could win it, but a few pesky Irishmen stood in their way.
With just four clears, it was either going to be Sampson’s win or an Irish one. Daniel Coyle, Jordan Coyle, and Darragh Kenny all had a dog in the fight. Sampson was second from last to go in the jump-off and he put in the fastest time at that point, but Kenny could still change his fate.
With two rails down, Kenny dropped himself into fourth place. Daniel Coyle took second aboard Incredible and Jordan Coyle was third with Chaccolino.
The three riders on the podium spent their early days going head to head in the show ring.
“The three of us used to compete 12.2[hh] ponies against each other in Scotland and Wales,” Sampson laughed. “For the three of us to be sitting here right now I think our mums and dads are going to be giggling to themselves.”
From ponies to the grand prix ring, 35-year-old Sampson is now an extremely accomplished rider and Daniel is helping him accumulate even bigger wins. To now be twice a winner of a major Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows is a feat in itself.
“He’s been jumping really well over the past two weeks,” Sampson reflected of Daniel’s performance. “So I was hopeful today. He felt very good yesterday and he jumped fantastic today. With four clears it was a tough course and it was good to win a class against the Irish because they’ve been beating me in everything.”
Through getting to know the horse, Sampson has learned that if he does his homework as a rider, the horse he’s sitting on is likely to finish the job.
“He’s so careful and he tries so hard,” he continued. “So it’s just trying to get him in the right place he likes and 90% of the time, if you do that, he tries his hardest to clear them. I try not to interfere with him.”
Just one week away from the $1 million ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Sampson will bring Daniel back out for their first appearance in the class, hoping to deliver the same result.
