A First Major for Maher, a Major Twist at Traverse City
My Clementine speeds past the James Kann Cruz–Greya rivalry to win at Traverse City, Ben Maher lands a Rolex Major at Spruce Meadows, and Germany wins the challenging BMO Nations Cup.
Four previous attempts, no podiums. Ben Maher finally got past the CPKC 'International' on Sunday, and it took a six-horse jump-off to win it. The day earlier at the same venue, Germany put together the kind of clean sweep that decides Nations Cups before the final round even starts. And in Michigan, the two horses everyone expected to fight out the MLSJ Grand Prix both got beaten by a partnership having only its third start together at the level.
Three results, and three different kinds of story: patience finally rewarded, dominance running exactly to schedule, and a big occasion arriving early.
Spruce Meadows: Maher finally gets his major
The CPKC 'International', presented by Rolex, is run over two rounds of Table A before a jump-off among whoever is tied at the top. Six combinations made it that far on four faults each, and the tie-break came down to who could go fastest without adding more.
| Horse | Rider | Jump-off |
|---|---|---|
| Enjeu De Grisien | Ben Maher (GBR) | 0 / 41.40s |
| Fasther | Lillie Keenan (USA) | 0 / 41.85s |
| Albfuehren's Iashin Sitte | Steve Guerdat (SUI) | 0 / 42.25s |
| Cavoiro – H Old | Roy Van Beek (BEL) | 0 / 47.88s |
| United Touch S | Richard Vogel (GER) | 4 / 41.92s |
| Django II | Katie Laurie (NZL) | 4 / 46.84s |
Going in, the story most were watching for was Richard Vogel completing the Rolex Grand Slam. It ended up being Ben Maher's day instead, a long-awaited first Rolex Major win of his own.
Maher had four faults in the first round and needed a clear in the second just to make the jump-off, then went fastest of the four who stayed clean there. The margin over Keenan was 0.45 seconds. It was Maher's first win in the CPKC 'International', his second individual win with Enjeu De Grisien, and their seventh individual podium together at 1.60m level. The pair have now gone clear in the jump-off in seven straight five-star starts at that height. It's also Maher's first Rolex Major win, putting him on the board for the Rolex Grand Slam with eyes on Geneva.
BMO Nations Cup: Germany barely puts a foot wrong
Nine teams started the BMO Nations Cup on Saturday. Five finished it. Germany won by a distance most teams never get near in a Nations Cup, four faults across the two rounds.
| Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Ireland | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| Belgium | 17 | 4 | 21 |
| Great Britain | 2 | 24 | 26 |
| United States | 16 | 30 | 46 |
Sophie Hinners produced the only double clear of the competition, jumping Iron Dames My Prins fault-free in both rounds, and every rider on the German team put at least one clear round on the board for the team.
Ireland finished second on 17, with Conor Swail and Clonterm Obolensky adding just a single fault in round two. Belgium were third on 21, and Great Britain fourth on 26.
Traverse City: the rivalry that was outdone
Every angle going into the MLSJ Grand Prix pointed at two horses. Shane Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz went in as favourites at a 26% win chance, Kent Farrington and Greya close behind at 23% and expected to climb further if the class went to a jump-off. The two horses are close to level on Elo, 789 for James Kann Cruz and 784 for Greya, and both sit inside the top five jumpers in the world.
The history between them made the build-up. Twenty-three head-to-head meetings at five-star level, Greya ahead 12 to 11 overall. Between them, the pair also own the MLSJ Grand Prix of Traverse City: James Kann Cruz in 2022 and 2024, Greya in 2025.
My Clementine and Nina Mallevaey went double clear and beat both favourites in the jump-off to take the win outright. Farrington and Greya were the closest of the two, going double clear themselves to finish second, just 0.10 seconds slower than the winner. Sweetnam and James Kann Cruz finished just behind both in third.
| Horse | Rider | Round 2 |
|---|---|---|
| My Clementine | Nina Mallevaey (FRA) | 0 / 40.56s |
| Greya | Kent Farrington (USA) | 0 / 40.66s |
| James Kann Cruz | Shane Sweetnam (IRL) | 0 / 40.97s |
| Mr Boombastic | Natalie Dean (USA) | 0 / 46.03s |
| Henry Jota Ariel | Hunter Holloway (USA) | 8 / 44.76s |
Dean and Mr Boombastic also went double clear but couldn't match the pace of the front three, and Holloway's Henry Jota Ariel jumped the first clear but eight faults in the jump-off landed them in fifth.
My Clementine's Elo of 706 put her lower on the list of pre-event favorites, but the result marks new ground for the partnership. This was Mallevaey and My Clementine's first five-star Grand Prix win together, and only their third competitive start at 1.60m as a combination, in a field built around a rivalry the pair sped past.
Three different tests, three different kinds of winner. Maher had the horse and just needed the jump-off to go his way after years of near misses in Rolex Majors. Germany had the depth to win a Nations Cup without needing a drop score to bail anyone out. And Mallevaey had neither the long track record nor the deep résumé at the level with My Clementine, but the pair proved strong enough to beat two of the sport's most established names at their own game.