June 29, 2026 
Sometimes show jumping gives you lemons, and sometimes it gives you an inclement downpour in the middle of the Spruce Meadows International Ring.
Rain or shine, World No. 2 Richard Vogel proved he has what it takes to conquer, earning back-to-back victories on Sunday, June 28, during the Spruce Meadows ‘Pan American’ competition—the German rider’s second of four total wins throughout the weekend.
Vogel’s victory tour started off on Saturday, when he and the 11-year-old Belgian stallion Phenyo Van Het Keysersbos took the win in the 5* Friends of the Meadows Cup 1.50m, out-pacing five jump-off competitors to stop the clock at 45.53 seconds, just ahead of Lillie Keenan (USA) and Emerlon on 46.93 seconds.
On Sunday, Vogel kicked-off his day with a 2* 1.30m win abord the 8-year-old OS gelding Diatasio, and earned his second victory of the week with Phenyo Van Het Keysersbos in the 5* 1.45m West Canadian Cup. But the best was yet to come.
As the storm clouds gathered above Spruce Meadows, Vogel and Gangster Montdesir showed that a little rain couldn’t get them down, logging a double-clear effort on Course Designer Anderson Lima’s (MEX) demanding 1.60m Grand Prix track. Only three combinations managed to leave the poles in the cups during the first round, with Vogel and Gangster providing the only double-clear effort of the day, stopping the jump-off clock at 52.74 seconds.
New Zealand’s Katie Laurie—who earned her first 5* win in the 1.60m Akita Drilling Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows on June 7th—pulled a rail with Django II in the jump-off, finishing second on 52.61 seconds. Meanwhile, Czechia’s Vaclav Stanek’s fault-free, first round effort with Quintin ended in disappointment when the pair suffered a single time fault, landing them in third place.
‘[In] the beginning of the week, [during Gangster Montdesir’s] first time entering the International Ring, he was quite impressed, but I’m even more happy how quick he developed and how good he was today,” the German rider said after his victory.
Water-logged breeches aside, Vogel and the Selle Français stallion are proving to be a flinty combination, showing not only that they can log clears under a variety of conditions, but even in the face of unexpected mishaps.
After a difficult start to their debut FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final performance in April in Fort Worth, Texas, the pair crashed through the final fence in Competition II—unseating and very nearly disqualifying Vogel. But even after admitting that he felt he “rode [Gangster] quite terribly” after the class, both horse and rider put the setback to the wayside.
They went on to become one of just three combinations to jump double-clear during the challenging Competition III on Sunday, moving up a full eight placings in the standings to finish 9th overall. It’s that kind of grit that makes for championship-level partnerships, and as a still-inexperienced 10-year-old, Gangster has more than proven he’s a horse for the future.
In 13 rounds so far together at 1.60m, the pair jumps clear a stellar 69% of the time, finishing on the podium at a 63% clip (Jumpr).
An original Gangster indeed.
